Hip-Hop Honors

I'm not sure the exact point when you could begin to mention Nas' name in company with some of Hip-Hop's elite old-school legends and have it not be blasphemy. Maybe it was Illmatic that crystallized his clout, maybe it was soaring to multi-platinum heights with It Was Written, maybe it was earning his battle stripes with Ether, maybe it was proving he could last longer than a couple albums and some trends, maybe it was resurrecting the breakbeat aesthetic on Made You Look, or maybe it was showing that Hip-Hop could grow with relative grace into its and his third decade. Then again, maybe it's really a combination of all these achievements. However, you'd also have to factor in that Nas has never shied away from a) giving respect to his elders b) working with these very same MC's. In the process, these collaborations have helped older artists receive some attention from a newer set of fans, but also bolstered Nas' status from the p.o.v. of these very same artists, to the point that you could consider him in their class without causing too much fallout. Three such acts Nas has worked with are Run-D.M.C., Scarface, and Slick Rick.

Run-D.M.C. f/ Nas, Prodigy: Queens Day
As much as any other one location, Queens, New York is responsible for some of the most important music and moments in Hip-Hop's history. In particular, Run-D.M.C. can lay claim to a bulk of these moments. Because of this, when Nas came through with '94's Illmatic, though the projects of QB were given his specific attention, on a larger scale, he was also carrying on the tradition that Run-D.M.C., amongst others, had helped etch out. Fittingly, when the Hollis trio released their first LP since before Illmatic, 2001's Crown Royal, Nas came along to represent for the second generation of Queens Hip-Hop. Over a Primoesque beat, he appropriately tripped back to memory lane with a verse that honored those days of the 80's when the likes of Run-D.M.C. ruled:

A lot of ghost towns and memories, bad blood and enemies
So many died with the same gangsta pride that entered me
Peace to them old timers, they who taught us
How to stand strong and pass it on to the sons and daughters

Scarface f/ Nas: In Between Us
You may be wondering why Scarface is included here in the same company as Rev. Run and 'em, from a chronological perspective at least. However, the first Geto Boys album did come out in '88, although, admittedly, that may not be strict "old school" by a purist's standards; regardless, I've always grouped him in with the N.W.A. and Kool G Rap league of Hip-Hop, that Reagan era, menacing, unrelenting, and ultra-violent approach to lyricism. But maybe that's part of Scarface's greatness, that he could come up in a class of rappers now considered vets and still maintain a consistent level of respect and relevance in the game to also be seen as a peer of 2Pac, Nas, Jay-Z, and even Beanie Siegel. He's accomplished as much as any other Hip-Hop artist, from business to the music side of things, and, in 2002, proved he could still hang around in his third different decade of recording on a 5-Mic level. That album, The Fix, also paired the South Acres MC with QB's own, Nas, for an ode to "O.G. knowledge."

Slick Rick f/ Nas: Me & Nas Bring It to You Hardest
It takes some guts to get on a bragging track with Slick Rick. While Nas' storytelling abilities are worthy enough to be compared to the pioneer legacy left by MC Ricky D, he's never been quite the brag artist, at least not to equal one of the greats. This is especially evident on the song in question, Me & Nas Bring It to You Hardest, where, despite being more than a decade removed from his Great Adventures debut, Rick the Ruler provides his trademark combination of conceitedness plus charisma, "when I step into a room, pimps hide they hoes ." Enhanced by his UK stylings, Me & Nas is another example of Slick Rick as the original aristocrat MC, whose asshole tendencies were balanced with the right amount of wit to win over even the crumbs.

Run-D.M.C. f/ Nas, Prodigy: Queens Day
Scarface f/ Nas: In Between Us
Slick Rick f/ Nas: Me & Nas Bring It to You Hardest