Nas claims that he doesn’t use a ghostwriter, but veteran scribe dream hampton begs to differ. Hampton and the rest of the Hip-Hop Twitterverse were in a fury Monday (Aug. 13) night, debating over whether or not the Queensbridge MC–who will headline Rock the Bells in San Bernardino, Calif. Sunday (Aug. 19)– used someone else’s pen for his Untitled album, originally called Ni**er.
Frank William Miller Jr. of the website, Rappers I Know, even shared a recount of a conversation with Jay Electronica who said that he was commissioned by Jay-Z (who was president at Def Jam at the time) to ghostwrite for Nas. Once that information went out, a potentially let-down fan hit Hampton on Twitter to find out if there was any truth to the story. “I think Jay writes what he believes. Nas’ Ni**er album was largely written by Stic of dead prez and Jay Electronica,” she wrote.
Hampton is a close friend of Hov’s and helped him write his Decoded book. She was also named in hand-written lawsuit filed by a man claiming that Jay jacked the stories in the book.
According to Miller he was not happy to learn that Nas was not writing his own music on the politically conscious release. “The day Jay [Electronica] called me at work to tell me he was ghostwriting for Nas was a hard day for me,” Miller wrote. “On one hand, I was happy that a friend of mine that seemingly no one cared an iota for a year or two prior was quickly ascending through the ranks of hip hop as a voice to pay attention to and a career in the making to watch.”
While he doesn’t remember “specific dates,” Miller notes the revelation as crumbling the reputation of the rapper who is held in high esteem for his lyrical prowess. “What does that do to your legacy? What does that mean for any of your future recordings?” he continued. “This is why, I say I am unmoved when I listen to a song where Nas is rapping positively about raising his daughter. After all, this is the same guy that has the absolute worst and most disturbing, while trying not to be, sex raps out; may I never hear another rhyme talking about pentagrams in a woman’s v-gina or A$$ play with a beer bottle (‘a real joker!’). No really, I’m good.”
After putting his legacy on blast, Hampton later posted her love for God’s Son. “I love Nas He’s one of my generation’s best writers. Maybe he was blocked. Whatever. Untitled’s aight. Revolutionary But Gangsta was better.
Meanwhile, Nas says the only helpers that he uses when writing songs, is that of the people, and the stories he’s been told. He also hasn’t responded to the newest sectors of this growing controversy.
As one of the most lauded artists of the culture, the idea of Nas not writing his own work is indeed a crushing blow to Hip-Hop, but at what point do we take him at his word?
Click below to see the Twitter exchange.
UPDATE: stic.man of dead prez took to Facebook to say that what he and Nas did was a “collaboration” (see last page).
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Photo: Feministing
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