Where do you find the energy to perform with such a ferocity night in and night out?
Nas: I could be tired, not having slept in the last 24 hours, but once I walk on that stage, I’m not in control. I’m only half in control. Something else takes over.
On your most recent album you rapped a lot about becoming a father. How did becoming a father change your life, and how did it affect your career?
N: It teaches you who you are. They say you don’t know yourself until you’ve been in a fight, but really, you don’t know yourself until you become a father. It’s everything.
When did you know you were ready to become a dad?
N: You’re never ready. You can never say, “I am ready,” you know what I mean? Some people can, but for the most part, you’re never ready. If you’ve never had a kid before, you have no way of knowing what you’re in for. It’s a beautiful thing.
Is there one piece of advice that your father (musician Olu Dara) gave you when you were growing up, that you still remember to this day?
N: Dogs get mad. Man gets a little angry. It means don’t throw your life away over nothing. Have self control.
Most people haven’t been through what you have, and through what you rap about, so why do you think it is they’re able to connect to your music?
N: I don’t look at it like that. If I did, I’d become a gimmick, because I would cater to it, and market myself that way. I throw myself out there and just let it be, and I think maybe people can see that and relate to it. They see that I humanize my stardom, and I always keep that real balance.
How does it feel when you get up on stage in a foreign country and you see and hear all these kids singing the words to Illmatic?
N: It’s unreal. The old stuff especially blows me away. To see them know the music, it makes me feel at home, it makes me feel better about what I’ve done, more accomplished. It makes me feel proud.