6 Head Scratching Moments Of Media Struggle From Nas

Make no mistake about it; Nasir “Nas” Jones is still one of the most formidable talents to ever emerge in Hip-Hop. From his classic 1994 debut Illmatic to his upcoming summer opus Life Is Good, Nasty Nas has given fans and listeners plenty of mental sustenance over the years.

However, being savvy in the media hasn’t always been the Queens wordsmith’s strongest arena of play. Hip-Hop Wired takes a look at six instances where the “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” rapper caught a case of foot-in-mouth disease.

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Photo: Complex, Getty Images, et. al.

“Gwyneth Paltrow Is A Real N***a, That’s My Homie” – Last Friday (June 8), Nas jumped into the fray to defend actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s use of the n-word with a lot of passion. “I would slap the s*** out of somebody for Gwyneth Paltrow,” said Nas to CBS Local. “Gwyneth Paltrow is a real n***a, that’s my homie.” Ok.

Nas And Kelis Both Wear Shirts Promoting Upcoming N****R  Album At 2008 Grammys – The Grammys, typically a classy and high fashion affair, was nearly derailed after Nas and then-wife Kelis sported matching shirts emblazoned with the word N****R, the proposed (and later changed) upcoming title for Nas’ ninth studio album. When pressed by CNN on the carpet about the impetus behind the shirt and album title, Nas tried to make the racial epithet a catchall concept geared towards anyone going through struggle. It didn’t make sense to us then either.

Nas Attempted To Lynch A Life-Sized Jay-Z Doll At Summer Jam – In a brazen move that may have saved Hip-Hop fans from one of the most disturbing images ever, Hot 97 barred Nas from reenacting a lynching of a doll of then-rival Jay-Z’s likeness at its annual Summer Jam concert series in 2002. The denial from Hot 97 inspired one of the most infamous dis rants in radio history.

Nas Blacks Out On Power 105, Disses Hot 97 – Still fuming from the Summer Jam fiasco, Nas took to Power 105 and unleashed a fiery tirade against Hot 97, Angie Martinez, Cam’Ron, Funkmaster Flex, a couple of cute puppies (ok, that didn’t happen) and others. The five-minute rant is the most passionate fans have heard Nas in some time.

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Nas Isn’t Short For Nazi, Is It? – 2002 was full of media losses for Nas, especially so after a strange interview with SOHH in where the Queensbridge vet appears to have fond words for Nazi war criminal Adolf Hitler. Nas would later clarify his statements in a follow up interview with AllHipHop, where he instead referred to the racist war leader as a “mastermind.” His words, not ours.

Good With Rhymes, Not So Good With Names – Esco’s not the most focused guy in the world at times, as evidenced in this Noisemakers interview with Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg. In this clip, Nas incorrectly keeps calling the on-air personality Paul (as in Eminem’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg), which the host gamely chooses to ignore for whatever reason.