Nas Talks 10th Studio Album

Kendrick Lamar Shakes Up The Super Bowl With Bold Drake Diss And Surprise Guests

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime performance was nothing short of legendary, leaving fans buzzing with surprise cameos and bold moments that took his long-running feud with Drake to new heights. Kicking off with an unreleased song snippet and followed by “Squabble Up” from his latest album GNX, Kendrick immediately set the tone for a game-changing performance. Fans eagerly waited to see if Kendrick would play his diss track Not Like Us, especially with Drake's ongoing lawsuit against him and his label for defamation and harassment. Lamar's performance included an unexpected appearance by SZA and a quirky cameo from Serena Williams, along with Samuel L. Jackson’s comedic interruptions, all building the suspense around the Drake drama. In the middle of his performance, Kendrick turned up the heat, looking straight into the camera and directly addressing Drake with his famous lyrics, “I heard you like them young," as fans held their breath. Despite the tension, Kendrick censored himself when it came time to call Drake a "certified lover boy" and avoided saying “pedophile,” which had been widely speculated. Social media lit up with mixed reactions, with some fans mocking the performance as a "mid mashup" and others noting the intense hostility toward Drake. With the hashtag #KendrickBowl trending, it’s clear that Kendrick’s performance was a cultural moment that pushed boundaries—but has he gone too far, or is this just another chapter in hip-hop history? Only time will tell, and Drake has yet to respond.

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Though he’s in the midst of finishing his “Distant Relatives” collaboration with Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, rap superstar Nas is looking towards making a followup to his 2008 album “Untitled.” “After this (Marley) project is done,” he tells Billboard.com, “I’ll start my record.”
The album’s direction is still germinating, Nas says. “Untitled,” of course, came out amidst great controversy over the racial epithet he originally wanted to use for the title. The new material will also come in the wake of divorce proceedings filed by his wife, Kelis.
“It’s funny; drama is something that definitely kicks a fire underneath artists,” Nas says. “But I try not to make that my focus. I’m trying to have peace and love.
“My shit right now is age-appropriate for myself. I love everything, most of the things that are going on musically. But my music will talk about what I see, how I see it, and it should be interesting. My last things were about what I felt about hip-hop and what I felt about race matters. This new thing will be a natural thing. I have a few things that I feel like doing, but who knows what it will be.”
“My shit right now is age-appropriate for myself. I love everything, most of the things that are going on musically. But my music will talk about what I see, how I see it, and it should be interesting. My last things were about what I felt about hip-hop and what I felt about race matters. This new thing will be a natural thing. I have a few things that I feel like doing, but who knows what it will be.”
Nas is currently touring with Marley as part of this year’s Rock The Bells package and will to finish “Distant Relatives” after the tour. They also plan to tour extensively following its release, and Nas is feeling both that album and his next release will be part of a hip-hop scene he finds more potent than it’s been in recent years.
“I think it is headed in a good direction,” he says. “Everybody is trying to beat the life back into it. People are forced to beat the life back into it because it’s either that or, if hip-hop dies completely, then it’s our fault. So no one wants that on their shoulders. No one wants that on their brain. We have a responsibility to keep this shit crunchy. That means a lot to fans and people, and we should care more about the music.”