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In a recent interview with music magazine Rolling Stone, Nas spoke about the controversy surrounding his new album title and Universal Music Group’s decision to stick with the name.
Nas said that his previous album, ‘Hip-Hop is Dead’ was supposed to have the name ‘Nigger’ but “the climate wasn’t right, and Hip Hop Is Dead is also what I was feeling. That went first, and now I’ve got to get this one off my chest,” he explains, also speaking about the wave of hate crimes involving nooses around the country. “It’s the new act of hate, and probably because of Barack Obama, people’s ignorance and fear and jealousy is creating an outrage throughout the country, and people are reacting by putting nooses up. It’s been a really serious year,” the rapper explained.

Regarding the controversy surrounding the name, Nas said “It’s like talking to your child about sex. It’s hard, but it’s important,” he says. “It’s probably going to make people uncomfortable. I don’t expect a lot of people to sell a record called Nigger. Hopefully, people can open their minds up and lose some of their fear and deal with it. It’s just an album. It’s one piece of the many things I do, and this will be one of my favorite pieces.” “It will be certain record stores that will be scared to deal with it. The record label is gung ho, and it’s ready to go.”

On Friday night at New York’s Roseland Ballroom, Nas announced the title of his next album: He said it will be called Nigga and released in December. A source close to the project confirmed the name on Saturday.

Nas has said he’d planned to use that title for his last LP before he changed it to Hip-Hop Is Dead. If the December date holds firm, Nas will have a very busy winter. On November 6 he’s releasing his Greatest Hits LP. A video for one of the two new songs on the project, “Surviving the Times,” will be shot soon. Last week, super producer Jermaine Dupri — who has already completed tracks for Jay-Z’s American Gangster — told MTV News he would love to be involved in Nas’ upcoming new LP.

Nas headlined the last stop of the Sneaker Pimps Tour on Friday, where newcomers such as Mista Mal as well as legends EPMD and Slick Rick had sets. Even Jeru Da Damaja showed up and rocked the mic.

Nas kept fans antsy by not going on until well after 1 a.m., but they left visibly — and audibly — pleased.

He opened with “Hip-Hop Is Dead,” then went into his catalog for records such as “One Love” and “Hate Me Now.” God’s Son ended with “Made You Look,” during which he surprised the fans by jumping into the crowd. Once among the people, he began jumping up and down and inciting the people to jump with him. One of Nas’ security guards dove into the audience after him, pulling him back to the stage, where he stood none the worse for wear.

“He touched my hand and gave me positive energy,” one woman said as the house lights came on.

Besides phat rhymes, spectators saw some of the most exclusive kicks you can hope to get, as sneakers from all over the world were displayed. There was also a pit for professional skaters who sailed up and down ramps. Still, most of the skaters had to put their boards down when the acts came on, especially Nas.

During a recent airing of his Fox News show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” the commentator blasted Nas’ free concert for the students of Virginia Tech (see “Nas, John Mayer, Dave Matthews To Headline Free Concert At Virginia Tech”) as an “abomination” and “atrocity.” O’Reilly referred to Nas — or “Nazz,” as the TV host pronounced it — as a “gangsta rapper” and said his lyrics are as “violent as they come,” citing songs such as “Shoot ‘Em Up,” “One Mic,” Ether” and “Made U Look” as his musical history of violence. (The show also displayed some of Nas’ concert footage and videos, plus the scene where Jay-Z gets shot in the video for “99 Problems.”) O’Reilly called Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger “a villain” for allowing Nas to perform.
“Having a rapper who trades in violence perform at Virginia Tech insults the victims, the university and the entire commonwealth,” O’Reilly declared. The Nas controversy has been the topic of several of his shows.

Nas spoke exclusively to MTV News on Wednesday, dismissing his detractor.
“It’s what he’s supposed to do. He has an image to uphold,” Nas said initially, laughing it off. But the conversation took a more serious turn when Nas described O’Reilly’s stance against him — and previous outbursts against peers such as Snoop Dogg and Ludacris (see “Ludacris Barks Back At Pepsi, O’Reilly; P-Roach Antics Not An Issue For Soda Giant”) — as being prejudiced and outdated.
“He’s a racist,” Nas said. “Everybody has a marketing plan; his marketing plan is racism.
“He doesn’t understand the younger generation. He deals with the past,” Nas continued. “The people he represents are Republican, older, a generation that has nothing to do with the reality of what’s happening now with my generation. … He’s not really on my radar. People like him are supposed to be taught and people like me are supposed to let n—as like him know. I don’t take him serious. His sh– is all about getting ratings or whatever. I wouldn’t honor anything Bill O’Reilly has to say. It just shows you what bloodsuckers do: They abuse something like the Virginia Tech [tragedy] for show ratings. You can’t talk to a person like that.”
Nas maintained that some of his harsher lyrics are no more rigid than the reality that inspired them.

“Here’s somebody that speaks about America in his music, and the community that I come from has the same kind of violence as Virginia Tech,” the legendary rapper said about himself. “It’s unnecessary, stupid violence. Hip-hop is a part of the generation of [Virginia Tech] as well as alternative and pop and rock. Hip-hop is a part of that. That’s why I’m [performing at the concert]. With Bill O’Reilly, it doesn’t raise an eyebrow to me because it’s garbage, its bullsh–. He has nothing to do with the real people who go to school or the parents who had to endure that tragedy.”

The New York MC also opined that O’Reilly should be exploring the inspiration for music’s depictions of violence instead of making blanket statements about the content itself.
“Let him ask why I made the songs I made,” Nas said. “It didn’t come from nowhere. It came from this country. I’m not talking about Russia in my music. I’ve never been to Russia. I’m not talking about Africa, Switzerland, China. I’m talking about me being American and growing up in a crazy world and helping to reflect all different sides of life. I got songs also about totally different things — ‘Black Girl Lost,’ you feel what I’m saying?”
Besides O’Reilly, seven families of the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy have spoken out against Nas performing, and there was an editorial in the school newspaper saying it would be a poor choice for the rapper to perform some of his songs where he talks about guns.
University officials responded by saying the announcement of the concert has been getting overwhelmingly positive feedback and that the lineup would not be changed.
Despite the controversy, Nas says he was asked by the school to perform and there are many people who would be disappointed if he did not come.
“I’m still coming,” he reiterated. “Unfortunately, man, a lot of places in America have to deal with unnecessary violence. Somebody like me who knows it firsthand and could relate, … I had a best friend killed, plenty other friends killed. I been through it. I seen it. My music reflects reality. I think that’s what makes it important that I come through and show love to those people [at Virginia Tech]. They deserve it.”

“A Concert for Virginia Tech” takes place at the school Thursday (September 6). John Mayer, Phil Vassar and the Dave Mathews Band will also perform. A spokesperson for O’Reilly was unavailable for comment.