"I Can't Look To Them As A Reference:" Nas Talks About Not Being Inspired By Rappers His Age Anymore

While visiting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, hip-hop legend Nas said he isn't motivated by his rap contemporaries.

Nas isn't looking for motivation from rappers his age anytime soon. While visiting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday (February 22), the King's Disease III artist was asked about what rappers he considers to be inspiring. The 49-year-old explained that since many fellow rap veterans are no longer active, he isn't stimulated by them.

“I’m really trying to figure out what my next move is, and I feel like a lot of hip-hop artists my age are not putting out a lot of material, so I can’t look to them as reference,” Nas said.

“They kind of slowed down — for whatever reasons, I understand it’s a tough thing — but I got bit by the bug, man.”

Although some of Nas' former rap peers have burned out, the wordsmith has reinvigorated his iconic rap career in past three years, collaborating with producer Hit-Boy for the King's Disease series. Their

“I collaborated with this cat Hit-Boy who’s like the best, and he’s produced all of those albums — King’s Disease 1, 2, 3. We’re kind of inspiring ourselves at this point. It’s really interesting," the Mass Appeal Records co-founder said.

When asked what he sees in Hit-Boy that he misses in himself, Jones joked "youth." He then described the duo as a "perfect match."

Jones and Hit-Boy are reportedly readying their next effort, King's Disease IV, which Billboard confirmed will have an appearance from Jones' once-rival 50 Cent.

Watch the Colbert interview below.