Nas recently sat down with sociologist/musicologist/radio personality/hip-hop academic Michael Eric Dyson to discussion the current state of hip-hop, the 20th anniversary of Illmatic and the Queens bomber's overall contribution and influence to/on the institution. In a conversation curated by James Peterson --a hip-hop scholar in his own right-- at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall, Nasty and Dyson began the discourse by reminding the audience that the two were not unfamiliar with one another, as Dyson has spoken with the Queens MC about his career on several occasions prior and also co-edited the impressive compilation piece Born To Use Mics, which examines both the artistry and academic value of Nas' masterful debut through a collection of scholarly essays.
This meeting of hip-hop's great minds was of course opened by a set from The Hip-Hop Fellow himself 9th Wonder, bringing the event full circle in its academia. If you're in the DMV, let's hope you got to the Kennedy Center Saturday night for Nas' Illmatic XX performance, backed by a full band and orchestra. If not, no worries, we got you covered fam. Watch this endlessly informative sit-down discussion below and be sure to cop the 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of Illmatic when it drops April 15th via iTunes.
