Overview

• Nas tells Rolling Stone that Kendrick Lamar is “the North Star,” praising his stature and purpose in the culture.
• He warns that artists who are not “here for the art” harm hip-hop’s future and says figures like Lamar will speak out.
• The conversation arose from parallels between Nas’s 2006 track “Hip Hop Is Dead” and Lamar’s 2024 song “Watch the Party Die.”
• Nas’s endorsement follows his November 2024 Instagram salute to Lamar’s surprise album GNX, and the two have long expressed mutual respect without collaborating.
• Separately, Nas says his $5.5 billion Queens casino expansion won community advisory committee support and still awaits State Gaming Commission approval, contrasting with a denied Times Square bid backed by Roc Nation.