Nas’ father Olu Dara
was inducted into Mississippi’s Hall of Fame this weekend. The rappers father
is a jazz trumpter who released his debut album after his son struck it big in
the hip-hop business.
Dara, who has been
playing with his own band for over 20 years, has appeared on over 50 albums
showing off his trumpet skills.
Dara said that
he writes up to 100 songs a year, but wasn’t that interested in recording until
his son called.
"I hadn’t
been that bothered about recording, but he [Nas] wanted me to do it so he could
show people where he came from," Dara told Folk Roots magazine in an interview.
"A man from Atlantic had been after me for a while to record, too. So when
they both called on the same day….."
The result of
that phone call was Dara’s debut, In The World: From Natchez to New York
which features Nas on "Jungle Jay."
Dara also showcased
his lungs on Nas’ "Life’s A B####," which also featured AZ.
Others inductee’s
included Blues legend Little Milton and the youngest inductee, Lance Bass of
the boy band, *NSYNC.