Nas: Nas’ Favorite Things (Part 1)

Nas has been one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved sons through the years. But, what does the rap star love? AllHipHop.com caught the Queensbridge king and conversed about what he utilizes to complement his even-evolving life. AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite gadget and why? Nas:  Like I, I mean like I’m not really a gadget dude, but I’d say my [T – Mobile] Sidekick. I can go online, email and all kinds of s**t.AllHipHop.com:  Has that helped you stay more connected? I know before, when we talked, you weren’t into computers like that. Nas:  Yeah, yeah that [sidekick] and a laptop, an Apple.  I have an Apple that comes with a camera.  You know that’s kind of cool.  You know I iPod it up. AllHipHop.com:  Okay and speaking of the iPod, what do you think of the emergence of the digital era?Nas:  I mean it’s… I think that’s not the last [gadget] that we’re gonna see of you know that advanced technology stuff.  So I mean just as I get used to that something else pop up and be like, “Wow, what’s this?”  So you know when vinyl left and CDs came and DVDs came, I was prepared for whatever changes that would happen. All the changes [are] for our own convenience.  It’s easier [organize] all the songs and stuff, you know.  It’s easy.AllHipHop.com:  What are your thoughts of downloading in the digital era?  Sometimes some people are using it, other people in the industry is generally opposed to it, but you get a lot of people leaking records to the Internet.Nas:  I think the record buyers are not there.  You know the CD buyers are not there Me personally, I don’t get anything out of downloading, I can hear it but it’s not enough for me, like I want to experience the going in the store and dealing with the package and reading the stuff, and hearing it differently than over a computer the first time. [With Hip Hop is Dead], there’s no way I could hear it on the laptop or even with the speakers.  I got to hear it in a system.  There’s no way I can do a laptop.  It just ain’t loud enough.  It ain’t clear enough.  It ain’t hot enough.AllHipHop.com:  What’s the one materialistic thing that you can’t live without?Nas:  Man, I’m a sucker for a car and this is just being a dude, man, since Tonka toys and trucks and s**t man, racetracks. This ain’t got nothing to do with talk about cars, make who I am you know. People get confused when I say s**t [about material items], “Oh he’s bugging.”  No, I’m a sucker for cars.  I always have the nicest cars since I’ve been of an age to drive.  You know and jewelry jeans, man, I love jewelry.AllHipHop.com:  Tell us about a particular car, something surprising…Nas:  What’s the crazy s**t?  There’s some old s**t, like an old ’78 [Chevrolet] Nova s**t, because one of my cousins had one back in the days when I was a kid.  So you know I always wanted one of them things.  So I’ve been looking at one, you know get it souped up, get it hooked up real crazy with the engine.  Also the old school classic Rolls Royce from like the ‘50s.  You know, some cars, there’s some cars I hear that’s in Cuba when you know they stopped the exports, imports from, embargo thing started right.  There’s some cars left out there that I heard are like crazy  And other than that, you know the [Rolls Royce] Phantom I think they got a convertible coming out.  I’m real psyched about that.AllHipHop.com:  Yeah, I’m trying to get a 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. The old school Smokey & the Bandit joint. Nas:  Crazy!  But see they got a lot of them [old cars] have problems, a lot of them have a lot of issues with the engine and all that.AllHipHop.com:  What’s your favorite clothing line?Nas:  You know what’s f**ked up? I don’t if they f**k with the brothers, man, but I always liked Gucci since I was about probably seven, probably because [of] my mama. But I always liked them.  I don’t know how they are with the brothers, you know, but Gucci [and] Prada… I like some of the new brands too.  I like all the $300 jeans that make you feel like you’re doing something.AllHipHop.com:  We noticed your sneaker game a little bit with the Puma’s there  Do you have any particular favorites?  Nas:  I mean, I’ve always been the Nike and Adidas man, you know. Jordan brand is my favorite. But, just a cool casual sneaker? Shelltoe [Adidas], white on white.AllHipHop.com:  Do you have a favorite book?Nas:  Yeah, Private Convictions [which is] Richard Pryor’s life story and Miles Davis by Quincy Troup.  And I love Love Unlimited, Barry White’s book, you know a lot of biographies.AllHipHop.com:  What ties those together as being your favorites?Nas:  I mean they survived, being incredibly talented in the world, when people wanted to wipe them out of existence and suck them dry and use them and spit ‘em out when they was done.  They survived, they paved the way for people like me, so I always wanted to see what they were made of and what they were into.