SweetNuthingz

13.6.12

Continuing the push towards next month’s release of his 10th solo album — and continuing his new trend of being more candid about the personal aspects of his life — legendary MC Nas was up early this morning to discuss his “Daughters” single and his overall experience as the father of a teenage girl on CNN’s Starting Point.

Nas explains that having a teenage daughter is a different experience for him, and that even though his chosen profession often kept him away from home and his relationship with his daughter’s mother (who wasn’t too pleased with “Daughters” when the song premiered) was less than perfect, he did the best he could for Destiny, who is 17, and that she doesn’t feel he was a bad father.

“You know, I ask her that from time to time. She says I was great,” he says. “I did my best. But it wasn’t good enough for me. So that’s why I did this record.”

About the song itself, the Queensbridge vet says it was partially a response to her Twitter “act” and some negative things she’d put into the world that had been picked up by the blogosphere. “Daughters” was his way of teaching her while also “beating myself up for not doing certain things that I think I should have,” he said.

Nas also touches on a time shortly after his daughter was born that he had a bit of an internal conflict about the music he made (“For a minute … I thought I couldn’t write anymore. … I started to make records that I thought she could listen to.”) and discusses his use of the so-called “n-word,” saying that, as he gets older, he doesn’t need to use it as much, but sees it as his way of remaining authentic.

“It speaks to a lot of young people in their language,” he says.

Watch the interview in full below. Life Is Good drops July 17th.

Sourced From: http://www.soulculture.co.uk/culture-2/film-tv/tv-blog/nas-talks-daughters-on-cnn-tv-catch-up/#ixzz1xihI6Pqc

11.6.12

Hip Hop On Trial with Questlove, KRS-One, Estelle, Jesse Jackson +more, June 26 | London Event Preview

The social impact of Hip-Hop has long been the subject of fervent debate between those who see it as a much needed artistic outlet for a disenfranchised and otherwise voiceless section of society and those who view it as a powerful, harmful and destructive influence.

Later this month, the subject will once again be discussed, this time on a grand scale, as Google+ host a debate featuring a host of interesting and influential speakers at London’s Barbican Hall. The likes of Questlove, KRS-One, journalist Toure and Jesse Jackson will be involved in the event which will be streamed across the globe.

Here’s the info…

Hip-hop on trial: Hip-hop doesn’t enhance society, it degrades it -Vs.- The Google+ debates from Intelligence Squared

Date: 26 June 2012
Time: 19:00
Venue: Barbican Hall
Tickets: £10 – 40 [subject to availability] via Barbican

This June, Intelligence Squared and Google team up for a never-before-seen global debate on hip-hop.

Is rap an art form that gives the street a voice? Or is it all just money, misogyny and materialism?

Come and see hip-hop pioneer and legend KRS-One, celebrated civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, computer scientist and composer Jaron Lanier, and many more stars lock horns in the unique Intelligence Squared/Google+ courtroom debate format. Some of our speakers will be on stage in London, others beamed in from around the world thanks to the Google+ Hangout technology.

Be part of the buzz of the London audience, be part of the event beamed across the web to millions. Come and witness the future of the global mind-clash at the Versus hip-hop debate, live at the Barbican.

Chair

Emily Maitlis – BBC Newsnight presenter

Web host

Jemima Khan – British writer and campaigner, associate editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair

Speakers

• Deeb – Egyptian “Arab Spring” rapper
• Hattie Collins – Music editor of i-D magazine
• Michael Eric Dyson – Hip-hop intellectual and Professor of sociology at Georgetown University
• Estelle – Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter (via Google+ Hangout)
• dream hampton – American hip-hop journalist, cultural critic and film-maker
• Marc Lamont Hill – Columbia University professor (via Google+ Hangout)
• KRS-One – Hip-pioneer, record producer and activist
• Jesse Jackson – Civil rights activist, Baptist minister and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition
• Jaron Lanier – American computer scientist, composer, visual artist, and author
• Questlove – Co-founder of Grammy Award winning band The Roots, DJ, music journalist and producer (via Google+ Hangout)
• Tricia Rose – Brown University Professor and author of the groundbreaking book on hip-hop: Black Noise and Hip Hop Wars
• Tony Sewell – CEO of the charity Generating Genius
• John Sutherland – Former professor of Modern English Literature at University College London
• Touré – American TV presenter, novelist, journalist and cultural critic
• Jason Whitlock – Columnist for Foxsports.com