One of Nas‘ #1 and most controversial albums, Hip Hop Is Dead recently turned 10 on December 19.
In order to celebrate the milestone, ESCO sat down with Mass Appeal in conjunction with Google Play Music to delve into some of the elements that sparked the controversy surrounding the album: the title, lead single, and Jay Z collaboration; as well as it’s place in hip-hop.
In the four-part video series the Queens legend reveals drawing inspiration from the title of De La Soul‘s sophomore effort De La Soul is Dead, talks about the creation of “Black Republican;” his first record with HOV following their nasty feud, discusses working on the namesake single with Will.i.Am, shares looking up to B.I.G. and Tupac plus so much more.
Watch Mass Appeal x Google Play Music’s “Celebrating A Decade Of Hip Hop Is Dead” below.