Tue 27 Oct 2009
Rakim tells Urban Daily he wasn’t thrilled with Nas’ “Unauthorized Biography of Rakim” song
Posted by Miss Info under Beef , Old Music , Quotes , Relationships and Family , Videos[35] Comments
Wow, this is fascinating. Rakim tells my friend Jerry Barrow that he had mixed feelings about Nas’ “Unauthorized Biography of Rakim” song (off Streets Disciple, 2004)….and by mixed, it seems like a mix of “you’re overstepping” and “you shoulda asked me first.” (Hence the “unauthorized” I guess)
But Ra also says Nas didn’t respond to his outreach after the song came out. Which seems impolite. It feels like Nas has some social awkwardness and impropriety. I actually sympathize with that, because I’m terrible with simple social rules myself.
(thanks to Jerry at Urban Daily for the link!)
October 27th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Great look into a topic me and a lot of folk I know were curious about. I guess if Nas can find a way to not get in touch with the God Rakim, then missing out on OBFCL2 doesn’t seem so far fetched either.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
i dont remember where or when, but ive heard R express this sentiment before.. i always loved the track but its completely understandable to feel crazy if u wake up one tuesday and your kids names are on a rap album released all over the world. Imagine how amazing it coulda been if he woulda got Ra’s blessing? maybe would have gotten access to even more info..
on another note, Rakim’s aura is so nyc.. i could listen to dude talk all day nh
October 27th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
“But Ra also says Nas didn’t respond to his outreach after the song came out. Which seems impolite.”
I didn’t get that from what he said.. sounds like he wanted Nas to reach out to him, not that he reached out and Nas didn’t respond.
I feel what he’s saying though. If it was me, I would have wanted him to hear it before anybody, just because I would’ve been excited to hear his thoughts on it. But Nas don’t give a fuck what anybody thinks, so this doesn’t surprise me. He’s all into his art and that’s just what he felt like doing at the time.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
But if you have social awkwardness, you wouldn’t make a song about somebody still living. I see why the real Rick Ross is mad @ the rap Rick Ross, not a simple call. Cmon Son
October 27th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
im telling you…i don’t think Nas means to be rude. He just gets into his own world. I’m just like that.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
isnt the question a lil late? and i didnt see any harm in the song, i thought it was sorta kinda a homage but not really!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
its probably coming up now because Rakim is doing interview for his new album the 7th Seal.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
and the album sounds good…the little “snippets” that elliot put on rapradar isn’t actually the whole album cause we got a crazy joint on there and it wasn’t included (as well as others)
October 27th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
On “It’s Nothing,” you say you’ll “pick up where Nas left off.” How do you feel about his song “Unauthorized Biography of Rakim”?
Well, I have mixed feelings about that, man. I have mixed feelings about that because it’s almost like telling your business to somebody the way it was done. And some of it was said for what? So me trying to understand that, yeah, I got mixed feelings about it. But you know, if he was doing it out of love, then you gotta appreciate it, man, appreciate it out of love. But if he was doing it spiteful, then that’s something else, and that’s what’s been yet to…I haven’t spoke to him, really, about it since he did it. He ain’t holla at me, say he was doing it. He ain’t ask me what I felt about it or nothing, which leaves more questions in my head. It is what it is.
Do you hope to talk to him about it in the future or is it not an issue for you?
No, it’s not an issue for me. It’s just how I perceive or how I feel about it. It’s really an issue to him as far as how I feel about it. I feel that he should have hollered at me or something or shout out or “Yo, Ra, I’m doing such and such” or “Ra, did you like the joint?” or “Ra, I did the joint, I hope…” Nothing. And that’s the thing. When you don’t get nothing, it leaves room for speculation. But when I listen to certain joints when he said certain things in it, there were certain things about me that I feel were personal. And for somebody to talk about your personal shit and don’t even holla at you about it, it makes you ask that dude, Why did he do that? Was he trying to say something or was it out of love. Until I speak to him about it, I’m going to have a question mark in my head.
http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.php3?page=rakim
October 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Maaaaaaaaaaaan, that was classic when he wiped his nose with the tissue when he got done talking. Dude looked like would snuff Nas on sight.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Yeah Info it was definitely a shout out, it just would have been alright if he would have called him to let him know.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I don’t know how old this interview is but I’m 100% sure that I saw a interview with Ra and Nas together a couple years ago talking about the song. It might have been on Mtv (maybe Sway?) and I’m also pretty sure said Ra was honored to have someone of Nas’s stature do a song about him.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
That’s funny b/c a few years back Nas and Rakim sat down w/ Sway in an MTV interview and Rakim seemed happy that someone of Nas’ stature looked up to him on that level. Nas responds by sating he was happy Rakim saw it that way b/c he didn’t intend to offend, but honor him. It’s on youtube lol. Besides it’s called “unauhorized bio” so why would he tell him before hand? Seems like he’s trying to drum up some public interest to me.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Yeah I don’t doubt it.I mean Nas’ a humble guy. just “out there” at times.
Lol, you are? Wouldn’t have guessed that.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Rakim did a bunch of press a week or so ago so this interview isn’t vintage, at all. Even if it was unauthorized. How could it hurt to reach out to the man and ask, “What did you think?” Even if he got cursed out, no one would know. Rakim doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy to put something like that out there. On the flip, Nas could have gained one hell of a mentor/friend.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Damn you would think by now they would’ve talked about this one on one along time ago like when the song came out. But I do feel what rah was saying. You don’t talk about somebody and don’t give dude the heads up or ask if he liked it after the fact. Really? Nothing? I mean it didn’t look like Nas meant no harm but you gotta respect him enough to ask.It Didn’t look like Nas’s nature to do that.
Having that he has so much love for the game and all.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
nahh… if it was real heat between em…dey’d never been on that preemo trk together
cant say they aint know each other would be on either…cuz ra shouted nas in his verse…this is nothing
nas is a weirdo for that though…cmon b…touch base with the man if u paying homage
also i to…vaugely remember that mtv interview…maybe the god in his older age forgot that sit down???
October 27th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Or maybe NaS did try to reach out and Rakim never responded. Now Rakim isn’t the most social dude out there. He is a guy that is notoriously known for being a hard guy to find. Now I can understand if he put some stuff on the record that wasn’t for public consumption but NaS just went online and did his homework. Probably NaS feared that Ra would have heard it and wanted Esco to change some of the info. And that is NaS’ idol. It’s hard to talk to someone that you look up to like that. Who else has even made a song like that for someone else? NaS, when does the KRS version come out?
October 27th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
HAHAHAHAH so real classic QB type move
October 27th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I hope this video is a joke. No disrespect to him as the ultimate pioneer but it’s probably a publicity stunt for his new album dropping. Trying to cook up a little controversy maybe, to generate a bit more buzz? A shame that someone of his caliber would even possibly stoop to that level.
From their MTV interview (link provided):
http://www.mtv.com/bands/n/nas/news_feature_050206/index3.jhtml
MTV: Rakim, Nas paid you the ultimate compliment in 2004 by recording “U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)” [on Street’s Disciple]. What was it like when you heard that song breaking down your whole life?
Rakim: That kind of puts things in perspective. You got this far and somebody that you respect, somebody that’s on a high plateau, took time and showed you love. And to hear a lot of it, I was like, “Where did he get that from? How did he know that?” He does put things in perspective, man. He kind of opened my eyes, like, “OK, people’s watching. People really know about Rakim.” It kind of let me know where I was in the world.
Nas: Thanks, man. I always wanted to know how you felt about that, ’cause if somebody made a song talking about me and stuff like that, I wouldn’t know how to react. I just had to make a song about Ra ’cause if we in there making songs in the studio, let’s make songs about things that are important. The dude is important right now, so I made a song about how he inspired [people] a great deal. I used to look at Ra like, “This dude’s an alien. He’s an alien. He’s not from here.” That’s how I feel to this day.
October 27th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
lol he’s sitting next to Nas and he says one thing. But years later when Nas isn’t there it’s a differnt story? Lol GOAT or not Rakim needs to stop. Lol
October 27th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Yeah thats the one I was talking about.
October 27th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I don’t get this at all. Can’t he just take it in the spirit that it was meant? I didn’t even hear anything that wasn’t pretty much common knowledge. The sheer fact that another artist took the time out to do that should tell him it was meant with respect especially since Nas always talks about ra on wax and with the utmost respect. I don’t want to ever hear another vet bitch about people not respecting them. Who wants to say anything when they get all this? Shit, Kanye Damn near said he felt like jay stole from him and froze him out of the garden and Jay didn’t react like this. SMH
October 27th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I HEART Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones….That is all!!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
LET ME CLEAR THINGS UP:
*This was recorded 2004
*Nas and ra did a sway interview TOGETHER 2006(ra said he loved nas and how nas is his best MC, its on youtube)
*Ra rymed WITH Nas on Classic ft Kanye and KRS
THIS IS ALL FAKE(ALBUM HYPE)bet Nasty is watching this like “huh? why u aint say nuthin for 5 years son?”
October 27th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
LET ME CLEAR THINGS UP:
1st
*This was recorded 2004
*Nas and ra did a sway interview TOGETHER 2006(ra said he loved nas and how nas is his best MC, its on youtube)
*Ra rymed WITH Nas on Classic ft Kanye and KRS
THIS IS ALL FAKE(ALBUM HYPE)bet Nasty is watching this like “huh? why u aint say nuthin for 5 years son?”
October 27th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Rakim is a JOKE!!!! Why didn’t he speak this way during the interview he did with Nas on MTV! Nas keep your head up…it must be hard to have your so called peers openly and secretly hate on you!
October 27th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
DAMN! never thought i’ll say: RAKIM IS A FAKE—-THE PROOF IS THERE PEOPLE
October 27th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
ANOTHER THING, HE DID A SONG WITH NAS AND A.KEYS! AND NAS KILLED HIM ON THAT TOO……………….
October 28th, 2009 at 12:16 am
A lot of these rappers have bad manners. Highlight of the week: watching super-disrepectful rapper Joe Budden talk about how Jay-Z disrespected him re: the “Pump It Up” beat.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:07 am
RAKIM IS STUPID FOR THIS ONE! THIS MAKES HIM LOOK PHONY AND LIKE A COWARD…WHY DIDN’T HE EXPRESS THIS TO NAS FACE DURING THE MTV INTERVIEW1 WHY DIDN’T HE EXPRESS THIS DURING HIS PERFORMANCE AT THE HIP HOP HONORS SHOW A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN HE PERFORMED A SONG COMPLIMENTING AND ACKNOWLEDGING NAS’ SONG IN HONOR OF HIM STATING:”I’M GONE TO PICK UP MY STORY WHERE NAS LEFT OFF!” NOW 5 YEARS LATER…AND AT THE EXACT SAME TIME HE HAS A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT…HE SO HAPPENS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH NAS’ SONGS! WOW…HIP HOP IS A JOKE AND RAKIM JUST MADE HIMSELF LOOK LIKE THE BIGGEST JOKE FOR THIS STUNT!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Everyone mentioning the MTV interview, did you read it? It comes off like they weren’t talking to each other but to Sway, like Sway made them come together. Check out what Nas says:
Nas: Thanks, man. I always wanted to know how you felt about that, ’cause if somebody made a song talking about me and stuff like that, I wouldn’t know how to react.
That sounds like Nas still didn’t reach out to Ra and Nas expresses the same feelings about another artist putting out an unautorized biography on Nas.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Info I agree 100, Nas is an artist that pushes the envelop, I mean he gets caught up in his own world and never looks back,…hell at the end of that track he even says; next “Unauthorized Biography Of Krs-One”…and he never delivered it.
The Man is an artist, he paints us pictures, I have no Idea why Ra would take offense to it….I mean as a pioneer of this Rap shit, the nigga will be studied & books will be written about him, some from an Independent angle. Nas just cast the 1st stone; 50 years from now there will be plenty more. I mean you think Oliver Stone called Nixon, JFK or GW for those movies he did about them? Hell Nah…Yo Ra ‘off that’
On the Side Note, Rakim still is the man, people never bring him up when they talk about the greats
October 28th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Rakim is a fucking bitter liar. They both did the “Classic” video since that song, and the MTV interview were they both sat down together. Rakim was even asked about the song when Nas was right next to him and he said he liked it. Just like Bumpy Knuckles said years ago, this guy has always been jealous of Nas, and he was hating on him from the start. It’s sad because this idiot is his favorite rapper, and Nas has shown this dude nothing but love. Rakim isn’t even the only one, a lot of these old rappers are funny.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Maaaan. Why does it seem like the world is closing in on Nas nowadays. First his divorce from Kelis. Then we find he owes MILLIONS in taxes. Raekwon speaks about him not reaching out for OBCL2. And now Nas’ mentor(and idol)is displeased with him.
Everytime I google dude to see if I can get more info on the upcoming ‘Distant Relatives(really the ONLY thing I concerned with regarding Nas)I just get more bad new regarding him. I hope things turn out better for him.
And on another note. Like many here stated, the two already did an interview together and the question was asked what Ra felt about it. And he stated then that he had mixed feelings about it, but all in all he was honored(guess he was bitting his tongue as not to spark tension, which is understandable).
But what I don’t understand is how he expects Nas to call him after all these years and ask what he thought about the track when that was already done in the interview. The two even dapped hands and Nas thanked Ra for understanding. So im confused…….