Pitchfork

[Posted Monday, October 6th, 2003 13:45:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Mainstream rap acts who haven't recorded with all four of the aboveground's preeminent hip-pop producers (Timbaland, the Neptunes, Dr. Dre, and Puffy) are becoming something of an endangered species these days. Until recently, Nas could have been considered the old man of the genre, maintaining his credibility by simply putting his rhyme book first and relegating work with people like Dre to his vanity one-off, The Firm. Had he not hooked up with Pharrell Williams on this summer's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle soundtrack, Nas' street pedigree might be a little more intact and it would be completely safe to say his late-'90s misses had been put completely to rest by last year's excellent return to form, God's Son. However, despite transgressions, Nas has managed to lock up the undying respect of the underground, putting him in the same category as retirees A Tribe Called Quest and the late Notorious B.I.G. and earning him the global accolades that the equally deserving Gang Starr and Mobb Deep have never felt.

The Queens emcee also deserves extra-credit for spreading his shit out over a decade and not catering as much to the ET on MTV set as formerly hot contemporaries Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg. This is precisely why Nas can still play mentor to some of the day's top real hip-hop acts-- who may sell big on major labels, but are still relegated to the alt-rap category.

Nas' recent announcement as this year's headliner at the second annual Audiotistic Future Sound Festival at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on October 18th has him sharing the stage with some really good company and is further proof of his staying power in both the rap game and the music biz. He'll join Outkast's Big Boi, Talib Kweli, El-P, Blackalicious, Z-Trip, DJ Q-Bert, Dan the Automator, and many more hip-hop and turntable artists in what's beginning to look like one of the best urban music events of the year. The festival will also feature a beefed-up dance music stage with DJ sets by the Chemical Brothers, Bad Boy Bill, Doc Martin, Sandra Collins, King Britt, Seb Fontaine, and several others. Past Audiotistic performers include Mos Def, Outkast's Andre 3000, Roni Size, Money Mark, Pete Rock, and the Scratch Perverts.