FOLKS, "BILLBOARD" MAGAZINE CALLS MY NEXT GUEST "ONE OF THE
BEST RAPPERS OF ALL TIME."
HE'S GOING TO PERFORM A LITTLE BIT LATER, BUT FIRST, PLEASE
WELCOME NAS!
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANKS, GOOD SEEING YOU.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW, BUT YOU AND I GO WAY BACK.
>> WAY BACK.
>> Stephen: I FIRST TALKED TO YOU FOR THE "UNTITLED" ALBUM.
WHEN WAS THAT, 2010?
>> 2010, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WOW, A LONG TIME AGO.
I HAD YOU ON-- WHAT WAS THE ALBUM AFTER THAT?
>> "LIFE IS GOOD."
>> Stephen: "LIFE IS GOOD."
>> THAT WAS TWO YEARS AFTER THAT.
>> Stephen: IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE YOU PUT OUT AN ALBUM.
>> YEAH, IT'S BEEN, LIKE, SIX WIERS.
>> Stephen: WOW.
WHY NOW?
>> IT'S JUST TIME, MAN.
YOU KNOW, I JUST STARTED TO FEEL IT.
YOU START TO MISS IT.
I'M HOME AND I STARTED MISSING IT.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU'VE BEEN GOING STRONG SINCE 1994.
WHY DO YOU THINK YOU'VE KEPT GOING STRONG AND ARE STILL A
VITAL PART OF THE MUSIC SCENE NOW IN 2018, WHY YOU?
WHY NOT LIKE THE SPIN DOCTORS, OR SOMEBODY LIKE THAT?
( LAUGHTER ) WHY-- WHY-- WHY NOT ANY OF THOSE
OTHER GUYS?
>> I LOVE-- I LOVE HIP-HOP.
I HAVE LOVED IT SINCE I WAS A KID.
IT'S STILL, LIKE, A DREAM, AND IT'S STILL, LIKE, STILL FRESH TO
ME.
I STILL FEEL THE LOVE FOR IT.
I LOVE THE ART FOR IT.
MORE THAN ANYTHING, I LOVE IT AS AN ART FORM.
SO, YOU KNOW,.
>> Stephen: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN
DOING HIP-HOP FOR SO LONG, AND NOW IT'S THE DOMINANT MUSICAL
FORM IN THE UNITED STATES?
IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST CURRENT, MOST SOCIALLY RELEVANT CERTAINLY
MUSICAL FORM IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> THAT'S CRAZY BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS NOT
CONSIDERED EVEN MUSIC.
YOU KNOW, THE EARLY 80s.
SO TO SEE IT BE WHAT IT IS TODAY EYE KNEW IT WOULD BE THAT.
>> Stephen: WHO DID YOU LOOK UP TO MUSICALLY WHEN YOU WERE
YOUNGER?
WHO ARE THE PEOPLE ULTIMATED TO BE LIKE?
>> OH, MAN.
YOU KNOW, I LOVED THE JACKSON 5.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> I LOVED RICK JAMES.
I LOVED JAMES BROWN AND, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF DIFFERENT COOL
CATS.
>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
LOU RAWLS.
>> LOU RAWLS WAS, LIKE, HE HAD A SONG I USED TO JOKE WITH MY
BROTHER ABOUT ♪ YOU'LL NEVER FIND ♪
♪ AS LONG AS YOU LIVE ♪ >> MY BROTHER WOULD WANT TO
FIGHT WHEN I SANG THAT TO MIME HYMN SO IT WAS MY JOKE.
>> Stephen: AFTER 24 YEARS INTO YOUR CAREER LEAST, YOUR
PUBLIC CAREER, ARE YOU EVER AFRAID YOU'RE GET TO GO
COMFORTABLE AND THAT YOUR RHYMES WON'T BE AS TIGHT AND THAT YOUR
BARS WON'T BE AS CRISP?
THAT YOU'LL GET A LITTLE SOFT?
YOU'LL BE RAPPING ABOUT, LIKE, SUBURBAN LIFE OR YOUR RETIREMENT
PLAN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> YOU KNOW, EVEN IF I DID, LIKE, THE SUBURBAN LIFE ALBUM,
SOMEBODY WOULD LIKE IT, BECAUSE THERE'S A WORLD THERE THAT'S NOT
BEING CATERED TO.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE.
( APPLAUSE ) THAT'S TRUE.
>> I THINK THAT WILL WORK.
THAT MIGHT WORK.
BUT I'M ALWAYS-- I GOT THE FIRE UNDERNEATH ME, SO...
>> Stephen: >> Stephen: 401(K) RHYMES WITH
A LOT OF THINGS.
( LAUGHTER ) NOW, THE NEW ALBUM IS-- IT'S
"NASIR," AND IT'S PRODUCED BY KANYE, AND YOU GUYS DID THIS OUT
IN WYOMING, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU? HOW DID WYOMING FEEL
TO YOU?
IT'S A LITTLE-- LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN MAYBE WHAT YOU'RE-- WHERE
YOU GREW UP, MAYBE, I'M GUESSING.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN TWO OF THE ONLY
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WYOMING WHILE YOU WERE THERE.
>> YEAH, PROBE SO.
BUT THE PEOPLE ARE GREAT.
>> Stephen: BEAUTIFUL.
>> ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES I'VE EVER BEEN TO.
AND IT WAS THE LAST PLACE I THOUGHT I WOULD RECORD AN ALBUM,
BUT WE WERE THERE, AND NOBODY BOTHERED US, AND IT WAS A GOOD
TIME.
YOU KNOW, KANYE IS THE KIND OF GUY WHO NEEDED TO BE AWAY FROM
EVERYTHING WHEN HE'S RECORDING, I GUESS.
SO HE SAID IT TO ME.
I WAS LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW.
I'VE NEVER BEEN THERE."
BUT I WENT THERE AND IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE.
>> Stephen: WHERE IN WYOMING WERE YOU?
>> OH, MAN.
>> Stephen: JACKSON?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU SEE THE BIG MOUNTAINS IN JACKSON?
>> I SAW THE MOUNTAIN S.
>> Stephen: THOSE ARE THE GRAND TETONS THERE.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS IN FRENCH?
>> NO.
( LAUGHTER ) THAT>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT IT
MEANS IN FRENCH.
I CAN DO THIS.
( LAUGHTER ) IT MEANS CANTALOUPES IN FRENCH.
ALL IT MEANS IS... WILL BE YEAH.
PUT THESE OVER HERE.
>> A LOT OF CANTALOUPES-- A LOT OF FRENCH CANTALOUPE S.
>> Stephen: DID THE ANIMALS LEAVE YOU ALONE?
BECAUSE THAT'S GRISLY COUNTRY.
>> I SAW A MOOSE.
>> Stephen: HOW CLOSE?
>> I THINK HE WAS A SICK MOOSE BECAUSE HE WAS EATING OFF A
BRANCH AND HE DIDN'T LOOK THAT STRONG.
>> Stephen: THEY'RE HUGE, THOUGH.
>> THEY'RE HUGE, BUT YOU CAN TELL A SICK MOOSE WHEN YOU SEE
ONE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!
>> I DIDN'T KNOW IT, EITHER.
>> Stephen: NOW DID THAT GET INTO THE ALBUM?
IF THERE'S A RHYME ABOUT A SICK MOOSE--
>> NO.
>> Stephen: NEXT ALBUM.
>> NO, NO, NO.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WELL...
( LAUGHTER ) HAVE YOU EVER-- HAVE YOU EVER
WRITTEN A LYRIC-- I KID ABOUT THE MOOSE.
BUT HAVE YOU EVER WRITTEN A LYRIC FOR ONE OF YOUR SONGS THAT
YOU REALLY LIKED AND YOU'RE LIKE, "I CAN'T PUT THAT IN THAT
SONG.
THAT'S NOT ME.
THAT'S TOO SILLY.
OR THAT'S TOO STUPID.
I LIKE IT, BUT PEOPLE WON'T ACCEPT THAT LYRIC."
>> SURE.
I DID A SONG CALLED KNOCKIN BOOTS, AND THAT WAS A LATE 80s
TERM FOR MAKING LOVE.
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
>> IT WAS ONE OF THOSE SONGS I REGRETTED DOING.
>> Stephen: YOU REGRET DOING THE SONG DR. KNOCK BOOTS.
>> I REGRET LETTING PEOPLE TALK ME INTO PUTTING ITON AN ALBUM.
THE NAME "DR. KNOCK BOOTS" IS...
NO.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: TOO CHEAP?
TOO CHEAP?
>> IT'S CORNY.
>> Stephen: CORNY?
WELL, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR A TRACK OFF OF THIS.
WOULD YOU STICK AROUND AND DO-- >> YEAH, I GOT YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU GOT US?
ALL RIGHT.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
WHEN WE COME BACK, A PERFORMANCE FROM HIS LATEST ALBUM, "NASIR."
NAS, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.