Nas Recalls His Earliest Musical Influences
Premiere: As part of the "Becoming" series, Nas details his musical influences, which range from Kiss, the Jackson 5 and the musical "Grease."
Earlier this year, Nas landed his sixth number one album on the Billboard 200 album sales chart when Life Is Good sold 149,000 copies during its first week of release. Nas has gone on record—both previously and on Life Is Good—listing
artists such as his father, Jazz musician Olu Dara and MC Shan as
influences. However, when interviewed as part of the “Becoming” series,
Nas revealed a more diverse musical palette when asked about his
earliest musical influences.
“I can remember watching a great musical movie like Grease,
or watching the “Jackson 5” cartoon or Kiss—the rock band,” Nas
explained. “That looked like where all the action was. I knew that was
the life for me; being in front of audiences. I knew it. You’re not
sure, for real back then. But, in my mind, I prepared for it.”
As
expected, Nas stated that he heard a lot of Jazz during his formative
years. But he drew inspiration from Soul and R&B legends such as
Rick James and James Brown. The bonus clip from Nas’ “Becoming”
interview can be seen below. And, for a more detailed interview, check
out the
