Nas Talks About His Current Relationship With Kelis And CNN Naming Him The Greatest Rap Lyricist Ever

2012 was a year full of ups and downs for hip-hop heavyweight Nas, but he seems to have taken it all in stride and was grateful to close it out with a bang in the form of a sold out show at Radio City Music Hall on New Year’s Eve.

The Queensbridge don recently stopped by to have a quick sit down with HOT 97′s Angie Martinez for her birthday and dish on his current relationship with ex-wife Kelis, his daughter Destiny, a new album, and more.

Peep a few interview excerpts below:

On CNN naming him the Greatest Hip Hop Lyricist Ever and if he agrees:

Salute! Bring the champagne on.\! This year is starting off great. But, yeah. Yeah kinda. [laughs] At first I was cringing. But the way he broke down the article…it is what it is man.”

On the status of his current relationship with Kelis:

We’re back together…as friends. We were not friends for a long time. It was crazy and….we recently became…you know. We’re not together, but we’re friends now. I didn’t want to piss her off too much with the  dress. But she handled it like a trooper. I even kinda said, “Yo…should we try this again?” [laughs] I’m like, ‘Wow’. You have a child….you know how it is. I’m glad to be in that place. I don’t want no beef.

On daughter Destiny:

My daughter’s good, she’s in college. When I did the New Year’s Eve show at Radio City, I had this song “Daughters” and my daughter is there. After the show we jump into this spinner van. Everybody’s happy and going crazy and partying. And I’m zoning because I just did all these personal records on that stage. I’m kinda ready to put it away now. I got it out my system. My daughter was cool with it, she went through her moments. But she knows me. This is real and we already dealt with it. When I did the record, I just did it. I didn’t know it would be a single or make the album. I just did it because it was bothering me. I was just trying to be a father and I hadn’t been the best. I kinda took it out in her because I was a little mad at her for some things. But she’s good. That’s my princess and she’s been the person why I do all this.

You can check out the full interview in the video below where Nas talks his new album, his relationship with his dad, and never receiving a Grammy despite being nominated 18 times.

Hot97