Nas only needs one mic; put him in front of one and you get a call to action!
The legendary rapper recently penned an essay on Mass Appeal in which he broke it down from a black man's perspective.
Given the times we're living in today, where black children
being murdered by police has become a weekly occurrence to staying on pins and needles wondering what ridiculous and terrifying plan the Trump administration will execute next, it makes sense that a black man would have a lot to say.
Nas has never been tight-lipped, but now, he's ready for some action. In the essay, not unlike the hot bars he routinely drops, he starts with a fire opener, "The only way the black man gets a little piece in America is if he takes the O.J. stance: 'I’m not black, I’m O.J.'"
The rapper followed that up by speaking on the "insane" feeling Americans hold during these times, noting that despite feeling like they want to escape to a "fantasy land," they know that they can't ignore reality, no matter how much they want to.
Too, Nas referenced the Piedmont Park incident, in which a man was found lynched in a tree, and the cops ruled it as a suicide. "Now, don’t get me wrong — suicides happen. There are blacks suffering from mental illness just like whites suffering from mental illness, except that whites who suffer from mental illness and have interactions with the cops, they end up living. Blacks, we get killed," he wrote.
What does Nas do to cope with society today? He says, "My way of addressing these issues is through my work. Whatever president may be in office doesn’t affect my work directly. The way he affects people is what affects me. I observe what’s going on and that goes into my creative process. The person himself, I’m not caught up with. I don’t even have time for Trump or Pence. I don’t give a f*ck."
Oftentimes, celebrities are looked upon to speak out on the issues surrounding the nation and the world and, to that, Nas tells people not to expect grand proclamations. "I move through action. My music is action. What I’m giving you through my music is my actions."
"I might have a song I want to deliver and then do things around that song that represents that song. And that can represent people and change and help with the education of young people. I like those ideas. I like ideas about helping kids in the inner city want to learn. Helping them want to be more. I’m all about being what you can be, because you never know," he added.
Overall, Nas clearly knows the invaluable position he is in as a public figure and potential role model. He knows that despite all things stacked against him as a black man by society, he has survived.
Thus, he concludes, "I don’t got time for lippin’. I got time for actions. Anytime I’m speaking it’s action."
It's time for action!
