Nas and Eminem, extensively considered two of the best rappers ever, virtually labored collectively on the previous’s 2012 album Life Is Good.
In a sit-down with Joe Budden alongside DJ Premier to advertise their long-awaited joint challenge Mild-Years, Nas revealed that he tried to characteristic Em on his single “Daughters,” however the Detroit native politely declined the supply.
“Each file I do is just not a battle. I bear in mind I despatched the track ‘Daughters’ to Eminem and on the time he had spent a lot time talking on daughters, he was like, ‘Thanks, however I advised my daughter I’m not gonna do anymore songs instantly about daughters in the meanwhile as a result of it’s a delicate concern with all of the music I’ve put out,’” he mentioned, alluding to songs like “Mockingbird” and “Hailie’s Tune.”
“I feel [his] message was like, ‘Thanks ’trigger most individuals need to do songs the place they’re battling me on a file. It was refreshing to get a file the place you’re not coming for me.’”
Nas and Eminem have remarkanly solely labored collectively twice. They first linked up on “The Cross,” an Eminem-produced observe from Nas’ 2002 album God’s Son.
However their first time truly buying and selling bars on the identical observe got here simply 4 years in the past on “EPMD 2,” off Nas and Hit-Boy‘s King’s Illness II.
The pair’s lack of collaborations doesn’t imply an absence of respect and admiration between them, although.
In a 2023 interview with The New York Instances, Eminem opened up in regards to the affect that Nas’ landmark 1994 debut Illmatic had on him when he was honing his craft as an MC.
“I bear in mind The Supply gave Illmatic 5 mics [a perfect score],” Em mentioned. “I already knew I appreciated Nas from ‘Stay on the Barbeque’ with Foremost Supply as a result of his verse on that is without doubt one of the most traditional verses in hip hop of all time. However I used to be like, ‘5 mics, although? Let me see what that is.’
“And once I put it on, ‘And be affluent, whough we reside harmful / Cops might simply arrest me/Blamin’ us, we’re held like hostages.’ He was entering into and outdoors of the rhyme scheme, inner rhymes. That album had me in a droop, too. I do know the album entrance to again.”
