Nas Talks 'Life Is Good' Cover Art, Collaborations

Upon recently hitting the internet, the cover art for Nas’s upcoming album, Life Is Good, releasing July 17, has expectantly had people talking. Highlighted is the Queensbridge emcee sitting down with ex-wife Kelis’ unforgettable green wedding dress draped across his knee. Luckily, Rap-Up caught up with the iconic artist to speak on the creative direction behind the artwork as well as the project itself. Below is an excerpt from the chat.

What was your mindset going into this project?
My mindset was to pull out a side of me that people haven’t heard in a while and give ‘em that feeling that they haven’t felt in a while—a feeling that I love. And some of that feeling is ’90s-esque, some of that feeling is 2015. It’s just a feeling that I feel to be a timeless sound. So I just let it flow.

Who did you work with?
No I.D. and Salaam Remi are both producers who were making music in the ’90s and still make great music today, so they were best-suited to work this project ’cause they really lived it as well as I have. When we wanted some of that ’90s sound they were able to give it, but still keep it sounding like fresh original music. There’s a few different people who I grabbed beats from and we’re sequencing the record now. You might hear something from one or two other producers, but it’s basically No I.D. and Salaam.

To check out the sit-down in full, head on over to Rap-Up.