Nas Enlists Timbaland, Swizz Beatz & No I.D. for New Album

During our conversation with Nas last week, we found out that he has already started to work on his new album. As he now has revealed to NPR, the Queensbridge legend has enlisted the likes of Swizz Beatz, and No I.D. to handle the production work on his next project. In addition, Nas said he started working on the album a year and a half ago with Timbaland.

“I started working with [Timbaland], I want to say a year and a half ago. I think it was the same year I dropped my last album, Life is Good, [in 2012]. I started with Tim and it felt really powerful.”

However, not everything worked out that easily.

“I stepped back from it [at some point]. Tim’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ and I’m like, ‘I just need a minute to like ‒ I just need a minute to take it all in, just live a little and enjoy day-by-day stuff and daily stuff I’m doing.’ It’s just ‒ I didn’t want to go back in the studio that quick. I felt like I needed to be inspired.”

Inspiration arrived with One9 and Erik Parker, the producers of his documentary Time Is Illmatic.

“I salute them dudes, man ‒ One9, Erik Parker, the whole crew over there that’s put that film together ‒ because that’s helped me find the inspiration. Them showing me the footage and stuff really like—it really lets you know where you come from and everything, and where you at now. … That’s helped me find the inspiration. I found it. I jumpstarted the album again ‒ the new one. Now I’m at a place where I could play a song for somebody and they really get it and they really understand ‒ they really feel it. At first I didn’t, so I’m happy to say I’m at a place where it feels right. I talked to Swizz, and we went through joints. And No I.D. and Timbaland, you know. This the only interview I’ma talk about it, ’cause I know once this comes out, people might ask me about the record and, man, I just want to finish it and get it done.”

Previously, Timbaland teased the existence of a new Nas song called “Sinatra in the Sands” featuring Jay Z and Justin Timberlake. Read our respective conversations with Nas as well as with One9 and Erik Parker on Time Is Illmatic here and here.