When Nas—one of the few ’90s rappers who has remained relevant—was fleshing out “The Don,” the first single off his 10th album, Life is Good (released this week), legendary rapper Heavy D passed away. Although “messed up over it,” as Nas told MTV News, he found renewed purpose with the tune when producer Salaam dropped news that the beat, unbeknownst to Nas, was actually a gift from the late, great D, because he liked “Nasty” so much. For a look behind his signature cadence and lack of hooks, check out RapGenius.com, where he was the first rapper to set up a verified account (in March) to explain the lyrical meaning of his songs. Tinie Tempah opens.
