Nas Praises Kendrick Lamar as Hip-Hop’s ‘North Star’ in New Interview

Nas gave Kendrick Lamar one of the highest possible comments he could give by calling him hip-hop’s “North Star.”

Nas spoke very highly of Lamar during an interview with Rolling Stone when asked about the comparison between “Hip Hop Is Dead” and the latter’s “Watch the Party Die.”

“We all as artists love this art form and have our opinions on it,” he said. “Kendrick is one of the brightest stars we’ve ever seen, and I don’t only mean superstar, I mean like the North Star — I think he’s one of those.”

“Out of all the artists in this business, there’s some that’s not here for the art,” Nas continued. “When we see those people that are not here for the art damaging it, you’re hurting the future of the art. So I think artists like Kendrick are going to speak out.”

Nas didn’t just speak out about Lamar during his interview. The legendary rapper also spoke about his proposal to expand a casino in Queens being approved while a proposal backed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to open a casino in Times Square was denied.

“It is just a thing that some people are going to talk about,” he said about fans comparing the two due to their ancient beef. “No one has any control over things like that. I still study Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. Some rap fans just like to go off on those things from time to time. That’s it.”

Nas’ proposal to expand a casino took a major step towards approval when a community advisory committee gave the $5.5 billion expansion a thumbs up. The deal isn’t finished yet though — it needs the approval of the State Gaming Commission.

This isn’t the first time Nas gave Kendrick Lamar props. Just a day after the new LP’s release last November, Nas praised Kendrick Lamar for his impact on hip-hop, writing on Instagram, “Always inspired by my brother KL. Keeping the essence of this shit alive and at the forefront. Salute King!”