Posted by Before Nipsey Hussle was killed in 2019, the late rapper was devising a way to examine Nas’ I Am… album. In an interview with NME, Nas revealed he’d given his blessing to Nipsey to make a documentary about the 1999 LP.
“It was more to do with business and investment business,” Nas said of Nipsey’s plans. “One thing he wanted to talk to me about was putting together a documentary on I Am… Once [that album] got bootlegged, I didn’t even want to hear it again. I didn’t want to hear those songs again. I was just upset, you know?”
He continued, “Nipsey was really serious about doing a documentary about it and he was working on it. Not as far as like gathering footage, but I gave him my blessing to do it.”
View this post on InstagramWe had plans my brother. But The Marathon Continues! Happy G Day @nipseyhussle
Nas’ I Am… was originally meant to be a double album, but the acclaimed MC’s idea for the project got scrapped due to multiple tracks leaking online. Some of those songs, such as “Blaze A 50,” were officially released when Nas dropped The Lost Tapes compilation in 2002.
Fans never got to hear Nas’ true vision for I Am…, resulting in the version of the LP that was released in 1999.
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Although the album’s often regarded as one of his lesser works, it was successful at the time. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA).
Revisit Nas’ I Am… below.