NAS FOR GQ.CO.UK

For those unfamiliar with the concept, "hip-hop time" is at least two hours behind GMT. Most rappers tend to keep you waiting in a haphazard manner, neglecting to answer their phone, delaying any engagement or simply cancelling at the last minute. But for Nas,lateness is an art form. When GQ last interviewed the rapper  back in 2006 he arrived a mere hour late. This time, our interview takes place five hours behind schedule.

When we finally catch up with him, one of the world's best rappers is sitting in the stark white surroundings of a suite in London's St Martin's Lane hotel. Fortified by water and Gatorade, he's wearing sunglasses, has the TV on behind him, his Blackberry on the go and the look of a man who got in at 7am after a secret gig at Notting Hill clubnight yOyO and an after party at the Box nightclub. As GQ.com sits down, he orders a Starbucks cappuccino (which sadly arrives without his name scrawled on the side) and scoops the foam off the top with the lid like a toddler.

Now 38, Nas speaks with the air of a man who has done all his talking through his music - a sort of molasses-slow, Marlon Brando-esque delivery that belies the incredibly intricate rhymes he's capable of on record. He's in London to discuss Life Is Good, his spectacular return to form that manages to capture both the bombastic (dancehall influenced banger "The Don") and the more introspective (it concludes with "Bye Baby", a glorious kiss-off to ex-wife Kelis). It's the best album Nas has made in over a decade.Here he talks to GQ.com about ruining his father's records, being turned down in Miami and the problem he's encountered writing his first book…

GQ.com: You talk remarkably openly on Life is Good - why put yourself out there to such a degree?
Nas: The lyric I'm most proud of is probably in "Bye Baby" - there's a couple of lines in there. I am blessed with an opportunity to tell my story. That just happens to be what I do. I write about whatever I feel and sometimes the subject matter becomes personal. it just is what it is.

What's the biggest misconception about Rick Ross?
People give him too much of a hard time. He's here to paint pictures for you and to do great music. I see him as a Isaac Hayes or Barry White of the game. People are looking too deep into the wrong things at this point. At this point, he is the man you want to hear. His voice is compelling, his stories are on point. His style? He goes for it and he deserves a lot of credit for it.

What's your karaoke song?
"Don't Stop Till You Get Enough". Actually, the last time I did it a friend of mine had bought me a hip-hop karaoke video game to my house. We sang "Still Not a Playa" by Big Pun. It was probably the most fun I had at home for a long time.

Where is the strangest place you've heard your own music?
Outside of my car, anywhere. It's still the biggest thrill for me. I was in Miami earlier this year and my friend and I were driving. A white BMW came up beside us playing my music loud. I looked over and it was this beautiful Latin girl. I tried to get her attention as I thought it would be cool. I rolled down the tinted windows and said hi to her. But she was beautiful and I guess every guy was trying to say hi - she gave me a quick glance and drove away really annoyed. I hope she didn't realise it was me. We laughed about that one.

When was the last time you got a suit made?
It could have been Carnegie Hall with Jay-Z. It could have been for "The Don" video. I love testing out fabrics, that kind of thing.

When did you first get into Roberto Cavalli?
Maybe five years ago in Milan - I love those guys. He had just opened up a new store and I was invited over to collect some free stuff. I think he's just the way a fashion designer should be.

Given your "20 years in this game, still looking 17", would you ever consider playing yourself in a biopic?
I wouldn't want to though! I would love to cast that person or just watch an actor do it.

Do you ever fancy writing a book like Jay-Z's Decoded?
I am writing a book… but I don't like the way it's going down. It's all about the sensationalism of my career. That's not what a book should be about - of course I had controversial things happen, great things happen and even historic things happen muscially in my life. I want to write about those things but it's the little other things that matter more. I want my book to go in that direction - I have a lot of things to say to people about my life that I think will be helpful. It's not just about the records…there's more to it than that.

What was the best record in your father's collection?
Probably something by Henry Threadgill. Me and my brother messed up a lot of his collection with crayons. We did about 50. When I got older I couldn't believe all of the albums we destroyed.  

What's the strangest gift you've been given by a fan?
Voodoo doll lookin' figures of myself and Damien Marley. No pins, just creepy looking dolls. I hung on to 'em and showed them to people as a joke.

What would Nas the fragrance smell like?
Vanilla Tom Ford  - that's what I'm wearing now - mixed with cherry wine and a cigar that's been put out for a day.

You told Tyler, The Creator that John Lennon's Shaved Fish was an important album to you - which song is your favourite?
"Woman is the n***** of the world". I knew about Yoko before the song, but I just like how Lennon represented for his woman.

What's the best thing you can cook?
Fish wrapped in aluminum foil with onions, zucchini, squash, seasoning, olive oil - I go expensive - and a little bit of white wine, lemons. That's my only dish.

What advice would you give on getting a tattoo?
I've been getting them for so long - I was getting them from any place that I can find. I have no tattoos that I regret - I have had some that I have had changed according to how my life was. I have some regrets in covering things up. I should have just left it alone.

What's the worst gig you've ever played?
Probably early on, where fights broke out between myself, my crew and audience members. For the most part I've been kinda lucky. There was once where I was doing a tour with, if I'm not mistaken, R Kelly. My DJ at the time, his soundsystem just cut off, so I was in an arena with 20,000 people. It took three good minutes to come back. I didn't leave the stage, I just talked to 20,000 people on a mic.

You defended Gwyneth Paltrow for her tweet about "N****s in Paris". Can anyone sing along to that song?
Yes. It's a great song. It wasn't made just for black people. It was made for the entire world to sing.

What's a Nas groupie like?
Like everyone else's groupie I suspect! I haven't been having any woman relations things happening in London - that was in my earlier years but everybody's pretty cool and pretty nice.

Around the time of Live At The Barbeque you were accused of devil worship. What's the strangest rumour you've heard about yourself?
They happen and then they go. I don't know how many people are into a rumour - whether it's just one person that put it up or it really stood out to me. I don't know which rumour was big or not.

Who's your best dressed British man?
Idris Elba has incredible style - he wears the hell out of a suit. I haven't seen Prometheus yet but I was a big Wire fan.

What's your favourite Woody Allen movie?
Husbands and Wives. I think I'm a romantic, on the low. Woody gives you a play on how lovelife and different relationships work - he adds the funniness to it, but he gives you the old guy and the young girl, this one with that one, this one cheating…and why. He just lays it out there for you. He is a genius, man.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Everything is going to be alright. That's what I want people to understand when they listen to this record: enjoy it man, because it's not going to be here. I don't get jealousy, I don't get how people hate each other - I never did.

On the deluxe edition there's a track called "The Black Bond"…
The sound of it, the strings, just reminded me of Roger Moore. WithBond, I think of class, charisma and I think of a regal [bearing]. He's the coolest man on the planet.

He's been very good for British men…
I can imagine!

How would you like to be remembered?
I just want to be remembered. You can do it anyway you like to. I think the fact that I made enough noise in the world that I might be remembered is an amazing achievement. You can't ask for more than that.

Originally published on GQ.co.uk in July 2012. Read the original here.