Nas receives the kind of respect that true rap wordsmiths continually target for themselves, and it all boils down to his lyrics. As a hip-hop Nietzsche, Nas's insights and observations concerning his generation can be read from his lyrics sheet as pure prose. When backed by the sonic collages of master production virtuosos like Timbaland, DJ Premier and the Track Masters, the signature combustion is inimitably Nas's own. The tragic deaths of hip-hop martyrs Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. has affected the perceptions of the rap world as well as Nas, its premier philosopher. When asked to differentiate between fame and success, Nas is characteristically diplomatic.
Fame is like the girl with the biggest tits, the homeless man who saved a girl from a fire.
Success is everything you ever wanted in life, everything you ever worked hard for. If you had a certain goal in life and you met that goal, and when you met it, it was just so crazy extreme. It's everything you wanted, but 10 times, that's your success. I feel I got a lot to do with how the rap game is now. I know I'm a major part of this shit, but everybody's a major part.