“He was a master at, what, 14? To me, I met Nas when he was 15 and he was already a master lyricist. It takes about 10 years to become a master lyricist, so by the time the world heard Wu-Tang, most of us had 10 years of rapping in us already. The GZA was already a master when Nas was a master, but GZA was 21 — Nas was 15!”
RZA elaborated on meeting a 15-year-old Nas (which would’ve been in the late ’80s, several years before Illmatic dropped and when RZA still went by the name Prince Rakeem) and recalled his reaction to the young Queensbridge kid’s prodigious talent.
“I think I’m four or five years older than Nas, so I was always feeling my confidence in what I was doing,” he said. “But when I was like, ‘This kid is only 15?! Sheesh.’ When he turned [21], then we got Illmatic!”
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RZA elaborated on meeting a 15-year-old Nas (which would’ve been in the late ’80s, several years before Illmatic dropped and when RZA still went by the name Prince Rakeem) and recalled his reaction to the young Queensbridge kid’s prodigious talent.
“I think I’m four or five years older than Nas, so I was always feeling my confidence in what I was doing,” he said. “But when I was like, ‘This kid is only 15?! Sheesh.’ When he turned [21], then we got Illmatic!”
RZA Explains Nas' Genius By Comparing Him To Chess Prodigy Bobby Fischer
During a recent appearance on the 'Lex Fridman Podcast,' RZA explained why Nas is Hip Hop's answer to the famous chess prodigy Bobby Fischer.
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