Nas Gives Critics the Metaphorical Middle Finger — Continued

"I thought 'this is the least I could do.' Hip-hop was born off of real n-----s. What happened to the N.W.A.'s? What happened to the Public Enemy's? What happened to the KRS-One's?" Nas tells the BoomBox. "Today, it's just a gimmick driven thing and if that's the case, if the whole music industry is full of a bunch of bulls--- being put together to make this girl a beautiful star, to make this rapper the hot thing of the moment, then why don't we take something real and make that controversial too?" He adds, "Then that way at least we're in the circus together, but my s--- is going to be real."

And in an effort to deliver "real s---" to his fans, Nas backed down ... slightly. The album is now untitled and missing the first leaked track 'Be a N----- Too,' but still features a litany of tracks that touch on the rapper's issues with racism in America. Nas slams Fox News on 'Sly Fox' and talks politics on 'Black President.' But, in usual Nas fashion the rapper sways back and forth between a revolutionary and a diamond-donning kingpin, which makes him all the more human to some and a bit confused to others.

Regardless of how you feel about the 34-rear-old rapper, one thing's for sure. You won't ignore him. "You know you call us n---- everyday you just don't say it no more, so let me put it all in perspective for you 'cause you're scared," Nas says of the hot-button issue. "[But] just because you don't say the word [doesn't] mean you're actions are different. So here it is. A mirror image of yourself, this is what you say to me: 'N-----.' This is what you say to me every other day. So here it is right back at you man."