Rapper Nas has drafted a host of R&B and hip-hop heavy hitters to assist on his upcoming album “God’s Son,” due Dec. 17 via Ill Will/Columbia. Eminem produced the track “The Cross,” while Alicia Keys sings and offers production assistance on “Warrior.” City High’s Claudette Ortiz and Kelis join in on “Hey Nas.” And despite Nas’ stated affiliation with rival rap imprint Murder Inc. and its CEO Irv Gotti, the latter did not produce any of the 12 cuts on “God’s Son.”
The track “Thugz Mansion” features one verse from the late Tupac Shakur; an alternate version of the song with only one of Nas’ two verses is included on the new Shakur collection “Better Dayz,” due tomorrow (Nov. 26) from Interscope. “Made You Look” debuted at No. 25 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks tally last week.
When placed in a computer CD drive, the disc will utilize Sony’s proprietary ConnecteD technology to unlock a secure Web site with a host of extras. According to Nas’ spokesperson, bonuses will include a “freestyle” version of “Thugz Mansion,” an instrumental version of “Made You Look,” and the non-album cuts “P**** Kills” and “The G.O.D.” Fans will also get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the “Made You Look” video and the album photo shoot.
“God’s Son” is the follow-up to last year’s “Stillmatic,” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has sold 1.7 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. In late September, Columbia issued “The Lost Tapes,” a collection of previously unreleased material recorded during sessions for 1999’s “I Am … The Autobiography” and “Stillmatic.”
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