Perception not reality. I thought the perception of making peace was stronger. Even though I realize it was probably very much because Def Jam wanted to sign Nas and Nas wanted to go there so they wanted shyt to be cool between Nas and Jay.
If you are saying Nas signing to DEF JAM was a sell out move that's a whole other debate, but I don't think he was selling out merely because Jay had a role there at the time.
it was a sellout move because it had no regard for who he actually was.
it was a revenue grab.
which was along the same lines as him making songs with puff.
no cultural responsibility, at all.
when, he is from the guard of guys.
who, if they offered no resistance.
we would never have gotten any cultural based music.
or a cultural attention to detail when rap and the culture were marketed worldwide by leo burnett.
if not for the nas that protected the culture that brought us nas.
we would have had twenty years of l'trimm the cars that go boom and addams family values based soundtrack records of wackness.
instead of twenty years of some attention culturally in the business of rap.
which is why nas selling out eventually lead to the degradation we have now.
as he is the annakins skywalker/death vader of rap.
that made it so, the argument could no longer be raised.
as to cultural responsibility and its importance to the longevity of the pillar of rap as a profitable culturally commendable product.
if, nas never sells out.
rap's protection mechanism are still intact and we still have quality rap music being made,
instead of uncle luke meets l'trimm based rap we have now.
all these nikkaz making the car goes boom with offkey non-convincability based skills.
none of that shyt would be a draw.
if not for nas selling out and making it worse.
all puff had to do after that.
was coup the culture's protectors like nas and krs.
then, we are where we are now....
art barr