A Decade Later: Did Nas' "Nastradamus" Predictions Come True?
The year was 1999. As the millennium approached and a rumored massive computer crash threatened our very existence,
Nas began to fancy himself a prophet. That November, the Queens-born MC released
Nastradamus, an album themed around his own predictions for the years ahead. Like
Illmatic, the cover art featured a portrait of the rapper set against the Queensbridge projects where he grew up—this time, though, Nas was cloaked and contemplative. The
video for the album’s lead single showed him piloting a space shuttle into his QB stomping grounds. While bewildered residents looked on, Nas outlined his vision for the future. Some of his predictions came to pass, others seem far-fetched. So would he make it as a professional soothsayer?
Let's take a look at Nastradamus' trendcasting and see...
"The Prediction"
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Prediction: "Childbirth becomes outlawed."
Outcome: Having children is still perfectly legal, but America’s birthrate
did hit an all-time low last year. There's still a chance we can fukk around and end up on the
Maury show, though.
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"Nastradamus"
Prediction: "I let y'all nikkas bang my shyt before Saddam hits."
Outcome: Suspecting he posed a threat to the country (and wanting to secure world oil supplies), America overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003. Like George W. Bush, the Queensbridge MC was convinced that the Iraqi president would spearhead an attack against America in the coming years. He must have been feeling like a Black Republican.
"Nastradamus"
Prediction: "Leave the streets alone for a sec/Hit the Sky Bar on Sunset/And the sex is so high-tech."
Outcome: While sex still works and feels the same, its substitutes—webcams, sexting, and electronic sex toys—have grown pretty sophisticated. But exactly what Nas had in mind is anyone's guess. Maybe he dresses like a robot!
"Nastradamus"
Prediction: "Bentleys, Porsches, Piaget watches/Sick with the bread, Lamborghini trucks topless/Laptops with 100 gigabytes."
Outcome: In 1999, the prospect of carrying around a computer that could hold 80 gigs of files seemed pretty futuristic. Now, even your average entry-level laptop boasts more than 200 gigabytes of storage space. If only Nasir had known what that would do to his record sales.