Nas and Will.i.Am Unveil New Obama Songs

These two MCs find their lyrical muse in the president-elect. Click here to listen!
Nas / Will.I.Am

What do you get for the man who has everything? And by "everything" we mean, the most power in the free world, a new mansion, and a soon-to-be-purchased new puppy. Well, if you're Will.i.Am or Nas, you record him a new song.

Nas Unveils Summer Tour

Hip-hop legend to span the U.S. with Talib Kweli in between appearances on the Rock the Bells tour, in support of new, untitled album.

Who? Born Nasir Jones, Queensbridge, New York's hip-hop maven Nas -- a recent Spin interviewee and Artist of the Day subject -- is best known for his 1994 classic, Illmatic, as well as other career-defining records like God’s Son and Street’s Disciple

Available Today: July 15, 2008

Get our take on new albums from the Hold Steady, Jay Reatard, Wire, and more out today.
The Hold Steady / Photo by Judson Baker

Here's a rundown of what's available online and in record stores this week. Click each album title to read Spin's review:

The Hold Steady, Stay Positive: Brooklyn’s hyper mini-Bosses get a bit too comfy.

Nas

The legendary Queens-born MC drops his controversial ninth studio album, pointedly addressing the larger plights of Black America.
Nas

What? When an artist's debut ends up a genre-defining classic, expectations never fade, and though steeped in quality entries like the furious Stillmatic and sleeper hit Street's Disciple, Nas' catalog still craved another manifesto.

The Inquisition: Nas

Rapper talks Jay-Z, Bill O'Reilly, and about the controversy over his album title.
Nas / Photo by Perou/Camera Press/Retna

You gotta give Nas points for trying. After a year in which he caught flak from Bill O'Reilly for participating in a benefit, saw his nemesis turned label boss Jay-Z leave Def Jam, and shot a failed reality show with his wife Kelis, the 34-year-old Nasir Jones lost his long, contentious struggle to name his ninth album Nigger, replacing the title at the last minute.

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