Nas is the latest entertainer to reveal he’s battled with COVID-19. The Illmatic MC recently spoke with Ebony Magazine for their October 2021 issue regarding his bout with the disease and how it’s affected the world.
“I caught COVID in late October. This is the first time I’m mentioning it. It was a tough time. It was mentally and physically hard. It’s just today’s world, with chemical warfare, crazy politics, racism, food shortages, police malpractice, Black-on-Black murder. The human spirit is being tested. I think that God has a plan for all of this. But right now, we’re in a serious time,” the King’s Disease Grammy-winning rapper explained.
Nas also discussed his foray into the business world and his multi-million-dollar portfolio of investments.
“Black wealth was always important. Hip-hop has created more Black millionaires than any other industry in America. Being able to invest in startups and invest in people’s futures, believing in them, welcoming them into what we have to offer, for them to trust us, for us to trust them, that friendship — that’s what America is all about. In this country, I see the adversity, but I also see the opportunity. I see the obstacles; I also see the opportunities that have been kept from Black and brown people, poor people. That day is over,” Nas further commented to Ebony.
Nas and Pusha T are also among several artists who have invested in Audius, a new streaming service. The two MCs join the likes of Katy Perry, Jason Derulo, Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, Disclosure, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, a host of music executives to become stakeholders in the company according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Audius launched in 2018 and is expected to announce a $5 million round of funding. The company is built on blockchain technology, which is used to support non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and will compete with Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music.
