this is pretty much retarded, but here ya go.
USA Today Wrote:
Reconciliation tour
By Steve Jones, USA TODAY
Jay-Z's signing of onetime rival Nas to a record deal this week is the latest in a string of successes for the "retired" rapper in his first year as president of Def Jam Records. The two stars, who had one of hip-hop's most virulent lyrical beefs just a few years ago, stunned fans by reconciling in October at an event in East Rutherford, N.J., billed the I Declare War concert.
Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) says he and Nas (Nasir Jones) put aside their differences after a meeting arranged by Jive Records executive Mark Pitts, who manages Nas and once managed Jay-Z's friend, the late Notorious B.I.G. Both he and Nas say there always was mutual respect.
"Everybody talks about Big and Pac and how that ended," Jay-Z says. (Tupac Shakur was killed in September 1996, and the Notorious B.I.G. was killed in March 1997.) "We talked about showing a different side and what it would mean to the culture of hip-hop. It was bigger than just us and our trivial little beefs. Hopefully, it shows another way."
Nas adds: "As a fan, I felt good to push rap forward. It seemed impossible to do, but I look at it as 'If Pac and Biggie were here, what would they do?' "
Nas says Def Jam is a more rap-oriented label that should open new avenues for getting his music out. He says he's looking forward to finding new creative approaches for his social commentaries.
"I wake up every day in a new world that new children are growing up in," he says. "Growing up in the '80s and '90s, it was one way, and now it's a whole new world with the things that these kids listen to or watch on TV."
In the past year, Def Jam has had two of the biggest and most critically lauded releases: Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi and Kanye West's Late Registration (2005's No. 1 and No. 9 albums). It also had success with up-and-comers Young Jeezy, Rihanna, Juelz Santana, Bobby Valentino and the Disturbing Tha Peace compilation. Jay-Z also signed the critically acclaimed Roots to the label in September.
The company's next big push will be behind soulful singer/songwriter Ne-Yo, whose So Sick is one of the hottest singles on the chart and whose album, In My Own Words, is due Feb. 28. Also coming are new albums by LL Cool J, Young Jeezy and Rihanna.
Jay-Z, who is Grammy-nominated for the song Numb/Encore, his mash-up with Linkin Park, says the transition from artist to executive has been a smooth one. He still gets a rush from working with the artists.
"I'm not just a guy behind a desk trying to make numbers," he says. "I'm an artist in my own right trying to get them to be more creative. After that, success is a by-product of doing the job right."
Jay-Z says he's not bothered by former Def Jam star Cam'ron, who recently released Gotta Love It, in which he disses Jay-Z.
"The artist in me tells me to respond to that immediately," Jay-Z says. "But I know what that's all about. He has an album coming (Killa Season), and how else is he going to get mentioned in USA TODAY or other publications?"
