It looks like Nas is finally addressing Pete Rock's lawsuit surrounding Illmatic royalties.
This morning, Nas and Hit-Boy dropped the third installment in the King's Disease series. The project boasts no features but Nas is certainly poppin' his ish across the tracklist. On "30," Nas takes on Hit-Boy's production with a chip on his shoulder, specifically toward Pete Rock's legal threats.
"Premier album still might happen
"30" - Nas
I wonder why Pete Rock would act like that
That type of behavior make me give rap right back
And now I can't tell if all the good that I did's bein' hid with they agenda again, n***a
I know that y'all prayin' I go back to nothin'
We in the future, let's get past the frontin'
Let's get money."
Nas and Pete Rock's issues emerged into the public at the top of 2022. The producer's attorney said Pete Rock's share of royalties haven't hit his bank account.
Rock produced one of the most famous songs on the iconic album, "The World Is Yours." Though he confirmed that he receives royalties for the song, he hasn't seen a payment for years. His attorney said the unpaid royalties amount to $1M.
"We haven’t gotten any information to state what that [amount] is at this juncture. And if we don’t get it before we file a lawsuit, we’ll obviously ask for that in discovery," Pete's attorney Lita Rosario-Richardson said.
"The goal here is for Pete to get paid his royalties," she continued. "And obviously, if we can do that without having to file a lawsuit, that would be preferable. We’re not looking for a sum of money and then that’s the end of it. We’re looking for his ongoing and continuous royalties."
It remains unclear whether Pete Rock moved forward with the lawsuit. Clearly, the rift weighed on Nas's mind during the recording process of King's Disease III.
Peep the song below and let us know your thoughts on Nas and Hit-Boy's new album in the comments.
