J. Cole really, really respects Nas. He respects him so much that on his new album, Born Sinner, he dedicates an entire track to him. “Let Nas Down” tells the story of how Cole felt when he heard that Nas didn’t like his debut single, “Work Out,” when it was released in June 2011. And Nas apparently appreciated the sentiments that Cole expresses on the song, so he agreed to jump on a remix for it recently.
As we mentioned on Monday, the remix is one of the most intriguing records released in 2013. But Cole is far from the first rapper to pay homage to one of his rap idols through a song. Over the years, a number of rappers have done the same thing. We’re not talking about rappers who’ve written songs for their fallen comrades. We’re talking about those who’ve done tributes to rappers who are still with us out of respect. Check out 8 of those songs here.
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The Rapper: Kanye West
The Song: “Big Brother,” from 2007’s Graduation
Who It Was Written For: Jay-Z
Outside of J. Cole’s new song for Nas, this might be the most notable example of a rapper writing a song for another rapper. Back in ’07, Ye wanted to show Jay just how much he valued their friendship. So he wrote a song about all the good, bad and memorable moments from it. This was bromance at its best.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Game
The Song: “Doctor’s Advocate” from 2006’s Doctor’s Advocate
Who It Was Written For: Dr. Dre
Even though the Compton rapper didn’t work with Dre on his sophomore album due to his ongoing beef with G-Unit, Game wanted to let Doc know that he still cared about him. So he wrote a song for him and used that song’s title as the title of the album. Even though Dre wasn’t on the album, that put him on the album. Nice gesture by Game.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: KRS-One
The Song: “Nas Tribute” (recorded in 2007 for Hip Hop Lives, not officially released)
Who It Was Written For: Nas
When KRS-One and Marley Marl recorded Hip Hop Lives, they wanted to use it as a direct response to Nasty’s album, Hip-Hop Is Dead. But KRS didn’t want it to seem like he was throwing shots at Nas. So he wrote him a tribute to show him that it was still all love.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Talib Kweli
The Song: “Ms. Hill,” from 2005’s Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD
Who It Was Written For: Lauryn Hill
It’s weird to listen to this song in 2013 and think about how most of it still applies. Like us, Kweli sounded like he wanted L-Boogie to come back to the game in a big way. But she continues to duck and dodge us. Maybe one day…[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Lil Wayne
The Songs: “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” and “Like Father, Like Son,” from 2006’s Like Father, Like Son
Who They Were Written For: Birdman
Weezy hearts Baby. But you already knew that. If you need some additional confirmation, though, these two tracks will tell you all you need to know about Birdman and Birdman Jr.’s father/son relationship.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Bun B
The Song: “The Story,” from 2005’s Trill
Who It Was Written For: Pimp C
When Bun released his first solo album, Pimp was sitting behind bars, but that doesn’t mean Bun forgot about him. Thanks to this song that detailed the history of UGK, Bun B was able to remind everyone of just how important Pimp C was to him.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Noreaga
The Song: “Live On, Live Long,” from 1997’s The War Report
Who It Was Written For: Capone
‘Pone was in prison when Capone-N-Noreaga released The War Report. So N.O.R.E. paid homage to him by writing a special solo song for him for the album. It was a heartfelt moment and proved just how tight these two were back then.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]
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The Rapper: Nas
The Song: “U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim),” from 2004’s Street’s Disciple
Who It Was Written For: Rakim
Nas responded really well to J. Cole’s “Let Nas Down.” Why? Well, we can’t say for sure. But it may have something to do with the fact that Rakim did not take too kindly to the tribute that Nas wrote for him. While Nas was simply trying to educate rap fans about Rakim’s importance, he ended up revealing some personal things on “U.B.R.” that Rakim didn’t really want Nas to talk about. It resulted in Rakim calling Nas out for doing it. They eventually patched things up and moved on. But if you want to know why Nas is embracing the next generation, look no further than this song. Nas learned a thing or two from the reaction he got from Rakim after writing it.[videoembed size=”full_width” alignment=”center”][/videoembed]