By IPOPPEDOFF
For the last couple of months we have seen the classic children’s story The Emperors New Clothes play out right in front of our very eyes. Starring as the emperor is Queensbridge staple Nas. Always a thorough lyricist, his ability to construct some of the art form’s most recited rhymes has never been an issue. What has always been an elephant in the room that many industry insiders have known but have chosen to never really talk about is Nas’ financial inconsistency.
Recently we all heard of the back taxes owed to the IRS, the past child support judgments against him by his first child’s mother, and more recently his costly divorce from Kelis. While all these financial setbacks have shocked many, I wasn’t surprised one bit. What many don’t know or choose to ignore is that our golden boy Nas has never really grossed the monies we all thought he did.
Before we begin, this is not gossip or conjecture. Im not minding his income because at the end of the day what he eats doesnt make me shit. My intention with this column is to show people the truth because you know it hurts. So many people are blinded by the supposed glamour of the music industry, but they gloss over the pitfalls and the harsh realities to this business. We’re here to put fact to fantasy. Here are three factors to consider about Nas that many dont know:
1. Recording artists dont really make their money from selling albums. Now to get into specifics, when an artist does a promotional tour around the country, he or she will visit radio stations and perform at different venues. Most of the time, artists don’t get paid for these dates. Their label sets these dates up to help get their records played at these said stations
So free shows at radios = increased airplay. So with that said there isnt much money with promotional tours, unless you are sponsored by a major outside company which is rare. Now take in consideration that Nas has never headlined a major city to city tour. At his height of his It Was Written fame, Nas was opening up for The Fugees. As we saw with the recent Young Money tour, you can really cake up if you are doing major shows.
During the aftermath of the Ether, I do know Nas did a free show for HOT 97 at Central Park in 2004. Ive seen invoices of Nas getting paid 100k to perform this free show which is great. But Nas never had constant big tour dates like that. So I say all of that to say that the money he was seeing wasnt what we would all think. With all of Nas hits and platinum selling albums, Nas has never had his own major tour.
2. It is also no secret that Nas had a top notch consigliere Steve Stoute in his corner. Steve Stoute has brokered numerous deals for some of the music industrys biggest players. Stoute was the driving force behind the marriages of Chris Brown + Doublemint Gum, Rihanna + Coverl Girl Comestics, Jay-Z + Reebok + Hewlett Packard, Mary J. Blige + Carol’s Daughter, and countless others. Before Steve Stoute ventured out and started breaking all these deals for various artists, his main client was Nas.
During this time, I’ve been told that Steve Stoute presented several sponsorship deals to Nas. These deals ranged from beer commercials to clothing partnerships. Real Nas heads will remember that after Stillmatic dropped he did a MTV show called Diary. In that episode, Nas is shown turning down a Coors Light Beer deal over the phone. He mentions that he is not with promoting beer to children, which I agree with, but from what I understand there were other deals presented that would have brought in some good money without Nas having to discredit himself, i.e. investments, property, etc. that he didn’t move on.
3. Another drawback to consider is young Nas early love for marijuana. After talking to some dudes that grew up with Nas in QB, it was told to me that Esco spent a lot of dough on getting high. As with any fashion statement, including weed, being up on the latest is always a talking point. In the early 90s, low grade was steadily available throughout NYC. During the middle 90s hydroponic weed or hydro was the weed of choice for smokers who had real money. During those times, Hydro was ranging from 4-5k a pound (Allegedly 
). Sources say Nas was spending thousands of dollars on weed every month during his It Was Written and I Am days. This might seem petty to some readers considering all the money involved, but ALL expenses add up. At one point in the 90s, Nas almost spent 50k one year alone on smoke.
At the end of the day, Im no hater. I wish Nas the best of luck moving forward, but as I stated before I want to shed light on his situation and the fool’s gold that the music industry is filled with. Everyone hears the MUSIC part of the music business, but they never prepare themselves for the BUSINESS part. When you decide to run with the vipers, you should always be prepared for the venom. Don’t be fooled by the facades. Recognize the Raw Truth. More to come.
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