Hip Hop Is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 19, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def Jam. The album's title was inspired by Nas's view of the music industry and the state of hip hop music at the time. The album features appearances from Nas's then-wife Kelis, Def Jam label-mates Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Chrisette Michele, as well as will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, and The Game, among others.
For the song from this album, see Hip Hop Is Dead (song).Hip Hop Is Dead
The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 355,880 copies in its first week. His fourth U.S. number-one album, it had sold 941,000 copies by November 2008, eventually over time it went platinum by the RIAA.[1] Upon its release, Hip Hop Is Dead received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Hip Hop Is Dead was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album,[2] ultimately losing to Kanye West's Graduation at the 50th Grammy Awards.[3]
Commercial performance[edit]
Hip Hop Is Dead debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 355,880 copies in its first week. The album has joined It Was Written (1996) and I Am… (1999) as Nas's third album to debut at number one on the chart.[33] In its second week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, selling an additional 101,000 copies.[34] In its third week, the album dropped to number eight on the chart, selling 44,800 copies that week.[35] On March 12, 2007, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.[36]
The title track "Hip Hop Is Dead" (produced by will.i.am), which contains samples from "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly, and "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band (which Nas previously used on "Made You Look", and Billy Squier's "The Big Beat", was the first single of the album.[37] It received airplay on radio stations in Australia (Triple J), the UK, and in United States, notably on Hot 97.[5][38] The single recently reached #48 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart[39] and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single from the album Hip Hop Is Dead is "Can't Forget About You" (Featuring Chrisette Michele). It contains a sample from Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable".
Information is based on Liner Notes.[40]