After all the back and forth and tough talk from Nas that his album’s title won’t change, it has.

A representative for Def Jam has confirmed to EW.com that hip-hop artist Nas has made an eleventh-hour decision to change the title of his new album from N—– to simply Nas. The Queens rapper sparked a heated debate last fall when he announced the provocative title for his upcoming ninth record, but last October, Island Def Jam Music Group chair Antonio “L.A.” Reid publicly denied widespread reports that label execs were uncomfortable with his decision. “We stand firmly behind and beside our artists with pride and with pleasure,” Reid told MTV News at the time. “Anything Nas wants to do, I completely stand beside him.”

But in an interview with MTV News last week, Nas suggested that he was facing renewed pressure: “Everybody is trying to stop the title…. Record stores are gonna have a problem in this day and time selling a record with that title. Who knows what’s gonna turn out and be on that title? Who knows what that title will be?” The politically-charged Nas is due in stores July 1. For more of Nas’ thoughts on his new music, check EW’s summer music preview coverage in print on Friday.

Silly Nas, big decisions are for white people in suits. Source.

Well, sort of. Nas has FINALLY released a track from his upcoming “Nigger” album. No word on if this will be the official first single (doubtful) but it is what it is (kinda wack?). Enjoy the overuse of racial epithets.

SHHH! Massa is comin! Hiiiiide the watermelon!

The controversial album that was supposed to drop in December has been pushed back to the spring (April/May). If that’s not bad enough, According to LA Reid, Nas may get his title snatched out from under his feet (and let’s face it, that’s the main reason people are talking about it).

According to Reid, the album, which was originally slated for a December release will drop sometime this spring. “Hopefully we’ll get it in April or May,” he told SOHH exclusively. “Something like that. Somewhere around there. It’s getting there, we’re getting close.”

Sorry NASSS!

…and controversy

Nas’ controversial album “Nigger” has been pushed back to Black History month (February for all you lames). Good move in my opinion. He can avoid dropping with a crapload of other albums, and then cause MORE controversy by releasing Nigger during Black pride month. Nas, you marketing beast you….

In other news, Nas spoke to MTV about the lackluster snippet released over the weekend:

Nas himself clarified to MTV News that “What It Is” will definitely not be on the album. Those are vocals that were leaked and added onto a random beat. … I never rhymed to that beat,” he said.

Good news. My guess? Some shitty wanna-be producer made the beat and laid the vocals over it to get a little fame, maybe even hope that Nas would use his beat. Boy did that backfire.

In this revolving wheel of stories going on, Nas has recently told MTV that the “source” that previously spoke up is 100% wrong. Nas says that not only is his album coming out, but he’s going to go a step further and straight call it “Nigger”.

“I don’t know where that [report] came from and neither does Def Jam,” Nas said early Thursday morning (October 18) in a Manhattan recording studio when asked about a Fox News article published earlier this week. The story quoted a “source close to” label head L.A. Reid, who scoffed at the thought of the company supporting an album with such a title, and also claimed the album was not on the label’s release schedule. “None of us knows where that came from.”

Nas also took the time to speak out on some of the criticism that he has come under since the original announcement:

“I’m a street disciple,” Nas responded, quoting one of his earlier album titles. “I’m talking to the streets. Stay out of our business. You ain’t got no business worrying about what the word ‘nigger’ is or acting like you know what my album is about without talking to me. Whether you in the NAACP or you Jesse Jackson. I respect all of them … I just want them to know: Never fall victim to Fox. Never fall victim to the sh– they do. What they do is try to hurry up and get you on the phone and try to get you to talk about something you might not know about yet.

Here we go again folks, you can be sure to hear a LOT more on this in the coming weeks.

Can I see a show of hands from everyone having the urge to bitchslap the hosts after watching that?

Nas was recently quoted stating that his new album was to be released in December and that it would sport the original name for “Hip Hop is Dead”: “Nigga”. Well jokes on you Nasir, as sources close to the label are now stating that not only will the album NOT be called “Nigga”, but Nas won’t even be dropping in December!

“There is no album release by Nas on the release schedule at this point,” a source close to Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid told FOXNews.com.

“And they would be unlikely to release an album with that title. How would that look at Wal-Mart?”

But there’s no doubt that Nas made the claim — which set the hip-hop community abuzz this week — during a Friday night performance at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. The rapper’s “Greatest Hits” album is set to hit music store shelves in early November.

Nas — whose hits include “One Love” and “Hate Me Now” — told the crowd that he actually wanted to call his last record “Nigga,” but Def Jam wouldn’t hear of it, and made him change the name to “Hip Hop Is Dead.”

Well, maybe he’ll head to Koch, and call it “The N” (another original title for HHID). Nas lost.

Source

After changing the title of his last album to the equally controversial “Hip-Hop is Dead”, Nas is going to use the original title of his 2006 album for his forthcoming LP. The album is to be titled “Nigga”.

Naturally, Nas can expect all kinds of problems with this release, everything from it being banned from mainstream places like Walmart and Sam Goody to activists like Sharpton coming down on him.

The countdown to Bill O’Reilly’s rant begins… NOW!