Nas is spearheading a plan to change the landscape of New York City. The music icon has partnered with Resorts World Casino New York City and its parent company, Genting America East, to revitalize his beloved Queens neighborhood. As reported by Commercial Observer, Genting America East executives, including the artist, shared plans for a $5 billion redevelopment endeavor to transform the Resorts World establishment into a “Las Vegas-style casino.” The blueprint for the project includes amenities such as 30 new opportunities for food and beverage vendors, a 7,000-seat performance space, and 1,600 new hotel rooms inside the existing Hyatt Regency at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Genting America East also proposed a 350,000-square-foot extension of the Resorts World casino floor. If approved, the move would position the casino as the largest gambling establishment globally, per the outlet. Beyond revenue-generating additions, the proposal includes housing units that could...

Nas’ multimedia company is entangled in a lawsuit. On Oct. 17, 2023, Mass Appeal was sued by Melissa Cooper, the company’s former head of development, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan, NY, claims that the white executive faced racial discrimination including “venomous and racist comments about ‘White folk’ and ‘crackers.’” Following the alleged discriminatory comments, Cooper was fired from Mass Appeal in June 2023.

It looks like Nas’ music catalog could soon be up for grabs if the price is right. MC Serch reveals that he has begun taking offers for the sale of his ownership stake in the New York native’s catalog, which includes his debut album, “Illmatic,” and  his sophomore album “It Was Written,” HipHopDX reports.

Considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t be surprising if photographer Al Pereira isn’t exactly well-liked in the world of Hip-Hop. As AfroTech previously reported, the photographer is taking rapper Nas to court after the Queens native shared a photo of himself with Tupac Shakur and Redman on Instagram without explicitly asking for permission or compensation from Pereira himself. Al Pereira registered the copyright for the photo in 2017, and Nas shared the photo to social media in 2020. The photo was initially taken outside of Club Amazon in New York City in 1993. In his lawsuit, Pereira claims that Nas was trying to profit off of his work by posting the photo, while also using the photo to “increase his social media status.” “Selling these licenses of his art is reportedly how Pereira makes a living, and because Nas freely posted the image online, the photographer argued that the picture has lost some of its value. It is unclear what damages Pereira is seeking at this time. Nas...

Another day, another announcement of rappers dominating in the metaverse. On Feb. 10, Nas, Lil Baby, Gunna, and Baby Keem were participants in a $60 million Series A financing round for Everyrealm — a metaverse real estate company, Music Business Worldwide reports. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and included investors such as Coinbase Ventures, NGC Ventures, Dragonfly Capital, Hashed, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and more. The investments from the leading firms “marks one of the largest Series A rounds for a company led by a female CEO,” according to the company. Everyrealm’s CEO is Janine Yorio and is co-founded by TJ Kawamura, Julia Schwartz, Jesse Stein, and Kostas Ketikidis. Since its inception in 2021, the company has been a force in virtual real estate with holdings in 25 metaverse platforms, over 100 developed projects, and over 3,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs). “Everyrealm creates innovative and addictive social spaces that are futuristic and interactive like video...

This is a case of Hip-Hop royalties gone wrong. Complex reports that legendary producer Pete Rock has plans in motion to sue rapper Nas over a claim of unpaid royalties for his involvement with the production of “Illmatic.” In the claims, Pete Rock alleges that he was never paid for his work on the groundbreaking album that was released in 1994. Not only did he produce the renowned track “The World Is Yours,” but he is also credited for helping to write the hit. “Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994,” said Pete Rock in an interview with Page Six. “My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on Illmatic.”

The culture seems to continue to thrive in the cryptocurrency world. According to Complex, Hip-Hop icon Nas just teamed up with Royal, a blockchain-powered platform that allows fans the opportunity to invest in their favorite artists’ music. Together, they will sell extended versions of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) called limited digital assets, which include streaming royalty rights to two of Nas’ tracks.

Lyrical genius Nas has had music pumping through his veins for over 30 years, and shows no signs of slowing down. O n Wednesday, he revealed his newest partnership with MasterClass — an online platform for seasoned professionals to share their expertise — which is set to begin Oct. 14. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUqTg81AsIn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The opportunity is a dream come true for the rapper, who at an early age was inspired by Motown and desired to learn more about the music industry outside of the business aspect. Now, as a pioneer, he isn’t comfortable simply existing within the music industry, but he wants to provide opportunities to open the door for new artists. According to Complex, Nas shared: “ MasterClass is a great thing for people to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with artists, producers, actors, and people. I think it’s dope that we take time out of our lives to sit down and think about what it took for us to get here, and think about our journey...