Nas appeared on a panel at Georgetown about the state of Hip Hop. Watch the discussion inside and get the deets on Lil Wayne's guest role on Adult Swim's "The Boondocks."
Last night, Nas and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson sat down for a discussion about hip-hop at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall. The talk was moderated by James Peterson, director of Africana studies and associate professor of English at Lehigh University and explored Nas' Illmatic and its legacy 20 years later as well as the current state of hip-hop.
Also....Nas will be performing Illmatic in its entirety tonight and Saturday evening at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for "One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide." Illmatic XX, the 20th anniversary edition of Nas' debut album, will be released April 15.
In other music news...
Lil' Wayne will voice a character on season four on the "The Boondocks" starting on April 21st at 10:30PM EST on Adult Swim. While we're not sure if Wayne's voice will become a series regular, we know Wayne is very familiar with animation. In 2007, we appeared on "The Boondocks" in an episode titled “Invasion Of The Katrinians.“
In other news, series-creator Aaron McGruder has confirmed that he has left the show to focus on his new project, BLACK JESUS. In a letter published in the LA TIMES, he said,
"As the world now knows, 'The Boondocks' will be returning for a fourth season, but I will not be returning with it," McGruder began. "I'd like to extend my gratitude to Sony and Adult Swim for three great seasons."
"I created 'The Boondocks' two decades ago in college, did the daily comic for six years and was show runner on the animated series for the first three seasons," McGruder wrote. " 'The Boondocks' pretty much represents my life's work to this point. Huey, Riley and Granddad are not just property to me. They are my fictional blood relatives. Nothing is more painful than to leave them behind.
"To quote a great white man, 'Hollywood is a business.' And to quote another great white man, 'Don't hold grudges.'
"What has never been lost on me is the enormous responsibility that came with 'The Boondocks' -- particularly the television show and its relatively young audience. It was important to offend, but equally important to offend for the right reasons. For three seasons I personally navigated this show through the minefields of controversy. It was not perfect. And it definitely was not quick. But it was always done with a keen sense of duty, history, culture and love. Anything less would have been unacceptable.
"As for me, I'm finally putting a life of controversy and troublemaking behind me with my upcoming Adult Swim Show, 'Black Jesus.' "
Photos via Lil' Wayne's Instagram