Nearly two decades after declaring “Hip Hop Is Dead,” rap icon Nas is giving credit where it’s due. In a recent reflection, he praised artists like Kendrick Lamar and Clipse for reigniting the energy and creativity that continues to drive the culture forward.

In a recent interview with Complex, Nas specifically pointed to Kendrick Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us” and his chart-topping album GNX as major forces in Hip-Hop’s current resurgence.

He also saluted Clipse the duo of Pusha T and No Malice for their long-awaited comeback album, Let God Sort Em Out, their first in 16 years. Both albums have sparked major excitement across the industry and are already being mentioned as front-runners for Best Rap Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards. 🏆

Beyond the headlines, Nas took a moment to recognize the next generation of MCs and the rise of female artists shaping Hip-Hop’s sound and direction. He says their influence proves the genre is far from stagnant.

Even with ongoing challenges like ignorance and violence, Nas believes the culture remains balanced and thriving. What started as a movement in the Bronx, he says, continues to evolve, inspire, and reinvent itself.

In 2006, Nas’s album Hip Hop Is Dead sparked heated debates about the genre’s direction. Now, nearly twenty years later, he’s celebrating its rebirth — proof that Hip-Hop never really dies, it just reinvents itself.