Will Nas sign with Roc Nation?

Nas’ deal with Def Jam is up. When he first signed with Def Jam, he signed a one-album deal with an option for two more. In 2008, he released Untitled for Def Jam and he is preparing to release a collaboration album, Distant Relatives, with Damian Marley.

The climate at Def Jam has been changing ever since Nas first joined the critically-acclaimed label. The label shifted from mainly New York rappers to Southern rappers and R&B songs. Also, the Def Jam roster is steadily dwindling.

In 2008, Jay-Z packed his bags and he departed earlier this year for his new label, Roc Nation distributed by Sony. For years, Nas recorded for Sony through Columbia Records. The only reason that Nas signed to Def Jam was because of his friendship with Jay-Z. At the time, he was also the CEO of the label, so he oversaw Nas’ Hip Hop Is Dead release and made sure it was properly promoted.

In 2007, Jay-Z stepped down in favor of creating the Roc Nation super-label. As a result, Nas’ 2008 album was not promoted very much by Def Jam. Jay-Z has been hard at work building the new label’s roster, his first album will be the label’s first release. The label has no other big-name star besides Jay, but he did the Sony deal to move Beyonce over easier. Adding Nas would truly make Roc Nation a super-label and with an expiring contract and a multi-million dollar deal, Nas may sign with the label.