I have a forgiving nature and a positive outlook.’

‘Before, I’d say “life’s a b***h and then you die”. ‘If you get caught up in competing with people, it drives you crazy, you lose the soul and spirit of who you are,’ he says. It’s in real time.’ He sounds reflective and occasionally rueful on Life Is Good, yet escapes bitterness a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, from his personal relationships to his former feud with Jay-Z (the duelling rappers made up and Jay-Z signed Nas to the Def Jam label in 2006). ‘I write my lyrics at the same point that things happen in my life. ‘My daughter was 16 and liked a guy the same age but was getting caught up in some bad stuff,’ he says. Relatives have always figured in his work he previously collaborated with his father, blues musician Olu Dara, on Illmatic and 2004 single Bridging The Gap, and dedicated music to his mother on 2002 album God’s Son before addressing a new generation on Daughters (‘They say the coolest playas and foulest heart-breakers in the world/God gets us back, he makes us have precious little girls’). ‘I don’t pay attention to comments or blogs unless they talk about my family.’ ‘This music is my outlet once I’ve said something, it’s recorded and out there,’ explains Nas. Yet such statements feel eloquently controlled, reserved for his tracks rather than the gossip columns.

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