Why Nas felt conflicted about finally winning his first Grammy
In a 2021 i-D interview resurfaced by VICE, Nas said he almost felt like he was abandoning fellow hip-hop legends who never won Grammys when he finally took Best Rap Album for King's Disease. The Queens rapper said he took pride in the no-Grammy club, even as he celebrated the honor. That candid admission helps explain why Nas's first Grammy win felt bittersweet rather than purely triumphant for one of rap's most respected voices.
Key Takeaways
- Nas told i-D in 2021 that winning felt like leaving a club of legendary artists who never received Grammy awards.
- He won Best Rap Album for King's Disease at the 63rd Grammy Awards after years of nominations dating back to 1997.
- Nas argued that icons like Biggie and Tupac remain bigger than any Recording Academy honor.
- Nas and DJ Premier were nominated for Best Group at the 2026 BET Awards on June 28.
- The 2026 BET Awards aired live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET.
Why did Nas feel conflicted about winning his first Grammy?
According to VICE, Nas opened up to i-D magazine in 2021 about the uneasy feeling that followed his long-awaited Grammy victory. He said he almost felt like he was abandoning all the artists he stood with who had never received awards. He called that no-award, no-Grammy club a cool group to belong to and said he took pride in it.
Nas also told i-D he was trying not to feel bad about being happy. The tension between celebration and loyalty to peers who were snubbed for decades sits at the heart of the story. For fans tracking how culture and recognition collide, more coverage lives in our Future Tech & AI Wonders section.
What happened when Nas finally won at the 2021 Grammys?
VICE notes that Nas had been nominated for years without winning. Illmatic was not acknowledged at the 1994 Grammys, and If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) earned a Best Rap Solo Performance nomination in 1997 but lost to LL Cool J's Hey Lover. The pattern repeated across categories until 2021.
At the 63rd Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy named King's Disease, his project with Hit-Boy, Best Rap Album. Nas was happy, but the win ended a run that had defined much of his public relationship with mainstream award shows. He still urged artists to keep working regardless of how long recognition takes.
What did Nas say about hip-hop legends who never won?
Nas told i-D he believed Tupac and Biggie would eventually have received Grammys had they lived. Even so, he said they are bigger than awards. That framing mirrors his own view of legacy over trophies.
He added that it does not matter how long you have been around or what people thought. Keep doing what you are doing, he said, and somebody will recognize it. It does not always have to be an award show, but the universe recognizes it.
How does Nas connect to the 2026 BET Awards?
As the 2026 BET Awards returned on Sunday, June 28, Nas remained part of the current awards conversation. Rolling Stone's complete winners list shows Nas and DJ Premier among the nominees in the Best Group category, alongside acts such as Clipse and De La Soul.
BET reported that the show aired live at 8 p.m. ET from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Druski hosting as the youngest emcee in the ceremony's history. Viewers could watch via BET, YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live, and Fubo. For full reporting on Nas's original comments, see the VICE recap of his 2021 i-D interview.