Rocked By Slave Roots: Nasir Jones Joins Mission To Save Hip Hop Roots & Culture!

Nasir Jones Roots

Step aside, Questlove! Get out the way, Troubleman! BROTHER NASIR JONES just MADE HSK RECOGNIZE his ‘Paid In Full’ efforts to save OUR ROOTS and CULTURE. It may have taken the ultimate throwback for his comeback “to further the cause of education and knowledge”… but Nas has proven himself to be a Black Man who’s returned with a vengeance.

“With the introduction of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship, we will continue to be the leading resource for those interested in knowing, developing, building, maintaining, and representing Hiphop.” ~Marcyliena Morgan, Harvard professor of African & African American Studies and founder & director of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute

Could Nas have been cured of ‘cultural amnesia’? According to Harvard University scholar, author and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr. that could be the case. Know why? The Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship was recently born shortly after his participation in Gates’ “Finding Your Roots”, which led the Queensbridge lyricist to face the image of the slave-master who his ancestors answered to… and the 1859 ‘Bill of Sale’ that landed him ownership of Nas’ blood relatives.

“Gates shows us how much gets lost when people don’t talk about the past. Nas and Gates use Finding Your Roots (debuting Sept. 23.) to take a look back… both men are also actively involved in building Hip Hop culture’s future. The Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship is a key part of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard’s Du Bois Institute.”

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Here is what’s out there:

“When Nas became the first rapper invited to trace his family tree through the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” he welcomed the opportunity. But it hit him hard when he saw an 1859 documentation of an ancestor being sold as a slave, he said during a panel discussion Wednesday.

“First I was enraged when I looked at the bill of sale. I was like, that guy that owned property owes me some cash. My people made him really wealthy, so maybe I should find his family and talk.”

The unearthed information made him think about his ancestors’ contribution to America, he said, “and now I’m on a mission to find out more.”

Check out what Harvard University scholar, author and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr. had to say about Nas:

“Nas is a true visionary, and he consistently shows how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge. The work of the Du Bois Institute is enriched by the addition of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship.”

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51 COMMENTS

  1. I remember 50cent and his aunt did something like this for vh1 a few yrs ago and went to the plantation where his family was slaves and the relative of the slave owner actually ask 50 would he play the piano for him

        • Oh no. 50 was very offended and uncomfortable. I think the guy (slaveowners descendant who still lives on family’s plantation) asked him to stay. He didn’t even want to be in the house his ancestor slaved in.

          I would have at least tried to step in my ancestors shoes. It would give me perspective. 50 was so self focused he couldn’t get what he needed out of the experience.

  2. One down and how many of these sellouts we need to drill into their minds about where they came from? I am proud of Nasir! I have my roots traced back from my mom’s side. Boy oh boy I was shocked! My Dad side was even crazier!

  3. AND THESE SELL OUTS WILL FURTHER ROCK US BY MORE SLAVERY FUK ALL 3 ,..AND SLAVE MINDED PPL ,.. DU BOIS WAS THE NIGGA WHO WAS WORKING LIKE A JAY ELECTRONIC WAS A IMPLANT FOR THE ROTHCHILDS HE WAS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A MARGARET SANGER WHO FOUNDED OR STARTED EUGENICS AND THE TUSKEEGEE EXPERIMENT ON OUR AND HIS OWN, HE EVEN RECRUITED HIMSELF ,.. HE DID EVERYTHING TO KILL HE MARCUS GARVEY MOVEMENT EVEN CALLED HIM A BLK APE !
    WE ALL KNOW NAS AND THAT MK ULTRA MIND STATE THEY HAD HIM IN,.. WEARING THAT BY- WORD NIGGER LIKE IT WAS SAYING JE-ZEUS SAVES ,…HE TALK WORSE THAN BEYSUS LIKE A TALKING TO A 9 YR OLD KID …THAT SELL -OUT GATES WE WATCHED HOW HE GOT HIS PUNK AZZ WHIPPED BY A WHITE COP IN HIS OWN ALL EXCLUSIVELY WHITE HOOD,CALLED HIS MONKEY FRIEND IN OFFICE AND THE 3 ALL SQUASHED THAT MATTER OVER BEER NUTS AND STROHS BEER ,..YOU MUST LEARN CUZ NEITHER GONNA REALLY TEACH YOUR BLK AZZ ANYTHING !
    BUT …OBEY MASSA!

  4. AND NAS SLEPT WITH AMY WINEHOUSE AND 50 SLEPT WITH HIS SHARE OF WHITE GIRLS AS WELL.

    • Whoa! Hey! Hold on guy. Nobody said they were gonna stop sleeping with white girls. Lol.

  5. All black men, especially in the NBA, NFL, Rap, street pharmacists, need to take this court. We abandon our own when we make it and wonder why other races do not respect us. Shambles.

  6. All families should do this. At a recent family reunion my family went back using ancestry.com to find out roots. We found that our ancestors were owned by a family named Bellamy in the Wilmington North Carolina area. What’s more interesting is to actually go to that area now and see all the quote historic buildings that are named after this Bellamy family. Buildings that were obviously built by my ancestors that my family has no claim to but that are now considered historic worth millions of dollars.
    #40acres&mule

    • Damn, that would piss me off! Was it hard to do?? I can probably only go back a couple generations…

  7. Nas Is A Sellout Smashing 2 White Women!!

    Spike Lee Traced His Roots And He Found Out He’s Got A White Cousin!!!

    • Hes not a sellout hes a man with a penis gtfo the term sellout is way over used by people

      • @Anonymous

        Read Other People’s Comments I’m Not The Only One Who’s Calling Him A Sellout So Get Your Facts Straight!!

      • Nas is one the clowns who gave that Paltrow sp? witch the ok to use the n word ie nword’s in Paris.

        But y’all forgot that and other bs Nas wanted to do like name a cd nword.

        Soon y’all will forget we were slaves and racism.

        People like y’all are why our people are looked upon as fools,sad.

        This is at everyone impressed with this SELLOUT esp anonymous 316.

        • And im not impressed with your dumbass attempt at a read…its people like you that make people like you sound ignorant…so f*ck your opinion and kiss my ass

  8. Isn’t Nas still signed to Jay-Z? Nas isn’t part of the solution, he is part of the problem! He is owned just like the rest of the popular rappers! I lost all respect for him and Common!

  9. Only rappers I respect is Chuck D, Immortal Technique and Chino XL and E-40. The rest of them; FUCK ‘EM!

  10. This is a ploy to get Blacks to focus on slavery and White people while Blacks are getting run out of the country by Hispanics.

    • And keep stirring the pot for the race war.
      When will Americans of all races realize we’re all screwed in the end?

    • You make some interesting points. I do believe we are all being manipulated for race war or serious civil unrest, so that the government can initiate Marshall Law and start to conduct the real business these past two(and probably all) decades have been about

  11. Professor Gates Docu-Series Is Must See TV…No Doubt! This is a feel good story, compared to most of the waste that comes from entertainment nowadays.

  12. HENRY LOUIS GATES is BOULE do not trust him he is apart of the problem. He is a proven liar. fraud and house negro do your own research because this will do nothing but delude the truth.

  13. The sad thing is that Nas’ ancestors were forced into slavery, while Nas is a WILLING slave as an
    illuminati puppet.

    • Newsflash… Nigga we r all slaves in
      One way or the other!
      Debt slaves!
      Slaves to the almighty dollar

      • Slaves to the almighty dollar that has zero redeeming value when the smoke clears and its all just printed bullshit!!Gold and Silver has more value to that American green piece of printed paper that our people are selling each other out and killing over.

        • Actually they regulate the price of gold and silver to and silver is extremely cheap right now, not to.mention you have to have ALOT for it to be worth cashing in….and lastly if shit hits the fan people wont give a damn about gold because you cant eat it or wipe your ass with it, little things we take for granted will be more valuable than anything…think of that movie the book of Eli when they were trading toilet paper and chapstick

  14. If you pull up a Slave Auction block it clearly says “Negroes For Sale”Not African and damn sure not African American for sale.Why black Americans think that they’re stink African hamites is beyond me.We are the Israelites and that why the devil changes our identity every 12 years to confuse you.Wake up Israel.

    • [Raising my hand]

      We get a new name every 12 years? Whats the story behind that?

      [Grabs a notepad and pen and waits]

      • We get a new identity every 12years once again is a diversion to keep us from awakening to our true identity and true knowledge of self.The whiteman cannot have a society or rule over us if we ever awaken or realize that we’re gods chosen people The Hebrew Israelites/ The Real Joos and the descendants of the greats that wrote the bible.Its called Divide and Conquer.

        • @TheReal Just_Joi Keep in mind of how many times our name have changed and its interesting to me that in the 80’s we were never referred to as Africans. That started in the late 90’s.We were once called colored,Negroes,Black,Afro Americans,than African Americans.No group of people in the history of the world name has changed as much as our.That’s because someone is hiding something from us and I know exactly what it is.We are Gods people and you black women are the Daughters Of Zion not Africans.

  15. that guy that owned property owes me some cash… lol THAT was your first thought?

    So even the most intelligent Hip-Hopper suffers from serious lack of focus. If you get cash does that all of a sudden clear things up?

  16. How is Dave Chappell a sellout? ?
    He isn’t working is he? All I ever see is old standup and interviews..

  17. He’s not. He trying to work the system. His family has always come first. Who figured the halfbaked guy would one day be shining light of integrity in hollweird.

    • According to black people every successful black entertainer is a sellout (rolls eyes)

  18. Nas has turned out to be a complete joke.I remember some years back he was on his tour bus and I’m assuming his pockets were alittle deeper Coors called him for a endorsement and he turned them down saying he refuses to be used to get a kid to drink a beer.Now fast forward to today,and what is he doing?Endorsing Hennessey. I guess,after Kelis burned a hole in his wallet his mindset changed.

  19. Boring story, it must be a slow gossip day on HSK. There is still no new interesting gossip or story for a few days now.

  20. When I traced my family roots,I had to stop, because I work with the ancestors of slave owners who stole everything from my family.
    The research has made me angry and it’s to the point of me not talking to these european/french/german/irish/ mixed assholes only on and as needed basis!
    For the record, Black Americans began Jamestown and their servants were whites!

  21. Damn white privilege even beyond the grave. Why are people so fixated on their their slave owning ancestors who only comprise a drop of the ocean of their DNA of thousands of ancestors? Rarely are people adamant on further research for their Asian or East Indian and African ancestry.

    Folks will sift through countless county records, library microfische or online databases to research masters relatives and research bring life to the stories of those unknowns who didn’t who were voiceless. Those stories need to be told. It’s also a fallacy that most black mixtures came from rape. Many came from the poor whites alliance(whites preceded blacks on the plantation), chinese and east indian “coolies” laborers, who were beacon of hope for cheap labor after the Civil War until they made plantation owners draft contracts often suing and winning suits in court and blacks remain ignorant of law and heritage went from the plantation to the chain gang to the prison industrial complex.

    Seems like people Harlem Shake when they find a white relative at some lost inheritance or a last hope that their progeny will pick up babyhair.

    Good reads:

    Government and early labor in America – Richard Morris (best research on white slaves, servants and English law)

    Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone – Eduardo Galeano(poetic non-fiction)

  22. I really had high hopes for nas when I first heard him back in the day. Illmatic was funky without g funk. He had a style with premo on the beats. Smooth gutter funk. He could of have been a chuck d kinda reality front man. He went Escobar. Not many as nice as nas on the mic. Wish he kept it really real tho. Never to late bro.

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