Nas accepts the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame Inductee award at Billboard's 2023 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players.
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00:00 I'm starting to win awards in my third prime.
00:05 I never won awards in the 90s.
00:09 First of all, I want to say thank you Billboard
00:12 before I get into all of that.
00:14 Thank you Billboard.
00:16 This is cool.
00:19 49 years old, I'm about to turn 50 along with hip hop, man.
00:27 And I'm starting to see awards too.
00:30 I didn't get into it for awards.
00:33 We got into it because we love the art form.
00:37 The art form has been vampired and sent through
00:42 all kinds of shit that keep the pioneers
00:46 from touching anything.
00:48 50 years of hip hop.
00:51 We have a concert in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
00:55 this Friday.
00:57 (audience cheering)
00:57 Yeah.
00:59 50 years of hip hop saluting some of the pioneers
01:03 who inspired me since the cassette tapes was out,
01:08 since DJ Mr. Magic started rap radio,
01:12 since Marley Mall and Red Alert made us record
01:17 mixed tapes of our own when this shit was underground.
01:22 From seeing it from back then,
01:24 I'm just so honored to still be alive,
01:27 to see it be 50 years as a fan, y'all.
01:31 So I want to thank you all for getting awards at 49, nigga.
01:36 (audience cheering)
01:40 Not when I was 29.
01:44 Y'all motherfuckers was cheap.
01:46 But I appreciate you.
01:50 You know, I ain't gonna lie.
01:51 I stayed away from award shows back then.
01:54 I thought that shit was the devil.
01:56 I ain't gonna lie.
01:57 But it ain't.
01:58 You make it what it is.
02:00 So salute to Larry Jackson for what he said tonight.
02:04 Yeah.
02:05 Salute to Ice Spice.
02:07 Salute to my brother, Lil Wayne, L.A. Reid, the Chief.
02:12 Thank you to my management, my man, Anthony Saleh,
02:15 who's out there with the gray ponytail.
02:18 He's stressed out.
02:20 My man, G-Code, looking like Trench from Jason's Lyric.
02:24 And my daughter, Destiny, my cousin, Yara, and Saeed.
02:29 Thank you, Annie, Massapill.
02:31 Thank you to all of y'all here, man.
02:33 God bless you.
02:34 I love you.
02:35 This shit is fun.
02:35 I'm having fun.
02:36 My 50th year.
02:38 Hip-hop's 50th year.
02:39 What's better?
02:40 I love you.
02:41 [applause]
02:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]