A rumour which has plagued American songwriter, rapper and actor Nas (Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones) for over a decade — that he secretly wrote Will Smith‘s 1998 hit Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It — has been debunked by the man himself in a recent AMA.
In today’s Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session with Nas, the rapper has played the role of hip-hop mythbuster, clearing up the confusion and revealing that Smith did indeed write the song, except for maybe “a line or two”.
“Alright, let’s clear this up once and for all,” Nas said, after a fan asked him how he allegedly ended up ghostwriting for Smith on the track. “I hung out with Will in the studio. And watched him write it,” he said.
“It was a fun studio session, and I said a line or two or three to him,” he continued. “It wasn’t that serious. Will Smith wrote that song. But seriously, I watched him have fun making that record on his own, and Will is a true MC.”
So that clears that up, then. Other interesting tidbits from Nas’ AMA included his discussion of the most vivid fan memories he holds. He revealed that, “At least once a year, a fan will tell me that one of my albums helped them find a reason to not commit suicide and to go on. That’s powerful. I’m humbled. And it scares the shit out of me too.”
And, in case you were wondering, Nas’ favourite video game is Miss Pac Man (“I got the old big arcade game in the crib,” he cheerfully boasts), and there are no Nas & Kanye collaborations currently in the pipeline.
Watch: Will Smith – Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It
