In 2017, Lonzo Ball caused an uproar after he said, "Don't nobody listen to Nas anymore." Instead of backing down to all the criticism he received, though, he decided to double down on his comments. "Ain't nobody bumping Nas no more, no disrespect to him," he added. "He had his time."
On Monday (Sept. 2), he once again revisited his opinion of the Illmatic rapper during an interview with Big Boy. "I got no problem with Nas," he said at the 15:20 point of the interview above. "I think he's good, you know. ... He's obviously a legend, but I just don't think his music is like that."
The 21-year-old continued, "I think his music back then was like that, but I listen to it now... I'm not playing it. None of my friends are playing it."
When he was met with pushback from Big Boy, Ball challenged the radio host to answer a question. "But let's really get into this, how many classic projects does he have? Honestly, 'cause people be saying he's top five," he said. Ball insisted Illmatic is the only classic that Nas has released, which isn't an uncommon belief among some rap historians. "Future put out nine projects in a row that's all hits," he said. "Dirty Sprite 2 is one of the best albums ever. 56 Nights one of the best mixtapes ever."
As to be expected, his comments have caused fans to get heated once again. Many were quick to shut down the suggestion that Future is even in the same league as Nas, while plenty others agreed with the consensus that Illmatic is Nas' only classic.
It's unlikely this will be the last time Ball will be asked about Nas. Recently, the New Orleans Pelicans player denied rumors that he dissed his former basketball home, the Los Angeles Lakers. "I’m not dissing anybody, I loved my time in L.A.," he said after people took a line in one of his songs as a jab against the team. "I use my music as an outlet to express things that happen in my life."
