Nas Loses 'Lost Tapes 2' Forever, "The Timing For It Is Gone"

Rap veteran Nas is leaving eager fans at a loss for words by announcing his decision to scrap the long-awaited Lost Tapes 2 compilation album due to complications with his current record label, Def Jam.

Nas said the follow-up to 2002's compilation project became a lost cause when trying to deal with the powers that be at Def Jam.

"When I released the other Lost Tapes, I was at Sony," Nas explained in an interview. "Being at Sony for so long, I was used to things going easily -- with Def Jam, I'd just gotten there, so I'm still in my Sony ways, like 'Yeah, this record is going to come out this time and I'm going to set up from that. Then a few months later I'm going to drop this ... ' But they're like 'We just started working together so we can do this but wait. Maybe we should do it like this?' I wasn't used to that and then there was no communication at all and I really wasn't used to that -- with Sony, I wasn't used to a lot of communication, we understood what we were doing...We don't have to sit around. With Def Jam, it was more 'Let's sit down and have tea.' I wasn't used to that and it kinda messed up my flow. The timing for [the compilation] is gone, now it's just all about the new record." (MTV)

Last March, Nas said he would drop a new solo album before putting out the compilation of unreleased tracks.

Unfortunately, he says changes to the Def Jam label thwarted his plans to release the album in December of 2010. "I kinda got away from [the album] and I started working on my new album," he explained. "...so maybe Lost Tapes later down the road but the new album first. Who knows, I'm trying to figure it out now." (Hip Hop DX)

In January, Nas hinted at possibly dropping Lost Tapes 2 as a free project.

"Because I kind of lost time, I really wanted to release [the album] in December," Nas explained in an interview reflecting on his aim to drop Lost Tapes 2 last month. "But I'm starting my next album. So I feel like I'll probably give The Lost Tapes as a deluxe, maybe, on the next album for free. I'm trying to figure that out now. It's not safe to say that it's gonna be on Def Jam. You know, news at 11. We coming with the information on that soon." (MTV)

Around late December, the rapper's fans created an online petition against Def Jam hoping to pressure the project's release.

"We the fans of Nasir Jones, have been waiting for the follow-up to the 2002 classic "Lost Tapes". This was a record of compiled tracks that did not make Nas albums, but put together for the sake of the fans. Since its release almost a decade ago, it has received critical acclaim and quickly became a fan favorite. It has come to our attention that Nas has in fact completed the follow-up, titled "Lost Tapes 2", and is waiting for you (Def Jam) to green-light the project and give it a release date. We do not like to go into speculation and rumors, but it seems as though you do not want to release Lost Tapes 2 because you don't want it to count as an official album since Nas only has 2 more albums left to fulfill his contractual obligation to Def Jam." (We Need Lost Tapes 2)