Nas - Hate Me Now (feat. Puff Daddy) (DIRECT – COLLECTION)

The song’s legacy is inseparable from its Hype Williams-directed music video. The visual features Nas in a crown of thorns, literally dragging a cross through the streets to his own crucifixion—a metaphor for the "persecution" he felt from critics.

Nas intentionally recruited Puff Daddy for the track, seeking the same high-energy "sh-t talk" Puffy had delivered on "Victory". While Puff Daddy does not provide a traditional rap verse, his ad-libs and presence on the hook crystallized the song's theme of unapologetic success in the face of jealousy. The Crucifixion Controversy Nas - Hate Me Now (feat. Puff Daddy)

Produced by D-Moet and the Trackmasters, the song is built upon a dramatic, operatic sample of "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana . Interestingly, the beat was originally intended for Foxy Brown, who passed on it before Nas recognized its potential as a "statement record". The song’s legacy is inseparable from its Hype