BY AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON
MUSIC
AS A PERSON WHO LOVES HISTORY, I’M one of those people who can spot a historical moment as it’s happening—both as a participant and as an outside viewer. So, to be two years older than what we consider to be the birth of hip-hop, and to grow up with it like a sibling, is a fortunate feeling because I got to witness a lot of firsts. Sometimes, this shifting of paradigms was to the benefit of hip-hop and sometimes, unfortunately, to its detriment. But nothing could’ve prepared me for the moment when hip-hop, as I knew it, changed forever: the 1995 Source Awards.
The ’95 Source Awards was a funeral in hip-hop’s history, and I don’t say that in hindsight. I knew it walking into the Paramount Theatre in New York City on Aug. 3, 1995, and I knew it running away. And when I say running, I’m not exaggerating. I was running for my life—it felt like the creative version of Apocalypse Now.
In 1992, Dr. Dre released The Chronic, and what made that album notable was that it signaled the first push toward the rock-star lifestyle in hip-hop. While not blatantly representing opulence, The Chronic was the blueprint that Sean “Diddy” Combs listened to and made the new standard. In the people’s eyes, it was the first album by a credible producer and M.C. that didn’t have to pander to a safe, we-come-in-peace formula that your grandma was singing to. The album put big numbers on the board and dominated MTV, and once New York saw that this was the golden ticket, suddenly everyone fell in line. Art was one thing, but survival became more important—and by any means necessary.
THAT WAS THE MENTALITY with which everyone was walking into the Paramount Theater in ’95. The first person I noticed was Nas, who was making his way to a seat four rows ahead of me. The big question of the night was who was going to win Rap Album of the Year: Illmatic by Nas or Ready to Die by the Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie? Having received a rare five-mic rating from the Source for Illmatic, Nas was the gold standard. It seemed like it could’ve been his night. But the momentum that Biggie had since his album came out was undeniable, and as he began to sweep one award after the next, Nas sank lower and lower into his seat.
By the end of the night, I knew that Nas was going to throw away everything, and do
