When Nas and Jay-Z set aside their feud and joined forces last October, it was a great moment for hip-hop, but an even greater moment for Nas. Having been Columbia's staple rap artist for more than a decade, the acclaimed yet commercially unreliable MC seemed poised to reap the benefits of Def Jam's hip-hop savvy.

But then Def Jam chief Jay-Z emerged from retirement with Kingdom Come, which sold 680,000 units in its opening week last month--the rapper's biggest sales frame ever.

Concerns have risen that the heavily hyped Kingdom Come could put a damper on Nas' equally anticipated Def Jam debut Hip-Hop Is Dead . . . The N, due December 19. But while labelmates Method Man and LL Cool J have publicly decried Jay-Z's apparent preferential treatment, Nas has no gripes.

"This was the plan," the native New Yorker says. "All the things that are happening are what me and Jay said would happen. A lot of people are coming down on him, but people just need to get used to rappers in these [executive] positions."

The deal took shape after the once sworn enemies ended their longtime rivalry at WWPR (Power 105.1) New York's Power House concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Three months later, Nas signed a four-album deal with Def Jam, and Island Def Jam and Sony Music are serving as financial partners for the first two discs. The labels share marketing duties, while Def Jam provides promotion and distribution.

"The basic reason that me and Jay came together, besides a respect for each other, is because it felt like it was needed," Nas says. "A lot of elements of the game are dead."

Unlike his label chief and labelmate, Nas has no six-shows-in-one-day tricks up his sleeves, but perhaps his lack of promotional vigor has affected his sales. His seven studio albums have sold a combined 11.4 million units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the most recent of which, 2004's Street's Disciple, has shifted 700,000. But many of them have come and gone with little fanfare.

"Some of my earlier albums could have sold more," he says. "If I was at a label that was more hip-hop oriented, like Interscope or Def Jam, I would've sold double what I sold, but at the same time, I definitely am still happy with what I sold."

On the new album Nas reflects on the demise of lyricism and passion in hip-hop--once-treasured ideals that he thinks many MCs have lost track of. The set is anything but subtle, as the poetic rapper reflects atop tunes crafted by producers like Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West ("Still Dreamin'") and Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am ("Can't Forget About You" featuring Chrisette Michelle).

"Hip-hop has taken on so many different meanings that we kind of got lost," Nas says. "'Hip-Hop Is Dead' is a happy moment for us to reassess everything."

Assisting Nas are guest rappers like the Game ("QB True G"), Snoop Dogg ("Play On Playa"), and, of course, Jay-Z ("Black Republican"). The Jay-Z track was an unplanned collaboration produced by Nas' frequent collaborator L.E.S. On the Will.i.am-helmed lead single/title track, Nas rhymes, "Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game/Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business." Though these musings are characteristic of the rapper, the song has received considerably more airplay than some of his previous singles. It is currently No. 48 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart."

"This is more radio visibility than he's ever had, but we just don't nest our eggs in the radio basket," Def Jam marketing executive Tracey Waples says. "We knew we could reach people alternatively, so we [also] did a lot of exclusive, low-key listening sessions for key influencers."

Following a four-year touring hiatus (he opened for Usher in 2002), Nas will hit the road next year in the United States, followed by his first international outing. "I've never gone global with it," he says. "It's not fair to so many people in Africa and Australia, all these different places, not to go there where I get so many requests."