Earlier this week, Nas unveiled the cover art of his upcoming album Life is Good, releasing July 17th. The image shows Esco perched on a black sofa with a green dress draped across his knee, assumed to be that of his ex-wife Kelis. During an interview with Rap-Up.com, the veteran rapper explained the meaning behind the image, stating that he’s exposing his life on the cover.

“Life, love, joy, anger, celebration. There’s so many things you can see on that album cover. You see my life. My life is on that album cover,” he said, noting that he hasn’t heard from Kelis since the image was revealed. “We just put it out, so it’s still way too fresh. [I’ll hear from her] eventually at some point.”

He also explained that the album, which has already spawned the singles “The Don” and “Daughters,” is the product of him wanting to show a side of himself that fans may not have seen.

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“My mindset was to pull out a side of me that people haven’t heard in a while and give ‘em that feeling that they haven’t felt in a while—a feeling that I love. And some of that feeling is ’90s-esque, some of that feeling is 2015. It’s just a feeling that I feel to be a timeless sound. So I just let it flow.”

Read the full interview at Rap-Up.com.

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