By Zachary Swickey

Rap icon Nas is one of the only hip-hop stars who had the honor of collaborating with Amy Winehouse before her unexpected death earlier this year, and he now recalls the experience as “bittersweet.”

Amy Winehouse’s (first and likely only) posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, was released earlier this month and features their joint-track, “Like Smoke.” During a video interview with World Star Hip Hop, Nas states that he was pleased with how the song came out, but that it serves as a poignant reminder of her death.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling to do something with her now that she’s not here. I’m happy… the sweet part is that we have the music, fans have new music from her,” he explained. “It’s new because they’ve never heard it. The bitter part is that she’s no longer here to really give it to us and to really live her music and for us to see her smile and hear her voice,” he continued.

The rapper also recalls his fond memories of hanging with the songstress in the studio, saying, “She was hilarious, man. She would make you laugh. To her, music came so easy. To everyone else, I guess around her, I don’t know this but I’m assuming that they wanted her to put out a new record.”

Nas also couldn’t help but see a bit of himself in Winehouse. “She can’t just give you a record because the fans want it, she’s hot or it’s not going to sell records. That’s not her style. She was so nonchalant about it that it reminded me of myself,” he stated.

Related:
>>> Amy Winehouse: We Bid Farewell To A Titanic Talent In 2011

By James Dinh

It’s almost been five years since the release of the Amy Winehouse’s much loved, Grammy-winning album Back to Black. Winehouse dropped the album in late-October 2006 and we’re still learning tidbits about the 11-track collection that earned the late songstress worldwide superstardom. Songs like “Rehab,” “You Know I'm No Good” and “Back to Black” captivated fans across the world with Winehouse’s blend of retro soul, contemporary R&B and husky vocals, but it was another tune on the LP, “Me & Mr. Jones,” that allured a particular listener: Nas.

One of the many album standouts, “Me & Mr. Jones” follows the late British singer’s tale of a fallen relationship as she sways back in forth defending and disregarding her lover. “I could swear that we were through,” she sings, before irresistibly confessing, “Nobody stands in between me and my man 'cause it's me and Mr. Jones.” Even with subtle hints tossed throughout the Salaam Remi-produced song, there never was confirmation as to the identity of Winehouse’s mystery Mr. Jones until today.

In between prep for his tentatively titled Life Is Good album, Nasir Jones spoke to XXL about how he learned he was the inspiration behind the retro-sounding tune long before it hit airwaves. “I don’t really remember if Salaam, who was really close to her, who introduced us, if he told me about it or not,” the MC admitted. “I don’t remember right now. But, I heard a lot about it before I even heard the song.”

And there you have it, folks. One of the many secrets behind the singer’s classic songs has been unveiled, but while we wait for even more posthumous material to drop, relive Winehouse and give Back to Black another spin.

There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't necessarily get addressed in our Newsroom blog. Here's a look at some top stories making headlines today.

It's Grammy time, and here are our predictions for the winners! (Hint: We're betting heavily on Coldplay.) Also, could M.I.A., Leona Lewis, Rihanna and other female artists up for awards turn the Grammys into ladies' night?

Is Nas' message stronger than his music? We listen to the controversy surrounding the rapper's Untitled, up for a Best Rap Album Grammy.

Day26 clue us in to the mood of their new album — sexy! — and to their dream-team collaborators: "Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T.I., Jeezy, Luda, T-Pain ... we want to work with you."

John Carpenter is back in the director's seat: We hear that the "Halloween" mastermind is set to direct "The Ward," starring Amber Heard, who plays a woman trapped in a haunted mental institution.

"I'm currently on tour in Europe with Nas and we were at dinner last night talking about how crazy it is that we're not in the states on Election Day," Lantern wrote in an e-mail. "Someone quoted his verse from 'Black President,' when he said 'What's the Black Prez thinkin' on Election Night?' And Nas said, 'Set up the mic — I'm gonna speak on that.' And the result is 'Election Night.' "

Continue reading the story behind Nas' new song "Election Night."

The Snowman recruited Nas for the last verse to give the song a steroid-like boost. One of my favorite lines from Nas? "She ain't a politician/ Honey's a pole-itician." And I have to big-up his reference to Hulk Hogan. Jeezy told us that Nas "went in," and indeed Esco did.

Jeezy comes off as well. And while the record definitely addresses his hopes for Barack Obama, Mr. 17.5 expanded the subject matter, talking about his relationship with UGK and even the rims on his Lambo, among other topics. Bruce Wayne has nothing on him. [In Jeezy's raspy voice] Haaaaahaaaaa!

Read more about the hip-hop community's role in this year's presidential election here.

Hey, Bill O'Reilly says you should watch our show!

Bill is no fan of MTV, and he's certainly no fan of hip-hop. In fact, it's safe to say that O'Reilly has been one of rap's highest-profile critics since the glory days of C. Delores Tucker. Just last night, he was knocking Nas again, calling his new album a flop (Bill, it's #1 on the charts). So we were uh, flattered (shocked? appalled?) when this item crossed the transom ...

See? Even Bill O'Reilly thinks you should check out "Choose Or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" on Monday, July 28, at 10 p.m. (Watch a clip from the show right here.)

By the way, this isn't the first time that MTV and Papa Bear have crossed paths. We actually managed to bring O'Reilly and Diddy together back in '04. "Vote or Die" ... ahh, memories.

A random passerby yells "F--- Rupert Murdoch!"

Nas is on the way.

If the track "Sly Fox" ("Watch what you watchin', Fox keeps feeding us toxins/ Stop sleeping, start thinking") on Untitled didn't already tip you off that the MC isn't a fan, then his position at the front of the pack at a press conference held outside the "fair and balanced" news network's Manhattan headquarters should seal the deal.

At 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, Nas is joining the Web sites ColorOfChange.org and MoveOn.org to deliver a petition with more than 620,000 signatures demanding that the network end what the organizations call a "pattern of racist attacks against black Americans including presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle."

"Fox poisons the country with racist propaganda and tries to call it news," Nas said in a statement. A spokesperson for Fox News could not be reached for comment at press time.

A press release announcing the event accuses the network of an alleged pattern of incidents, which "many believe are a veiled attempt to prey on racism and intolerance and cast the Obamas as 'outsiders,' " citing as evidence an onscreen graphic that referred to the candidate's wife as "Obama's baby mama," a pundit who "confused" Obama with terrorist al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and then joked that both should be "assassinated," and the now-infamous comment by a Fox anchor who described the Obamas' fist bump as a "terrorist fist jab." It also cites an incident in February, when Nas nemesis Bill O'Reilly talked about calling a "lynching party" to deal with Michelle Obama.

"When Fox talks about lynching the woman who may soon be our first lady and then refers to this wife and mother as a 'baby mama,' they are maligning not only the Obamas, but black women and black people across this country," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org in a statement.

With the biggest names in baseball flying into town this week for what will be the last-ever
All-Star Game to be played at New York's legendary Yankee Stadium, we here at MTV News' New York offices have been stricken with baseball fever. It's hard to escape baseball this week. No matter where you turn, there's some sort of reminder that the fastest fielders, the strongest arms and the biggest bats in the game are all here, to ensure home-field advantage for their respective league in the fall classic.

All this baseball in the air got us thinking about music's all-stars — the artists who've shattered sales records this year, produced hit after hit and have been packing out arenas coast to coast. If music had an all-star game, who would we want to see in the dugout? After careful consideration, here are some of our picks — and feel free to let us know who'd go in your team in the comments section below. So, here goes.

Disturbed: With their new album, Indestructible, topping Billboard's albums sales chart last month, selling 252,800 copies its first week of release, there's no denying Disturbed are some of rock's heaviest hitters. Over the course of their career, they've sold millions of records and have seen three of their records debut at #1. With that kind of consistency, Disturbed might be a solid starting pitcher for our all-star team, and with them co-headlining the inaugural RockStar Mayhem Festival with Slipknot this summer, there's no question they're big draws. Plus, frontman David Draiman does a wicked impression of late baseball announcer Harry Carey, which is kind of awesome.

Katy Perry: In three short weeks, Perry has gone from unknown to flavor of the month, and her debut LP, One of the Boys, has sold nearly 115,000 copies, mostly on the strength of her infectious summer hit, "I Kissed a Girl," which is dominating the nation's airwaves. While a rookie, this kid's got some spunk and could be a perfect fit for first base. She'd also be valuable at the plate, because, let's face it — she's a self-proclaimed switch hitter.

Santogold: Andrew Millard's casting his vote for this former lead singer of Philadelphia-based ska-punk outfit Stiffed. After spending nearly seven years in the minors writing music for Res, Lily Allen and Ashley Simpson, Santogold finally earned a call up to the "Show" when she released her eponymous debut album back in April. Though this Cracker Jack's indie-rock/electronic-dub sound seemed straight out of right field, it scored big with some industry Hall of Famers (Rolling Stone gave her four out of five stars). Not only can she come through with hits, but she can pitch, too. Singles "Creator" and "Lights Out" got major playing time in Bud Light commercials — what's more American than that? And most recently, she teamed up with Pharrell of the Neptunes and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes to record "My Drive Thru," a tune performed for team Converse.

Girl Talk: Could he be the perfect head coach for our team? John Ochoa thinks so. "Compare his music to any release of the year, and you'll see that his broad knowledge and embrace of musical genres and influences will drive the team's overall offense (sound)," Ochoa explained. "Plus, he's perfect party music for the halftime show."

Spencer Krug: Between Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, Spencer's been responsible for at least one of the top 10 albums of the year (in Matt Harper's humble opinion), for the past four years, his most recent being Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer. Talk about consistency. How many musicians can say that they front two bands that are both amazing? With his versatility and speed (his two bands aside, he also finds time to work with side-projects Swan Lake, Frog Eyes and Fifths of Seven), perhaps Krug would be an ideal outfielder and lead-off hitter.

Lil Wayne: The man comes through in a clutch. When you need a single, you can always count on Weezy, and he's music's MVP right now. The ultimate team player, sparking every guest appearance he's on (and there a million of them) like a ninth-inning rally, and at the plate, he took out the park with a mammoth shot called Tha Carter III. He's your slugging third baseman, makes the entire infield better and is a Barry-Bonds-in-his-prime threat to go deep every time at the plate.

T-Pain: According to our hip-hop editor, Shaheem Reid, T-Pain is "my Derek Jeter." Like Jeets, Pain would make any team better, à la his guest appearances. Also, like Jeter, when he does his thing on his own (solo LP and singles), his stats aren't monster, but mostly above average and formidable.

The Ting Tings' Katie White: Aside from her fun, poppy indie-rock creations, some of us feel she could probably win in a fistfight. That winning spirit could come through big for our team when the chips are down. Plus, she can do backflips. With that kind of athleticism and spring in her step, she'd be dangerous at the warning track, climbing the outfield wall and pulling those deep shots back into the park.

Slipknot: If White can't handle the yard, Slipknot certainly could. Not only do these guys have egos bigger than Steinbrenner, there are so many of them, we could stick all nine guys out there, and nothing would get by them — although they may lose some pop-ups if they insist on wearing those masks on the field. Unfortunately, we'd have to relegate all of their fans to the bleachers — don't want them ruining the game for everyone else.

Nas: Rahman Dukes' pick for our team. According to Rahman, the veteran Queens native "releases the best hip-hop album of 2008 (sorry Lil Weezy), arguably the best in his 10-plus-year career, so it's only fitting Esco represents the East Coast rap squad, which this year has seen OK releases from G-Unit, Prodigy and Fat Joe." Because his album's called Untitled, the verdict's out on his exact position. But Rahman thinks "he'd be a great umpire, only because Nas calls the shots."

Mariah Carey: Our resident Mariah fanatic Kristin Grimmett thinks Mrs. Cannon would provide a nice boost to our all-star squad, because of her sales prowess and her five-octave range. She's one of music's best comeback stories and, unlike Jason Giambi, she didn't have to cultivate a mustache to turn her career around. And don't be fooled by the fact that she couldn't even reach the plate when she tossed out the first pitch during a major-league game in Japan a few months back — when the pressure's on, Mariah steps up her game and could prove a valuable asset for our team. But, of course, there are no bikinis in baseball, so perhaps Mariah would be best suited as a bench coach.

Amy Winehouse: Gil Kaufman's pick for our fantasy team is Wino, "because her antics — from the alleged drug snorting in videos to the emphysema diagnosis, fan-punching and banana-sandwich diet — are like the drama of an extra-inning World Series game seven between the Yankees and the Red Sox, multiplied by a seventh-inning stretch featuring a slow tango by A-Rod and Madonna across home plate ... times two." Assuming she wouldn't have the strength to actually stand for an entire inning, let's make Amy our designated hitter. After all, you can't really rely on her to show up to play her position, and it's hard to balance a smoke, a highball and a mitt when trying to catch a pop fly.

Now, you go. Who's on your all-star music team?