The same night Nas performed “Nas Is Like” and “If I Ruled The World” alongside his Firm collaborator Dr. Dre and Ruffhouse Records label-mates Cypress Hill, he was honored by VIBE. The same magazine that brought Nasir and J. Cole together for a powerful cover-story in 2013, had the Roc Nation sensation deliver a speech on Nas’ impact.

Cole speaks freely, for over 12 minutes, including some words read from a piece of paper on what Nas means to him. As Cole highlights his three pillars of rapping: Introspection, Storytelling, Lyricism, he also admits that as a childhood Tupac fan, he first dismissed Nas in the mid-1990s. Then, the gold-selling artist highlights the powerful metaphor of It Was Written’s “I Gave You Power,” and how it changed his opinion on the Queensbridge icon, forcing him to buy Nas’ catalog.

Along the way, Cole throws some shots at the Grammy Awards voting committees, for not nominating his Born Sinner properly, and how if not for an opportunity to honor the man sitting in front of him, he would not be in L.A. this weekend:

Does Cole’s speech resonate with your relationship to Hip-Hop? How does this add to the “Let Nas Down” storyline saga?

Related: J. Cole & Nas Interviewed Together In New VIBE