 For the album , Nas wanted the production to complement his lyrics ' nostalgic themes with 1980s hip hop influences . He primarily worked with hip hop producers No I.D. and Salaam Remi , a frequent collaborator of Nas . Remi said that he wanted his production " to be something that a mumble @-@ mouth rapper can ’ t rap on . You better have something to say and be speaking up . " Along with producer Swizz Beatz , No I.D. and Nas related to the latter 's lyrics concerning divorce during the recording sessions . During the sessions , Nas recorded the song " No Such Thing as White Jesus " with singer Frank Ocean and producer Hit Boy , who misplaced the track while sorting through music he had produced for Jay @-@ Z and Kanye West 's album Watch the Throne ( 2011 ) . Although he later recovered it , the song was not included on Life Is Good . 
