Nas blasts 'racist' talk show host

Rapper Nas has slammed US talk show titan Bill O'Reilly as a "racist" for criticising his appearance at a Virginia Tech memorial concert as insulting to the victims of the April massacre.

The O'Reilly Factor host recently hit out at the decision to allow hip-hop star Nas to perform for free at Thursday's Concert For Virginia Tech.

He said: "Having a rapper who trades in violence perform at Virginia Tech insults the victims, the university and the entire commonwealth."

But a determined Nas, who joined John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band and Phil Vassar at Thursday's concert, insists O'Reilly has his own agenda.

He tells MTV: "He's a racist. Everybody has a marketing plan; his marketing plan is racism. It just shows you what bloodsuckers do - they abuse something like the Virginia Tech (tragedy) for show ratings. You can't talk to a person like that."

And Nas defends his lyrics in songs such as Shoot 'Em Up as realistic.

He adds: "I had a best friend killed, plenty other friends killed. I been through it. I seen it.

"I think that's what makes it important that I come through and show love to those people (at Virginia Tech)."

Thirty-two people were shot dead at the Blacksburg, Virginia university when student Seung-Hui Cho staged a rampage, before killing himself in April.