Nas

Stillmatic

Nas back to his roots

Review Score:

(10/10)
After putting out the bonafide rap classic Illmatic in '94, one would think - why on earth would Nas try to cross-over on his next 3 albums? Unfortunately, that was the case with Nas. It Was Written was great, I Am... was decent, and Nastradamus just didn't cut it. I guess all Nas needed was some motivation to get back on track, and all thanks to Jay-Z, Nas put out this 2001 rap classic, Stillmatic.

As you may already know, Jay-Z dissed Nas a lot on his album, The Blueprint, saying that Nas had an average of one hot album per ten years. Obviously, Stillmatic was meant to shut Jay-Z up. After listening to the intro of Stillmatic, you already know this album's hot 'cuz it's the only intro I've heard that's worth listening to. After the intro is "Ether", the infamous Jay-Z diss track, keeping the beef between Jay-Z and Nas alive. The first single, "Got Yourself A..." is a great song where Nas pays homage to 2Pac and Biggie, and the second single, "One Mic" shows Nas still had more heart than any other rapper in the business - it's terrific. "You're Da Man" and "Rewind", both produced by Large Professor are great tracks as well, where in "Rewind", Nas tells a story from end to beginning, truly a fine moment in the album.

But without a doubt, the finest moment in the album is "2nd Childhood." Nas can never go wrong with the type of storytelling he displays here, and it's backed by a signature DJ Premier beat. Other standout tracks include "Destroy & Rebuild" (Nas comes off sounding a bit like Slick Rick here), "The Flyest" featuring AZ, and "Rule", an epic track that sounds a lot like it could very well be If I Ruled the World Part 2.

In the end, Stillmatic is probably the closest he'll ever come to his masterpiece Illmatic, Stillmatic is extremely enjoyable and Nas fans will not be dissapointed one bit. Watch for Street's Disciple, Nas' new LP out Nov. 30. Until then, enjoy Stillmatic.

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