Nas

Stillmatic

Nas kills it.

Review Score:

(10/10)
Before I start, let me just say that I like both Nas and Jay-Z, and I don't really favor one over the other. I've listened to a lot of tracks by both of them, and burned some mix CDs by each artist.

With that said, I feel that this is Nas's best CD ever. I really wasn't too huge of a fan of Illmatic like everybody else. My friend let me borrow it and I listened to Illmatic, and it was pretty good, but I don't see how it's the greatest Rap album ever, like some people say.

But I CAN say that this CD, Stillmatic, is one of the best Rap CDs in the past 5 years, easily. I don't think that any track is really wack.

I feel that the album starts of very, very strong, but then gets worse in the middle, but finishes out very strong also. Once you're done listening through it, you're kinda glad because it'll go back to the beginning again. :)

On to the individual ratings: (1-10, 10 is the highest)

1. Stillmatic (The Intro) - 10/10. For an intro, this is great. It's not just some speech or some stupid yelling, but some nice rhymes and a little sample of things to come.

2. Ether - 10/10. For a "diss record" this has got to be one of the best ever. All of the lines are tight, and he totally disses Jay-Z. Jay-Z basically gets embarrassed with this track. Great, great track.

3. Got Ur Self A... - 10/10. For the Main Track on the album, it's awesome. The rhymes are tight and he just rips it. So far, the first 3 tracks are perfect.

4. Smokin' - 9/10. Not a bad track. It could be better. The chorus isn't that great, and gets a slightly annoying, but the verses by Nas (like ALWAYS) are great.

5. You're Da Man - 10/10. I love this track. It's a simple beat, with a simple chorus, and just a bunch of bars of lyrical greatness. It's great to just sit back and kick it, while
listening to this song.

6. Rewind - 10/10. I've never heard a song like this. I've seen videos that are rewinded (that Beyonce video), but never a song. The concept is great, and Nas pulls it off. It's about a getting with a girl and somebody getting shot in the hood. Awesome track.

7. One Mic - 10/10. One of the best rap songs I've ever heard. It's so perfect. It's not "too violent" and it's not "too soft." It can be enjoyed by the gangsta bad-boy thugs, and also by the casual hip-hop listening females. Great, great song. You can listen to this for 20 minutes on repeat without it getting annoying.

8. 2nd Childhood - 8/10. After the first 7 great tracks, it starts getting a bit worse here. The rhymes are, of course, on point. It's just that the beat is kind of boring, and the chorus is just really stupid.

9. Destroy & Rebuild - 9/10. Not a bad song, really. Nas talks about all of the rappers from Queensbridge, and how they need to "get the fake N*ggas out" and keep only the real emcees from QB. Really good track.

10. The Flyest - 9/10. To tell you the truth, I've never really heard of AZ, but he's actually really good on this track. The beat is nice and mellow and the rhyming is very good.

11. Rule - 7/10. Worst song on the album, in my opinion. It's about bringing world peace. The chorus is just really lame, as is the basic "message" of the song. Of course Nas's rhymes are great, but the song just seems kinda wack to me.

12. My Country - 8.5/10. Could be better. It's a good track talking about how the country is falling apart and isn't very stable, and how it could be better. It isn't a bad song really, just pales compared to the rest of the album.

13. What Goes Around - 8.5/10. Nice track. Once again, the chorus seems pretty bad, but Nas saves it with his tight lyrics. Could be better, could be worse.

14. Every Ghetto - 10/10. Great song near the end of the album, to close out strong. I love the beat and the rhymes. Nas kills it. Perfect.

15. Poisin (EXTRA TRACK) - 10/10. I love this song. Nas talks about how people are "injecting our infants with poison." Basically how the society is telling young children bad and wrong things. Great closing track.

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