Nas

Street's Disciple

Nas Must be Running Out of Material

Review Score:

(6/10)
I picked this double CD up expecting a fantastic production. I have purchased every Nasir Jones album since Illmatic, and I have enjoyed all his work, even the albums which many here have criticized. I have been a diehard Nas fan for quite a while. This album demonstrates Nas' solid lyrical talent. He has his usual gmmick songs (rapping as a woman) which I thought worked very well. But he filled this album up with too many stereotypical rap topics.

What I loved most about Nas as an artist was that he never hesitated to tackle a number of social issues which afflict the less affluent and the ghettos in America. Songs like "New World" and "Life We Chose" from Nastradamus or "Ghettos Prisoners" from Stillmatic. Those songs had a theme and had meaning. Those albums overall had a theme of provoking thought on issues, rather than just focusing on money, possessions, and women like in most other current hip hop albums. Of course, he would have some tracks with that type of material, but even those tracks were lyrical masterpieces which painted a portrait in your mind as you heard them.

Unfortunately, Nas has decided to take his material down a different path with this album. First off, Nas seems to have an obsession with sex on this album. More so than he has ever shown on his other albums. Particularly oral sex. In nearly every song he makes reference to it, usually more than once, usually very graphically (the word "urethra" is mentioned occasionally) along with various comments which don't put women in a very good light in my opinion. I understand he wasnt his fans to know he is a pimp, but do we CONSTANTLY have to be reminded?

Nas does throw in a couple of token "serious" songs such as "These are Our Heroes", which criticizes black actors on the WB/UPN networks, NBA players, as well a brutal criticism of Kobe Bryant. That's the Nas I like. "Live Now" is also a well-scripted rhyme that make you think about growing old.

The other songs basically degrade to, again, sex with numerous women, and the usual references shooting anyone who questions his greatness. Some of the songs may have important sounding titles, but they are basically he same concept. "American Way" tries to raise issues, but might possibly be the worst sounding song Nas has ever made. Kelis sounds horrendous and the beat is a bad old school type. The lyrics are solid, but the beats, man, the beats! The beats do not sound like a Columbia Records production. What happened to Trackmasters, Nas?

On Disc 2, I listened to the song "War" expecting a song on a war we are sort of involved in at the moment, but all I hear is perhaps the most horrendous male vocal I have heard on a platinum artist record in quite a while. The song with Maxwell, "No One Else in the Room", had potential but the beats are just amateurish and yet another song about Nas and his sexual escapades that sort if doesn't fit the album's flow. The track w/ his father "Bridging the Gap" is great. This is the Nas we needed the entire album! The beat in the song is well-done.

The rest of the beats may be what is wrong with this album. I have heard that Nas created all the beats himself or within his company. It shows. All the beats are very simplistic and there is definitely an old school trend. Too bad they either all sound too similar, to simple, or just don't go well with the associated lyrics.

Bahh... I'm not even going to waste any more time on this review. Basically, if you like hip hop for what is currently is: cars, guns, and sex and women, then this album is for you. If you were looking for a Nas album with greats beats, sound structure, and intellectual thought.. you'll have to check out his previous work.

Nowadays, Eminem seems to be the only rapper willing to use his mic as a pulpit to criticism anyone and everyone, including (and usually) George Bush and most other politicians.

Just a final note though. I usually warm up to any album by Nas the more I hear it. So this will probably be a four star for me in a few weeks.

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