Nas

Street's Disciple

Very Disappointing

Review Score:

(4/10)
Let me first say that Nas is my favorite hip-hop artist (though with each of his albums he is losing ground to Ghostface). Since "Barbecue" and Illmatic (an album which, in spite of it's brilliance, is a tad over-rated), Nas has laid the foundation of a great MC. Back in those days, I cared much more about the lyrical content and themes. But now, as an older and more "mature" person, I regard hip-hop mostly as entertainment, with the lyrics taking a backseat to the beats. Therein lies the fatal flaw of "Street's Disciple." There is no certified "banger" that I can always listen to, whose beat makes me want to repeat it over and over. Illmatic had "Represent," "Memory Lane," and "The World is Yours," It Was Written had "The Message and "I Gave You Power" (one of Nas' greatest songs), I Am at least had "Nas is Like," though the rest is forgettable (I will not talk about Nastradamus, definitely his worst.) Stillmatic and The Lost Tapes held out hope for the re-emergence for Nas' choice in production. Then God's Son came out, which had some bright spots, but ultimately set the course for his choice of production in Street's Disciple.

Street's Disciple has a couple of good songs. I like "Sekou's Story" and "Live Now." "Remember the Times" is also nice. But the songs are limited to simply being "good" or "nice". There is nothing production wise that makes me want to listen to it again. If you are interested in lyrics, then the afore mentioned songs are right up your alley. But Nas' ambition can harm him. "U.B.R.", a biography on the great Rakim, falls flat with a boring beat. He uses a great and novel idea, but he does not take it where he and Rakim deserve to go. "Virgo," with Doug E. Fresh providing the beatbox, is also boring to me. Not only does Ludacris destroy Nas, but it also proves that sometimes a throwback approach should be left in the past.

Then there are the bad moments of the album. "American Way," where Nas feels complelled to both use Kelis and the over-exposed "Atomic Dog" sample, is hard to listen to. "Suicide Bounce," although effectively using Busta Rhymes, just doesn't feel right. And then you have the greatest misstep of all "No One Else in the Room" with Maxwell. This has to rank with "Braveheart's Party" as Nas' worst song.

I was hoping to see some production by Premier, Alchemist, Large Professor and Pete Rock, but the album was dominated by Salaam Remi and L.E.S. These are good producers, but they were simply over-tapped to do a double album. This goes to a hypothesis that I have always had about hip-hop. No one can pull off a double album. It is just too difficult to hold anyone's attention for that long. Biggie may have been the closest to pull it off, but I never understood why anyone would want to release a bloated two-disc set instead of a trim regular album with only the best songs.

Nas is not trying to prove anything anymore. He's content doing his own thing now that he's found a comfortable place in life. You can't be mad at him for that. His evolution to a mature man rhyming about adulthood is also a positive thing. But I just wish his choice of beats would reflect his new sophistication. There are so many producers out there with crazy beats that would love to work with him. A man with his talent for lyrics deserves the hottest beats. If you want to hear some great lyrics over hot beats, pick up The Grind Date by De La Soul or The Pretty Toney Album by Ghostface. I guarantee that you'll burn out your cd player with the constant repetition.

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