Nas [Clean] [PA]

Performer: Nas
Artist: Eban Thomas; The Last Poets; The Game; Chris Brown; Keri Hilson; Busta Rhymes; Mykel
Engineer: Mikkel S. Eriksen; Gina Victoria; Derrick Selby; Brian Sumner; Frank Socorro; Gabriel Roth; Rich Leissler; Kevin Crouse; Mike Wilson
Producer: Polow Da Don; Eric Hudson; J. Myers; Jay Electronica; Stic Man; Mark Batson; Mark Ronson; DJ Green Lantern; Saleh; L.A. Reid; Nasir Jones
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Johnny Polygon, Stic Man (vocals); J. Myers (guitar, background vocals); Kevin Mayer, Binky Griptite, Thomas Brenneck (guitar); Eddie Montilla, Idalia String Ensemble (strings); Neal Sugarman (tenor saxophone); Ian Hendrickson (baritone saxophone); Bruce Purse (horns, background vocals); Vincent Henry (horns); Victor Axelrod (piano); Brian Kennedy, Mikuak Rai, Jason Perry (keyboards); Homer Steinweiss (drums). Audio Mixers: John Frye; Kevin Crouse; Mark Batson; Phil Tan; Billy Hume; Keri Hilson. Recording information: Cinematic Studios, New York, NY; Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; Encore Studios, Burbank, CA; Legacy Recording Studio, New York, NY; Manhattan Center Studios, New York, NY; NRG Recording Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Patchwerk Recording, Atlanta, GA; Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY; Royal Z Entertainment, Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, C; SoundTrap Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Record Room, N. Miami, FL; Touch 510 Studios, S. Orange, NJ; Warrior Studios; Westlake Audio, Hollywood, CA. Arranger: Stic Man. Nasir Jones's controversially untitled LP follows the impressive trifecta of GOD'S SON, STREET'S DISCIPLE, and HIP-HOP IS DEAD. This latest record leans on gritty, often metallic production and a mission of personal catharsis, often in congress with a current sociopolitical pointedness. Nas's most aggressive eviscerations are saved for the hard-rocking rampage of "Sly Fox," which stands up for Ludacris and other MCs assaulted by conservative pundits, as if playing the role of the protective older brother. But for all the album's candid nihilism, perhaps the most moving moment is still one of hope, as articulated on "Black President." Poignantly sampling a 2Pac lyric about it seeming "heaven sent," Nas ponders the pros and cons of Obama's ascension. And the use of Shakur's words serves as a way for Nas to communicate a message to the fellow free-thinkers who inspired him, but who didn't live to see such progress in the face of relative chaos. Having declared hip-hop dead in his last effort, the Queens rapper kicks things off by qualifying his statement on "Queens Get the Money," an impassioned rant over a minimalist piano loop. From there, the newly self-dubbed Nasty Nasdaq examines the N-word in various contexts with the Last Poets behind him ("You Can't Stop Us Now") before introducing a barrage of conceptual tracks--"Sly Fox" criticizes Fox News and the mass media culture, "Fried Chicken" is a clever, food-as-sex yarn with Busta Rhymes, while "Project Roach" sees the MC as cockroach. Production-wise, Nas isn't aiming for heavy rotation here, relying instead on subdued soul-based beats from Salaam Remi, J. Myers, Stargate, DJ Toomp, and stic.man, among others. The record closes fittingly with musings on the possibility of a "Black President." Built around a familiar Tupac vocal sample that proclaims "We ain't ready to have a black president," the Green Lantern-produced cut counters itself with melodic vocals that calmly coo, "Yes we can." Like the rest of the album, "Black President" is fervent but conflicted, far from a clear-cut statement, but rife with pointed commentary and vivid imagery. Never averse to getting the pants of others in a twist, Nas said in 2006 that what developed into this self-titled album was, at the time, titled the six-letter version of the "N" word. The following year, the NAACP buried the five-letter version (along with each variant, as the obituary states) at a Detroit ceremony, replete with a horse-drawn carriage, a casket, and the presence of "hip-hop legend Curtis Blow" [sic], according to the NAACP press release. Whether it is believed that the word was truly placed six feet deep or merely swept beneath the proverbial rug, the word, regardless of its last syllable or the context in which it is placed, still carries a lot of power. Millions of Def Jam marketing dollars could not have ensured as bright a spotlight on their artist. All he had to do was mention the one word as an album title. And from that moment until the album's release, through each leaked track, mixtape, and article tracking the status of the album, more attention was paid to the MC's moves than in the recent past. An album with a proposed title of, say, East Coasta Nastra, would not have been anticipated with nearly as much scrutiny or speculation. Nas uses the "N" word as a mere jumping-off point for his self-titled album, its initial title and final content even more closely related than the title and content of Hip Hop Is Dead. It's his most purposeful album; nearly every verse goes beyond talking trash and recalling exploits to address the change of title, the "N" word, race relations, stereotypes, the long arms and legs of Fox, love for his people and country, and the United States from slave ships through the possibility of a black president. It carries a stern lyrical focus all the way through, including the radio-aimed/Polow-produced anthem "Hero" ("If Nas can't say it, think about these talented kids with new ideas being told what they can and can't spit"), the gleaming "Make the World Go Round" (where a proud Nas, clearly reaching out to a younger crowd, refers to the featured Chris Brown as "the young Mike Jackson"), and the appropriately greasy "Fried Chicken" (a cunning track in which Nas and Busta Rhymes seem to embrace and parody dietary and sexual stereotypes at once). There is as much content here to absorb, to think about, discuss, and debate, as there is within Ice Cube's Death Certificate or anything by Public Enemy or BDP. While it is not a feast from a production standpoint -- the album is not bound to silence those who contend that Nas is not the best selector of beats -- it doesn't have the hastily slapped-together flow of Street's Disciple or Hip Hop Is Dead. A couple tracks might sonically resemble inferior versions of years-old tracks that helped make Nas a hip-hop deity and, nearly ten years after Nas was first accused of selling out, he might still sound a little awkward over radio-friendly productions. But the MC has never made an album as engrossing or as necessary as this one. ~ Andy Kellman Never averse to getting the pants of others in a twist, Nas said in 2006 that what developed into this self-titled album was, at the time, titled the six-letter version of the "N" word. The following year, the NAACP buried the five-letter version (along with each variant, as the obituary states) at a Detroit ceremony, replete with a horse-drawn carriage, a casket, and the presence of "hip-hop legend Curtis Blow" [sic], according to the NAACP press release. Whether it is believed that the word was truly placed six feet deep or merely swept beneath the proverbial rug, the word, regardless of its last syllable or the context in which it is placed, still carries a lot of power. Millions of Def Jam marketing dollars could not have ensured as bright a spotlight on their artist. All he had to do was mention the one word as an album title. And from that moment until the album's release, through each leaked track, mixtape, and article tracking the status of the album, more attention was paid to the MC's moves than in the recent past. An album with a proposed title of, say, East Coasta Nastra, would not have been anticipated with nearly as much scrutiny or speculation. Nas uses the "N" word as a mere jumping-off point for his self-titled album, its initial title and final content even more closely related than the title and content of Hip Hop Is Dead. It's his most purposeful album; nearly every verse goes beyond talking trash and recalling exploits to address the change of title, the "N" word, race relations, stereotypes, the long arms and legs of Fox, love for his people and country, and the United States from slave ships through the possibility of a black president. It carries a stern lyrical focus all the way through, including the radio-aimed/Polow-produced anthem "Hero" ("If Nas can't say it, think about these talented kids with new ideas being told what they can and can't spit"), the gleaming "Make the World Go Round" (where a proud Nas, clearly reaching out to a younger crowd, refers to the featured Chris Brown as "the young Mike Jackson"), and the appropriately greasy "Fried Chicken" (a cunning track in which Nas and Busta Rhymes seem to embrace and parody dietary and sexual stereotypes at once). There is as much content here to absorb, to think about, discuss, and debate, as there is within Ice Cube's Death Certificate or anything by Public Enemy or BDP. While it is not a feast from a production standpoint -- the album is not bound to silence those who contend that Nas is not the best selector of beats -- it doesn't have the hastily slapped-together flow of Street's Disciple or Hip Hop Is Dead. A couple tracks might sonically resemble inferior versions of years-old tracks that helped make Nas a hip-hop deity and, nearly ten years after Nas was first accused of selling out, he might still sound a little awkward over radio-friendly productions. But the MC has never made an album as engrossing or as necessary as this one. [A clean version of the album was also released.] ~ Andy Kellman

Rolling Stone (p.96) - Ranked #43 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "[A] battle-rhyme tour de force..." XXL (Magazine) - "Nas delivers a 360-degree thesis on the African experience in America....With his unbridled originality and powerful prose, Nas delivers the perfect album for today's imperfect world."

With charged poetic lyrics spit in an almost impossibly smooth flow, Nas turned the rap world on its ear in 1994 when the Queens MC unleashed the instantly immortal ILLMATIC. The immaculate record contained few frills, no skits, no celebrity cameos, just the rapper's deceptively complex rhymes, words that lounged in the listener's psyche for days after, layered over beats by some of the best producers of the day. While the following years would find Nas hard-pressed to live up to his supernova debut, he quietly released solid records. In 2001, his spirit revived by a beef with Jay-Z (they would reunite on stage years later), he released the acerbic STILLMATIC, which was followed by a string of critically praised records, but no shortage of controversy.

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