The Lost Tapes [PA]

Performer: Nas
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Contains an untitled hidden track after "Poppa Was A Playa." Producers include: Deric Angelettie, Precision, The Alchemist, L.E.S., Rockwilder. With I AM and STILLMATIC, Nas assured himself a permanent place in the history of hip-hop. The release of THE LOST TAPES, a collection of previously unreleased cuts recorded at those legendary sessions, adds to this considerable legacy. With most of these songs already cropping up as bootlegs on select underground mix tapes, this is the first official release featuring these songs mastered as Nas intended. Working with a number of sympathetic producers including The Alchemist, L.E.S., and Rockwilder, this gifted rhyme merchant drops captivating rhymes reflecting everyday life growing up in the Queensbridge projects, over a an assortment of mellow soul grooves. Using samples by Barry White ("No Ideas Original"), Mandrill ("U Gotta Love It"), and Eddie Kendricks ("Poppa Was A Playa"), Nas avoids any cameos or hype, presenting hip-hop in a stripped-down state that reaffirms the man's reputation as one of the genre's true legends.

Rolling Stone (10/02, p.69) - 4 stars--"...Tightly stitched narrative and stunningly precise detail...easily among Nas' best work." Spin (12/01/02, p.140) - 8 out of 10 - "...A collection of songs from, and largely about, the past that bode well for the future and sound damn good today..." Entertainment Weekly (9/27/02, p.86) - "...The prolific MC at his most introspective....His gritty, yet hopeful, reflections make LOST TAPES a real find..." - Rating: A-

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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