Nas [PA]

Performer: Nas
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: 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.

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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