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But it’s not just the Here, My Dear vibes that the album was marketed with: Nas also displays his Queensbridge roots on songs like “Loco-Motive” and “Back When,” and he dumbs out in classic Nas fashion on “The Don.” It also doesn’t hurt that Life Is Good has arguably his best production since Illmatic, as No I.D. “Daughters” considers his duty as a father after his child embarrassingly tweeted a photo of a box of condoms, and “Bye Baby” brings finality to his marriage by fondly remembering the good times. The closure of a longtime union will have anyone in a contemplative mood, and Life Is Good reflects on Nas’ past while looking forward into different elements of adulthood.
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The last time we heard from Nas was in 2012, when he was wrapping up a divorce from his ex-wife Kelis. But the album is also marred with inconsistency: “Big Things” is one of the worst records Nas has ever recorded with its stilted flows, and songs like “Dr. Knockboot” and the Aaliyah-asissted “You Won’t See Me Tonight” don’t feel natural coming from the street poet.
DMX and Scarface also offer solid cameos. 2,” “Nas Is Like,” and “Undying Love” showcase his remarkable storytelling and bar work, and the Diddy-assisted “Hate Me Now” is still one of his most energetic songs ever. The resulting album wasn’t as perfect, but it was still damn good: “N.Y. But Untitled is still a quality release from Nas that has aged well with current times of increased tension, a predecessor for newer racial ruminations like Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. Conceptual songs like “Project Roach” and “Fried Chicken” may have been a little out there, and some of the best songs from these sessions ended up on The N-r Tape, a pre-album release with DJ Green Lantern. Meanwhile, the rapper teams with Eban Thomas and The Last Poets to exalt black resilience on “You Can’t Stop Us Now,” and “Testify” fantasizes retribution to make America pay for its sins of oppression. Louis Farrakhan and President-elect Barack Obama are treated with equal respect on “Untitled” and “Black President,” while “Sly Fox” critiques of propoganda-spreading conservative media. The intended title never made it to stores, but Nas still used the album to uniquely chronicle the black experience. When it came time to follow up his assertion that hip hop was dead, Nas delivered an even more controversial message. Nas originally planned to name his ninth album the written-out N-word, with him and his then-wife Kelis wearing clothing that showed the word in bedazzled letters at that year’s Grammy Awards to promote the message. Nas also enlisted Kanye West production for the first time on one of his solo albums here (aside from The Lost Tapes), and the results are flawless: “Still Dreaming” sees both artists floating over a soulful sample, and “Let There Be Light” beams with the hope that hip-hop may have a shot at survival after all. “Black Republicans” doesn’t disappoint as the long-awaited collab with JAY-Z, and “Hustlers” makes magic with a Dr. Dre beat and cameo by The Game. Nas dedicates the first third of the album to paying homage to the greats of yesteryear (“Where Are They Now”) and lamenting the state of the industry (“Carry On Tradition”), and he spends the rest of his time leading by example with artists who are up to the challenge. The title of Nas’ eighth solo album started more conversations than the music did itself, with his “Hip Hop Is Dead” assertion jumpstarting industry-wide debates about the genre’s vitality in the mid-2000s. The album has concepts like “The Makings of a Perfect Bitch” and “Remember the Times” that come across as contrived and awkward, and its sprawling nature of more than 87 minutes is a lot to sift through. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim),” but it’s largely an album that hurts from a lack of restraint. Street’s Disciple has highlights like “Thief’s Theme” and “U.B.R. It seems like every rap great eventually gives in to their whims to make a double album, and Nas is no different. Nas’ fourth album suffers from identity crisis, with thoughtful songs like “Project Windows” and “Last Words” being offset by trite, predictable records like “You Owe Me” and “Big Girl.” It seemed like Nas was still appearing to discover himself here, and while he would redeem himself a couple years later with Stillmatic, Nastradamus lives as a blemish on an otherwise godly resume. “Is it Oochie Wally, or is it One Mic? Is it Black Girl Lost, or shorty owes you for ice?” JAY-Z’s later barbs at Nas on his song “Blueprint 2” held true for Nastradamus, Nas’ second album in 1999, after releasing I Am… months earlier. Nas Lights Up Queensbridge Park for 'Nasir' Album Listening Party: Recap