Nas, Nas Music Review

Posted on 01. Aug, 2008 by Administrator in Music

Nas, Nas
July 2008

Nas has a penchant for provocation. From the raw street violence depicted on Illmatic to his Jay-Z baiting on Stillmatic, the prolific rapper’s biting lyrics have always found their target. On his new album, jarring cover art featuring the rapper with the letter “N” lashed into his back signals that, this time around, he’s out to take on racism. In fact, it’s likely that this is the most ambitious and in-your-face attempt to address race in modern hip-hop history. In under an hour, Nas takes on institutional racism, the gangster lifestyle, Black Leadership, the legacy of slavery – even the “N” word itself. It should come as no surprise then to learn that the album was supposed to be called Nigger before label and industry politics came into play and Nas decided to leave it untitled (a statement in its own right).

From the album’s piano-laced opener “Queens Got the Money”, Nas hits the ground running, silencing those who are “still hatin’/talkin’ that Nas done fell off with rhymin’/ he’d rather floss with diamonds.” With his critics out of the way he begins to tackle the album’s social themes; “You Can’t Stop Us Now” finds the rapper addressing Black anger (“I know your hunger kid/I know they hung your dad/Burnt your mama crib/I know that hurt you bad”) over a blues guitar sample that leaves enough space for him to exercise his impeccable rhythmic cadence. On “Breathe” he issues a militant battle cry in the opening chorus (“In America ya’ never be free/ Middle fingers up, fuck the police/ Damn, can’t a nigga just breathe.”) Although “Make the World Go Round” boasts infectious soul-synth production, it falls victim to hip-hop cliché with generic bling and blunt imagery. He returns to form, however, with the contemplative soul track, “America,” rhyming about race relations, the conquest of Native Americans, and gender inequality (“Y’all don’t treat women fair/She read about herself in the bible/Believing she’s the reason sin is here/You played her with an apron/Like bring me my dinner, dear/She the nigger here.”)

Despite the already heavy content, Nas saves his most controversial rants for last. He takes shots at Black culture, analyzing self-destructive behavior in “Fried Chicken”, a song that turns the breaded bird dish into a tempting seductress (“Don’t know what part of you that I love best/Your legs or your breast/ Misses Fried Chicken, you goin’ to be a nigga death”); celebrates the controversial evolution of the “N” word from its hateful roots to its now-popular use in hip-hop culture on Y’all My Niggas (“If it offends you/ It’s meant to/It’s that simple”); and on Black President, he admits that, although he’s ready for a Black president, he’s also a bit nervous (“I’m thinkin’ I can trust this brotha’/But will he keep it way real?/Every innocent nigga in jail gets out on appeal/When he wins, will he really care still?”).

After a thorough listen to Untitled, you’ll be left with a lot to ponder. Although some of his last albums missed the mark, Nas has returned to the angry-yet-aware street poet persona that defined his best work, and his observations are enlightening. Sure, some of the production on this album is a bit dull, and “Make the World Go Round” may be a shot at top-40 radio or ringtone status, but a rapper with this much to say about our society’s most pressing issues is well worth the listen in “post-racial” 2008. –Bill Dvorak

Good For: Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino Celebrity Death Match, Hip Hop 101.
Bad For: The soundtrack to Larry the Cable Guy movies.

by Devoe Yates

Share this story with your friends: