Anyway, read on for my humble thoughts on an album I heard about, awaited and was both disappointed and surprised.
I don't listen to ask much hip hop anymore either. As an art form, it's almost pushing its older generation of fans away with what passes for what is considered the best.
I mean, people who listened to The Who and the Rolling Stones may not have liked Aerosmith and Van Halen, but there were similarities. There is nothing similar between KRS-One and Rakim and T-Pain and Young Jeezy, expect they're each on top of the game.
Nas' album isn't like the rest of the stuff out now, so I don't see how its going to sell. The controversy around the title of the album can only push record sales for so long...
Then again, if fans like you and I get the album and listen, maybe we'll come back. Probably not, but it's worth a try.
Let's see. Lyrically speaking, Nas is, has been and will always be one of the greatest of all time. There's no denying that and the concepts on some of the tracks are absolutely classic. "Fried Chicken" with Busta Rhymes, about how we love the food that's going to kill us, and "Project Roach", about the insect that stays alive just like the people described by the word I've left out of this review on purpose.
He could be considered "preachy" on this album, especially on "We're not alone" where he's basically saying that aliens exist and have been to Earth, but it's a touch refreshing to have someone saying something on a song that isn't just about money, drugs and hoes.
"Black President" is about the obvious, but then again who else is out there rapping about Obama. Granted, he's using a 2Pac cut that says "Although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to have a black president", but he clearly puts his weight behind the Democratic representative, however much any rapper that dropped in the early 90s has with a young voting public that probably was in diapers when Illmatic dropped.
It's an album that needed to be made. It's refreshing, but still a hard listen as it seems sometimes the topics, production and the occasional track like "Make the World Go Round" just doesn't fit. I'm proud to add it to my collection, but I wonder how many tracks from it I'll be listening to months from now...
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Now playing: Nas - Make The World Go Round (feat. Chris Brown And The Game)
via FoxyTunes
4 comments:
Nice post. If anyone is in Boston on Saturday, let me know. EPMD, Das EFX, and Chubb Rock are giving a free concert at City Hall Plaza. I went to the same event last year, only they had Slick Rick and De La Soul. The crowd ranged in age from 16 to 46 but everyone had a good time.
I'm not going to be in Boston Saturday (as much as I'd like to see EPMD and Das EFX) though I will be there in a couple of weeks for a conference.
Zoltan, we should meet for a drink. I get in on Sunday, August 10 and leave on the 12th. Get in touch.
This was a solid album. I have been impressed with his consistency over the years although this effort seems a little more focused than his last few projects. As far as Hero is concerned I read a recent interview in which Nas mentioned he added the track because there wasn't anything on the album you would hear in a club. Overall, one of the better albums of the year. I still think there is a lot of good hip-hop just below the mainstream surface. Artists like Wale, Saigon and Royce da 5'9" have been gaining significant buzz on the mixtape circuit and have been putting out some solid work.
Perfect. I'm taking that week off so I'll be around Sunday and Monday.
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