Nas da Don

Word? 

It's 2008.  Nas drops an album, initially entitled Nigger, and, after a (calculated) uproar, removes the title and releases it as an untitled album.  When you remove the fuss over the title, it's actually an above-average album; most of Nas' albums have been above-average, despite Jay-Z's claims to the contrary.  It sells about as well as Nas' albums typically do, but is followed by the usual string of Ls that Nas seems addicted to.  A tax lien is filed against him.  Kelis divorces him, and is awarded child support.  A promoter and his son are kidnapped because of a Nas no-show.  Due to issues with Def Jam, the follow-up to The Lost Tapes is delayed indefinitely.  Just ridiculous shit.  In the interim, he dropped a project with Damian Marley that was a decent album, yet not a Nas album.  With all of these Ls in mind, you can understand why people were excited for a new Nas album.  The Nas: Behind the Music documentary helped to foment this excitement, and when the album cover was released with Nas and the wedding dress that Kelis left behind....I'm sure that half of the blogosphere had an orgasm.  Anyone who had remotely followed Nas' career had to be interested in this album, and as someone who has listened to him actively....I was very interested in hearing this project.  Luckily, some kind (terrible) soul made this, and thus this post, possible...



1. No Introduction - Woah.  Production from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, eh?  One of the universal complaints about Nas albums is about the production, so having the JL produce a track is definitely a good look.  Recognizing our interest in his backstory, Nas gives us 3 verses depicting different times of his life, complete with a B.I.G. reference, a Kelis reference, and time before Illmatic.  All-in-all, a good opening, and as I stated earlier, the production really increased my expectations for this album - 4/5


2. Loco-Motive (Ft. Large Professor) - Yooooo...Large Pro is a legend.  Nice to have some vocals from dude over this No I.D. beat (btw, kudos again for the production).  Doesn't this sound like some Illmatic shit?  Definitely brings to mind "New York State of Mind"...ironic that he mentions winning with all of the aforementioned losing he's been doing lately, but somehow, it DOES work.  After "Takeover," who thought Nas would be back selling platinum again?  If he's really worth $200 million as he claimed in "No Introduction," then he is most definitely winning.  The rhymes on this aren't the best of Nas' catalogue (not saying they're bad), and I definitely didn't want to hear the "supa dupa" flow on a Nas song, but the track works.  I'm really feeling nostalgic with this one...definitely took me back to the 90s. - 4.5/5


3. A Queens Story - Salaam Remi floated with the beat here.  Honestly, I'm having a hard time seeing how Nas tops this on this album.  Even for a non-NYCer like me, the bars, beat, and story are excellent.  I don't even want to do this song an injustice by trying to describe it.  Listen to it below (it's altered a little) - 5/5

4. Accidental Murderers (Ft. Rick Ross) - Been waiting for Ross to be on a Nas album for a while now...we finally get the track here.  This is definitely a Ross-style beat; it reminds me of "Mafia Music" to an extent.  Aaaaaand, Ross definitely has one of the better lines with his opening - "We grew up doin graffiti, now hollow heads gettin heated"...I've already heard haters ignoring the alliteration there...but that's cool.  Niggas hate hearing Ross win, so it doesn't even bother me.  Not gonna lie, Nas is kinda winning with these tracks thus far b....he's got the storytelling vibe going perfectly, and even though Ross IN NO WAY stays with the theme of the track, the shit still works thanks to it being a Ross beat.  I fucks with this one - 4/5


5. Daughters - You've probably heard this one already.  I'm one of those people that when a track gets hyped too much I don't like it.  For those who are wondering, I feel the same way about Jay-Z's "Glory." By the time I heard it, I had been bombarded with "OMG THIS IS THE BEST DEDICATION TO A CHILD EVAR" as if Talib hadn't done "Joy" and numerous other rappers hadn't also done a similar track.  Just alkealkewf get over yourselves for a second man.  Damn.  Anyway, this is actually a good track, but damn, I'd really like to not get a bunch of overhyping about a track before I even get to hear it.  I heard this one actually caused MORE trouble with his daughter and her mother....smh - 4/5

6. Reach Out (Ft. Mary J. Blige) - Yoooooooooooo Ms. Chicken Wraps is actually still doing music?  Word.  Anyway, I don't really fuck with this one.  This isn't the type of beat that Nas thrives on, and just overall it feels too pop.  Not trying to hear this one again.  First fuck up of the album though (but again, I've been hearing "YO THIS IS A CLASSIC" from multiple people...including Twitter (where I thought Nas was hated lol) so hearing this one definitely made me alkefalirjflkrejfawe - 2/5


7. World's An Addiction (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) - I didn't even know dude was still doing music.  I don't really like the beat too much...maybe it just sounds too much like the type of beat we would have heard Nas on on previous projects.  That being said, the subject matter and bars are both legit. Nas is in full conversational form, with rhyme schemes sometimes tumbling through bars rather than remaining uniform.  The beat is really disappointing though...keeps this from being a better track - 3.5/5


8. Summer on Smash (Ft. Miguel and Swizz Beatz) - Word...Nas doesn't do commercial tracks, but we got this number?  I don't even care that he does the tracks, it's just annoying when Nas fans act like he's the epitome of rap purity and that's why they fuck with him.  This isn't Immortal Technique, man.  Anyway, yea, this is pretty meh.  I can't act like the beat doesn't bump, but the bars are subpar, Swizz is doing his bullshit, and Miguel?  On a Nas track? - 2.5/5


9. You Wouldn't Understand (Ft. Victoria Monet) - This one has an 80s feel....but overall I'm not fucking with this at all.  The album is really in a bad spot at this point...started off excellently, but the last few tracks have been...jkalealkewjfweflk - 2/5


10. Back When - Word.  We're back to good tracks...and of course that means that after a string of tracks from typical Nas producers, we get a No I.D.-produced track.  This track is another trek into nostalgia, with Nas reminiscing on the old days in NYC.  It's another track that would mean more to a NYC resident, but we get a real line with "You blame your own shortcomings on sex and race, the Mafia, homosexuals, and all the Jews."  Real rap, I've lost count how many times I've seen people in the industry rant on about the Illuminati, Jews, homosexuals, etc. being the reason they aren't on....nah...that's not why.  I fuck with this track - 4/5 (could use another verse, tbh)


11. The Don - One of the singles from the album, I'm sure you've heard "The Don" already.  This shit BANGS.  This is one of those rare Nas tracks that works as a single and actually has bars.  You've heard this already, so I'm not going to get too deep into it.  - 4/5


12. Stay - A nice, jazzy feel to this one.  Again, a No I.D. beat, so we're in for a quality track.  We've already gotten the Common/No I.D. album, but we definitely need a Nas/No I.D. album.  "Some say hatin' is confused admiration"...YO.  I don't really fuck with 2 verse songs like that, but this is an excellent one.  We're back on a roll here.  This is my second-favorite track thus far.  - 5/5


13. Cherry Wine (Ft. Amy Winehouse) - I wasn't blogging when Amy Winehouse died, but if I was, I would have written some crazy long, rambling, angry post about people neglecting the health of others, and about regular people somehow thinking that famous people aren't worth our empathy.  Back To Black is one of my favorite albums of all-time tbh...very sad that someone that talented died so soon.  This track actually sounds a LOT more like an Amy track than a Nas track, but his flow still works on this.  I'm getting emotional, man...fuck, we really could have had an Amy/Nas album...lkawelkawfawef fuck this world - 5/5


14. Bye Baby - This is one of those tracks that you can feel a lot more if you've gone through a break-up yourself.  On this track, Nas basically gives his side of his break-up with Kelis...I actually had forgotten that she was fucking all of those dudes before Nas, lmaoooo...Anyway, I don't completely like this beat, but I can't even knock it after listening to the song.  A great way to end the album.  I'm gonna review the 4 bonus tracks, but this is the "official" end of the album - 5/5


Bonus Tracks


15. Nasty - The homie Ivan Rott (check his blog out if you haven't already) said it best when he tweeted "Any rebuttal to what I utter get box-cutter'd" <------ still the illest shit I've heard in a LOOOOOONG time..." He's right...that line is ridiculous.  The track is hot, and it was a single...so why the hell is it a bonus track?  Anyway, this is nice - 4.5/5

16. The Black Bond - You all probably aren't nerds, but part of this beat reminds me of Char's Counterattack (specifically the final fight between Char and Amuro).  Anyway, that can only be a good thing, so yea, I fuck with this one.  Basically, this track is Nas imagining himself as James Bond.  A nice, 2 verse track.  Another one that I would like on the album, but I can understand it not really fitting with the flow of the album. - 4/5


17. Roses (Ft. Nikki Flores) - Another track commenting on women (this could be about Kelis)...why isn't this on the album?  I get put through "Reach Out," but this isn't on the album?  Smarten up, Nas.  Anyway, this one sounds pretty depressing...I can only imagine how pissed off dude must have been when Kelis decided to divorce him (while pregnant).  If he's indeed talking about Kelis on this track...man.  Hold your head. - 4/5


18. Where's the Love (Ft. Cocaine 80s) - I can do without the hook to this track.  Outside of that, this is a good song...yet another candidate for the "Why the hell isn't this on the album?!" award.  Completely change the hook and this is a great track.  - 3.5/5


Without considering the bonus tracks, I give this album a 4/5.  It had some GREAT moments ("Queens Story," "Stay," and "Bye Baby") but wow, it had some terrible moments as well.  It finished out VERY strong, and that's the reason for the 4/5 instead of a 3/5.  I feel like there were too many subpar tracks for me to give it more than a 4/5 though.  If I could swap some of the bonus tracks with some of the official tracks, I would.  This really could be a 5/5 album.  With the trash tracks, though, it's more of a 4/5 album.  I'll buy this when it comes out, definitely worth the money.