Since the early 90s, Nasir Jones –aka- as Nas has
been one of the most prolific rappers in Hip Hop music. As a poet Nas has the
gift of storytelling and the voice of a jazz connoisseur trained to hit every
bar and note on time. “Life Is Good,”
is his 11th studio album and has garnished positive reviews and it’s
been reported that it’s slated to be the best rap album of the year.
Without
aiming to please others, Nas has come full circle with his art form and continues
to surpass those that have chosen to bask in the bling-bling life. In order to
write a sufficient music review in regard to Nasir Jones, you have to revisit
his earlier discography—he is that good. Nas is true Hip Hop and lives with no regrets;
his latest album reflects this testament.
Born
in Queens, New York, on September 14, 1973, Nas was destined for greatness—the
artist had to see it, live it, and go through a process of growth and
eliminating negativity to find his own voice. In 1994, his first album, “Illmatic,” debuted and was heralded as
one of the best albums of the decade. As
a poet and writer, Nas took to the microphone like no other MC and immediately
had a following that has propelled for years.
Living
in the ghetto, selling drugs, and watching friends die became a regular
occurrence in the rapper’s life. Free-styling, writing poetry, battling, and
rapping on mix-tapes were outings that saved Nas from becoming another
statistic. On his second album, “It Was
Written,” there were many references of his growth and maturity in regard
to his lifestyle and gift of lyrical storytelling, from that point on Nas could
not be stopped as an MC in Hip Hop music. Jumping to the forefront of where Nas
is today since that time, charts the development of a legend.
Nasir
Jones eleventh studio album, “Life Is
Good,” parallels the life of a music artist that has seen the world, penned
about it, and experienced its ups and downs. Many will say that this album is
dedicated to his ex-wife Kelis, and he does pay homage to their union; however
the album seems to be a rebirth of rap_slick as it pertains to the lifestyle
and the art form of Hip Hop as it occurred in the 80s and 90s era.
At the
age of thirty-nine years old, Nas raps about where he is today as a black man,
father, and artist living in the United States. In order to chant that life is
good, the artist had to say that the music was dead on his 8th album
and went through some hard times to gain peace and tranquility. The rapper has
two children by different women, was recently divorced, finally got the
opportunity to pen a diss that could not be responded to and ceased a longtime
rivalry with Jay Z via the track “Ether.”
It has also been reported that the rapper is
paying back taxes due to mis-communication with the IRS. In like manner,
Nas was able to squash his beef with Fox News and news commentator, Bill O’ Reilly.
With all of that being said, clearly it should be seen that Nas has a lot to
talk about lyrically and he does in a stellar fashion.
Fans
will be happy to know that Nas kept it nostalgic and contemporary on his 11th
studio album and the beats chosen for each track are on fire. Nasir Jones kept
it real and talked about his daughter, the state of the economy, culture,
relationships and love.
He often speaks about his own mistakes that he made as
a man in a high profile marriage and has stated publicly that he would marry
again. All of the tracks on the album are beat bumpers for your stereo or while
you are driving down the freeway. Trust, you will be enlightened. Mary J.
Blige, Rick Ross, Ludacris, and Cocaine 80s are just a few of the guest cameos
on the album and they stand up to the challenge. This is an album that should
be purchased by all and played for the remainder of 2012.
“Where’s the Love ft. Cocaine
80s,” could be
the best rap track to be produced this year by a rap artist. It is evident that
Nas channeled his work from the past to get the feeling and visual depiction of
where music once was and how it has transitioned today in Hip Hop. Nasir Jones
pushes all boundaries on this track with his lyrics, and handles each bar precisely
with a peace that is so serene that can be felt and echoed throughout his
voice. The rapper still has the same ups and downs as everybody else as he
says:
At times I window watch at the Wynn hotel
Lots of thinking happens in life, will I win or fail?
Lots of thinking happens in life, will I win or fail?
“Bye Baby,” is another track that is riveting and storytelling at its
best. Nas reminisces about his marriage to Kelis; it was up and down, and they
are no longer together, he owns up to what he did wrong and still loves her for
being the mother of his son. The single is classy and features Aaron Hall of
the 90s R&B group Guy.
Of course, as summer
winds down, Nas makes sure to deliver a track that fans can bump in their jeeps
entitled, “Summer On Smash.”
The single is upbeat and describes the life
that everyone should have embraced during the hot sticky days that lasted for 2
½ months--fun. In addition, he embraces and spits:
Life is good, life is good.
Notably, the one
collaboration on the album that will be memorable for years to come features
Amy Winehouse singing the hook on the track, “Cherry Wine.”
Nas utters that
he wants a woman that is real, genuine, and honest and understands what it
takes to make a relationship work.
Additionally, many
things that can be said about Nasir Jones, one thing is for sure he’s
consistent with the pen, hasn’t traded riches for his talent, owns up to being
a father, and is a successful music artist and actor.
Many rappers in
the music business could learn a lot just from his vocabulary alone. It would
be smart of up and coming artists to
study the masters before dropping an album today if they want to have a legacy
and be taken seriously.
… Hip Hop salute
to Nas’ proclamation that life is good—because it is.
(c) Article By Atlas Brown
Editor @ The Cultural Weekly
theculturalweekly@yahoo.com
