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| The album’s title is a bold, yet obvious
statement. Obviously hip hop’s decline has been thoroughly
discussed by real music listeners for years now. Nas, though,
is the first commercially successful artist to dedicate an
entire album to describing the death of the genre. That in
itself is an incredibly bold statement, especially when
considering current emcees’ aversions to anything that may
hurt cd sales, create beef with current “artists” whom thrive
in this post-mortem state of hop, or associate themselves with
the taboo “hater” label.
The content is also true to the opening statement: bold,
yet obvious. Nas’ nostalgic venture into yesteryear’s
hop is refreshing. Hop fans have been pining for an
emcee having the lyrical guts to address the fact that the
music-leg of hip hop is dead.
But the songs themselves are
not scripted in the ultra subliminal, ultra creative way that Nas fans crave. Possibly, Nas’
greatest talent is his ability to metaphorically script a
situation in extreme |
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detail, but at
the same time do it so subtly that only later will the
listener realize what the song is actually describing. A
prime example of this would be “I Gave You Power,” off his
second album It Was Written. Here he takes the
listener on a creative journey within a classic street tale
through the eyes of a pistol. Amazing. But, upon further
observation you realize that the story itself is a metaphor
for Nas’ stake in the industry, one where his emcee-style, as
in the case of the gun, is being used by every other rapper
out to slay other rappers in an attempt to gain credibility,
financial success, and a feeling a power. That’s beyond
amazing, but quite typical for Nas. More recently his
“Disciple” off the album Street’s Disciple is a tribute
to hop great Kool G Rap. Here he dispels the notion that
hearing Jay-Z rap is like “hearing G Rap in his prime”,
spitting in the cadence, tone, and lyrical style of G,
producing one of the most brutal battle raps in recent
history. However, the themes of Hip Hop Is Dead are
obvious and presented in a tone so blatant that his true
artistry is often MIA. There is nothing for the fan to
uncover or decode on this album, save for “Who Killed It”,
which is an incredible song, presented in a “who done it”
murder mystery investigation scenario, with a 1920’s tone and
setting. The song is nuts.
Hip Hop Is Dead is a blatant
commercial attempt, saved only by the fact that the album’s
theme is socially responsible and necessary. The album
features several high-profile, super-producers (Scott Storch,
Kanye, Dre) but the listener is seldom exposed to high quality
in both production and lyrical display simultaneously. “Carry
on Tradition” is an address to today’s rapper. Here, Nas
demands that homage be paid to the founders of hop, ownership
be taken of the music, and for rappers to return to the
fundamentals of hop, specifically emceeing. But the song’s
Scott Storch-produced track is uninspired at best, and Nas’
lyrical display is average (not to mention the inclusion of an
outdated and lame hook), leaving the song’s theme as its only
highlights. He collaborates on “Still Dreaming” with Kanye
West. Kanye’s track is “good” but the lyrical display by both
is simplistic, and feels rushed and forced. “Black
Republicans” features two of hop’s greatest emcees – Nas and
Jay-Z – which in itself is refreshing. (Honestly, when was
the last time you heard two great emcees on a track?) L.E.S
does a thorough job on production, and the contrast of the two
emcees (Jay as the republican, Nas as the militant) is
accurate and creative. However, the lyrical display does not
live up to the billing. Its good, but not great and leaves
the listener wondering what could have been, in the wake of
the most anticipated emcee collaboration in close to a decade.
Hip Hop Is Dead is a socially
responsible, call to action that real music fans have been
demanding. Simultaneously, it is a mediocre display of
artistry by arguable the greatest hip hop artist.
A. Knight II
anthonyknight2@thisisrealmusic.com |
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Tell us what you think of
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(Include your name and what state
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I came into this album expecting what anyone
would from Nas these days: clean delivery, controversial
statements, heavy production, and best of all, content-laden
lyrics (profound thug poetry) worthy of attention, and in some
cases, philosophical examination. Hip Hop Is Dead almost meets
all of these expectations. Nas is one of the most talented
rappers ever. No one will deny this. But one of the biggest
problems that I have with Nas, as is the case with Hip Hop Is
Dead, is that I find myself so impressed by what he is saying,
and how he is saying it, that I forget to listen to the songs
as such (excluding of course Illmatic). This album might not
slap as hard as I would like, and I think that Nas definitely
needs to get better production behind him, but it’s still
extremely impressive from beginning to end, which is a
testament to Nas as a lyricist (excluding the worst song on
the album, "Who Killed It", only because I don't want to
literally hear Al Capone rapping). As for how it holds up
against Kingdom Come: I’d say that it holds up pretty well,
but in a different way. As usual, Nas has better and generally
cleverer stuff to say, but Jay-Z has better and generally
catchier songs.
http://theslapreport.com/
Oakland, Cali. |
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I agreed with this review as well. Nas
had good intentions of sending a wake up call to the masses
that mainstream hip hop is in a state of decline. However, I
two felt that the message was notdelivered as cleverly or
creatively as some of his better work. That being said, his
descent effort is better than most other MC's best.
--QR
Memphis, TN |
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I have to agree with this review. With
this added, "Can't Forget About You" is a classic. Makes the
whole album worth buying. Nas will always drop a jewel on you
even when he misses the target for the whole album. That said,
I wholeheartedly agree with the above review. Couldn't be more
on point. It was sparadic greatness at best. Snoop gave a nice
showing on his track. Games hook was LAME. The rhyme were o.k.
but I'm tired of GAMES' neverending "Thank You So Much for my
Career" raps about Doctor Dre' does he have anything to talk
about?
--Toneskee
Lemiert Park-Los Angeles, Ca. |
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I love nas I think he the best next to tupac
Jayz has nothing on nas that's why he decided to team up with
him
--Anonymous |
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MY name is CJ from cincinnati ohio
and yeah nas isn't the greatest good review though |
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