All I Need Is One Mic! Out of all of Nas' albums, what to rate this has taken the most thought. While there are some great tracks present, enough of the production on enough tracks makes me second guess myself. I have often felt that this is a bit overrated based on his other albums, but as I go through the songs there isn't much not to like. It starts off brilliantly with Nas performing triumphantly on 'The Intro' which follows on throughout the album, and while 'Ether' is immature at times, and lyrically Nas clutches at straws, just as Jay did on Takeover, Nas' rapping on it means you have to enjoy it. Track three is one of my favourite Nas tunes, ‘Got Ur Self A…’ with the 'Alabama 3' sample working to perfection. 'One Mic' is another must mention with it being completely different to anything Nas has done and a very original hip hop song altogether as is 'Rewind' where Nas tells a story back to front. These are two reasons in itself that make Nas stand out as a hip hop artist and better than Jay-Z. 'What Goes Around' is also a favourite from the disc, for its lyrics particularly, and is one of his more underrated tunes. Apart from the terrible mess that is 'Braveheart Party', which wins the worst song on a Nas album award in a canter--that was removed from later pressings of the album at Mary J. Blige's request--everything else is good. The '2nd Childhood' beat is a tad monotonous, and as mentioned in my God's Son review, the production of tunes on 'Flyest' and 'Rule' leave a bit to be desired, but all in all it is another essential rap release thanks to its strengths which are some highly creative moments and lyrics. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★★ Hooks: ★★★★ Best Tracks: Stillmatic (The Intro), Got Ur Self A..., Smokin', Rewind, One Mic, What Goes Around

This is not what I expected. If you've heard Chyna Whyte on songs like 'Wild Muthafuckas' from Naughty By Nature's 'Icons' album, then you'd be expecting some hard hitting explicit gangsta and sex raps, but instead we have something more tame. While the beats seem like they were made for something harder, the lyrics largely have a Christian hip hop theme. Lyrically it gets a bit monotonous and the beats aren't amazing.

I seem to have said this often in reviews recently, but Paris is one of the artists that got me really interested in hip hop. I'd heard the brilliant 'Break the Grip of Shame' while playing psx, and once I was able to I knew I had to find more from this guy. Although this is ofted cited as his best, something else I say often, I'm not a huge fan of '80s hip hop beats so I like his later work more, but this is still a very good album, and I like the beats more than a lot of other hip hop from this era. I mean, how amazin' is the beginning of 'Wretched' when the beat blends into the American anthem. The production is in the vain of Public Enemy I guess, and much more raw, with plenty of scratches and less funky than his 'Guerrilla Funk' album for example, and much of his later work. And of course, lyrically Paris is all about improving his fellow brothers' life with racism being a strong focus. He doesn't have the flow of some, but his voice always works and is the perfect pitch for the type of stuff he spits. Highly recommended, from in my opinion one of the most consistent discographies in rap. Best Tracks: Scarface Groove, Break the Grip of Shame/Remix, Ebony, The Devil Made Me Do It/Remix, Mellow Madness, Wretched.

Paris gets angrier and more anti-white/establishment on this album, just listen to the start of 'Bush Killa' where the president gets taken out, and then you've got the "Cops Ain't Shit" chorus in the subtlety named 'Coffee, Donuts & Death'. For me though, the beats, like Guerilla Funk that comes after this album, mean I like this more than Paris' debut, that gives this an almost perfect rating - The beat change two minutes into 'Bush Killa' = Perfection. It's worth noting also that 'Guerrillas in the Mist' uses pretty much the same beat as the brilliant 'break the Grip of Shame from his debut. I love the beats this guy produces and if you enjoy Paris' debut you should enjoy this, unless some of the lyrics are too much. Beats: ★★★★☆ Bars: ★★★★☆ Best Tracks: Bush Killa, Thinka 'Bout It, Guerrillas in the Mist, The Days of Old, Assata's Song, Bush Killa (Hellraiser Remix).

Some crazy, intense tracks are present here with an original, distinctive, crazy rapper who disses everyone from the west-except Ice Cube. There is a good half a dozen of great gritty hardcore hip hop songs here that tempt me to rank this album even higher, but it drops off a touch with the last handful of tracks, and after the uncompromising 'Dog's Gonna Getcha', it never matches that passion. Nevertheless, for the best this offers it is well worth checking out if you like the descriptions above. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Low Down Nigga, Fuck Compton, Step to Me, I'll Wax Anybody, Dog's Gonna Getcha