I've been going through the charts and checking out acclaimed albums that I have ignored, and after album after album saying "what is all the fuss about", here is one that I'm feeling. Bangin' beats with some nice variation on the hooks by Polo mean the production is great, and while G Rap sounds very much like Scarface sometimes (or Face sounds like him), the man can spit and narrate. The only thing that lets this down is that on a few of the storytelling tracks, like 'Train Robbery' for example, the beat could do a little more. Nevertheless, if you like artists like Scarface, Geto Boys, Big Daddy Kane's early stuff and so on, you should love this.
Best Tracks: Crime Pays, No. 1 With a Bullet, Operation CB, Two to the Head
A Creative Follow Up
Following up Illmatic was always going to be a challenge. Although a critical success, Illmatic was not a great commercial success which may explain the change of direction with this project. Nas changed it up lyrically and musically, getting a whole new team in (Dr. Dre, Havoc, L.E.S., Live Squad & Trackmasters), with DJ Premier returning, and what you have is a fairly different album with a lil' more of a mainstream sound and some gangsta based lyrics. At first I underrated this album, but now every time I listen to it I like it more and more. If there was one thing to be negative about regarding this album, it's that despite its consistency, it doesn't have the supreme Nas tracks that most of his others have. There is brilliance but I don't think there is something at the quality of his absolute best like 'One Mic', 'It Ain't Hard to Tell', 'Nas Is Like' or so on present on this album. It is also let down from track 9 to 11, whereas every other song is quality. You get the feeling though that if Illmatic wasn't released and this was his first album it would almost be regarded as highly.
Beats: ★★★★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★★★
Hooks: ★★★★
Best Tracks: The Message, I Gave You Power, Take It in Blood, Shootouts, If I Ruled the World.
Helped Me Fall in Love With Rap
This was the first Nas album I heard and one of my first rap albums overall. I'd heard 'Hate Me Now' on a music video show and I couldn't get enough of it, and copped the album soon after. At the time I loved it and not a lot has changed years on. Now that I have heard his earlier albums, I can understand that after the brilliant Illmatic and It Was Written that some fans may be a tad disappointed with this, but I guess as I had a small catalogue of the genre at the time, I grew to love most of what's on offer. However, there are still many songs that I can't see not loving, no matter where this album came in someone's journey into Nas or hip hop. Overall, it does have a few more radio-friendly tracks like the Timbaland produced 'You Won't See Me Tonight', 'K-I-SS-I-N-G' and 'Hate Me Now', with Puff, which I guess could almost fit into that category at a reach, but as with Nastradamus, it isn't to the degree some may have you believe. Given that 'You Won't See Me Tonight' sounds like it was made for the radio, it is very surprising to me that it wasn't pushed as one first singles from this album and given a video.
Anyway, apparently this album was originally going to be a double-disc release with songs like 'Fetus' on it which appeared on The Lost Tapes three years later, but due to it being one of the first albums to be leaked through mp3s it was cut down to one disc.
Despite that though as it stands this is a more than solid Nas release with a good variety of tracks. There's the aggressive and bangin' 'Hate My Now', the conscious/political 'I Want to Talk to You', the eerie 'Undying Love', the radio-friendly 'You Won't See Me Tonight / We Will Survive' and the introspective 'Life is What You Make It' featuring on-screen mate (Belly) DMX, that offers a good mixture of hip hop. Lyrically it falls away toward the second half of the album with pop-rap songs, the main offenders being 'Dr. Knockboot', 'K-I-SS-I-N-G', 'Big Things', and 'Money Is My Bitch', which no doubt are the main reason people don't rate this album, but the production never falls away too much for any of these songs to be unlikable. However, while the beat on 'Money Is My Bitch' is poppy, lyrically Nas does what he did with 'You Gave Me Power' on It Was Written, and personifies an object, this time of course being money. It doesn't have the same impact but is an underrated tune. I've always dug the production for 'K-I-SS-I-N-G' with the R. Kelly sample, even if the lyrics aren't what Nas is known for.
Given the average light many fans see this in, it would be interesting how I would look at this if it hadn't been one of the first things I had heard in rap, but I guess I'm not Marty McFly so this album will always be looked upon as important in my musical journey.
Best Tracks: Nas Is Like, Hate Me Now, Favor for a Favor, Life Is What You Make It, Small World, Undying Love.
This starts off with some bangin' songs with the 'Intro' being particularly good. The high-pitched sampling that was common in the mid '00s is a feature on the first couple of tracks. The quality slowly drops from the second to the third song, but all are worth listening to. It drops further with 'So Much More' that sounds more pop-rappy than what came before and isn't one I'll be playing again. Joe borrows from Zapp’s 'Computer Love' for the average hook - "I know you've been searchin' for someone who".
Next, 'My Fofo' is a diss track directed at 50 Cent who has always deserved any hate coming his way. There are some decent lines but the beat isn't as good as it needs to be. There are better anti-50 songs like Game's many disses, Nas' 'Don't Body Urself', Ja's 'New York', to name a few. Cool & Dre produced this as well as 'New York' and it does sound quite similar. It also sounds like something was censored. At the end of the song, Joe says, "If I won't get you I will get your ......". It seems like the label cut it out. I assume it was something about his family.
'Rock Ya Body' is decent. I don't have a lot to say about it. The melody for 'Listen Baby' is nice and makes for an enjoyable contrast between the fairly bare hook and verses. At the end of the day though it's not a brilliant pop-rap song. 'Get It Poppin'' continues the pop-rap feel. Again, it's alright. It's no ''Wonderful'.
Finally, we get back to some realness. 'Temptation, Pt 1' and 'Temptation, Pt 2' both bring us back to some darker beats, themes and storytelling and are the best things on this album. To move things on faster, 'I Can Do U' has another nice melody and smooth hook. The man who was everywhere in the mid '00s takes over 'So Hot'. It feels like R. Kelly featuring Fat Joe. I'm a huge fan of Kelly but this isn't one of his best. Next, the classic 'Lean Back' gets remixed. I have never loved Ma$e on the mic. He has some good bars but he just sounds as if he needs some damn caffeine. I think I prefer the original. 'Beat Novocain', the moniker of DJ Khaled back in the day, keeps the energy going of 'Lean Back' with thumpin' production. You'll be bangin' your head as soon as the drums start! Then, from bangin', we move to a song that couldn't get any softer with 'Hold You Down'.
I like good, catchy pop-rap. There isn't anything great here though despite the many attempts at it. When the production is harder though, the album shines. There are a few tracks to go back to.
Best Tracks: Intro, Does Anybody Know, Temptation Pt1/2, Lean Back (Remix), Beat Novocain
