Now that I've gotten my hands on this Nas album...

Orizio

I've got to say its a big disapointment.There are three out and out bangers on it-"Money Over Bull****","Carry On Tradition" and "Black Republicans".Hold Down The Block" is quite impressive lyrically as well.

Every other track is either plighted by Nas sounding completely disinterested or Nas himself getting outdone by those around him.Tracks 4-6 have already been cut from my iPod, as have "Hope","Play on Poppa" and "The N..."."The N..." is ruined by one of the worst hooks ever to grace a Nas track and the rest are either dull and/or poorly executed."Still Dreamin" is forgetable and lacks energy;Nas is completely upstaged by Tre Williams and Kanye's beat on 'Let There Be Light';he does nothing lyrically and MC wise with the well produced 'Blunt Ashes','Hustlers' and 'Can't Forget About You'.

3 mic album at best.Lyrically, where you expect Nas to excel, the likes of Boots Riley, Lupe Fiasco and Black Thought have outdone him this year.For the most part he lacks that hunger we saw on Stillmatic for example.The high points are great but too few.His worst album after SD and Nostradamus imo.

Jay Ru

His worst album after SD and Nostradamus imo.

i agree 100%

have to say i was fairly bored when i listened to it. nothin really stands out r really grabs ur attention. the 2 best mc's in the game released albums in the last 2 months and neither of them r what anybody expected, oh well just have to listen to the kenn starr album instead, its a much better listen!

Orizio

Jay Ru wrote:

i agree 100%

have to say i was fairly bored when i listened to it. nothin really stands out r really grabs ur attention. the 2 best mc's in the game released albums in the last 2 months and neither of them r what anybody expected, oh well just have to listen to the kenn starr album instead, its a much better listen!

Jay-Z certainly doesn't deserve to be seen as one of the best MC's in the game.After HHID, nor does Nas.

When you've gotten Hi-Tek and Ghostface dropping albums that are literally their second rate tracks that are better then Jay-Z and Nas' new stuff then maybe some MC's should be considering retirement.

Jay Ru

what bothers me, especially in nas's case is that he made such a big deal about the current state of hip hop and then he release's yet another sub par album. i've had another few listens to the album cus i really want it to grow on me but the more i listen the more i don't like. i was a bit disapointed with jay's new album but tbh i'm shocked by nas's latest effort. can somebody explain it to both of these mc's that alot of the reason that their first albums r now classic is down to production from the likes of pete rock, dj premier, clark kent and so on. and the only way they'll get back to this (real hip hop) sound is by using these producers, not the like of will.i.am and the rest. so if hip hop has died i think nas has just put another nail in the coffin

Orizio

The beats aren't a problem(for once) and will.i.am is a fine producer, although I don't like his stuff on this album.Besides every Premier beat I hear these days tend to be far to similar.The problem with the album is that Nas bores for about two thirds of it.

His choice in lead single is idiotic as well.The edited version of the title track is an absolute snooze and the video for it is a joke.It looks like Def Jam spent a whole tenner on it."Let There Be Light","Can't Forget About You" or even "Carry On Tradition" would have been far better choices with "Black Republicans" or "Hustlers" coming up next.Basically I've edited my version of the album to look like this, and it was a struggle to find so many tracks...

1. Money Over Bull****.
2. Hip-Hop Is Dead.(Explicit Version)
3. Carry On Tradition.
4. Hold Down The Block.
5. Black Republican.
6. Hustlers.
7. Let There Be Light.
8. Road To Zion.
9. Can't Forget About You.
10. Music For Life.
11. Shine On.

Kold

Nas was up there as one of my favourite artists, I bought every single album up until now. After hearing 'hip hop is dead' I actually can't be ****ed listening to the album and I damn well won't pay for that ****.

Orizio

Ah well I'd at least get a loan of the the album before you decide not to like it...:D
It was Def Jam that ruined the lead single not Nas.

Disapointing as the album is Nas still came up with one of the better verses this year...

Carry On Tradition wrote:

Now some of these new rappers got their caps flipped backwards
With their fingers intertwined in some gang-sign madness
I got an exam, let's see if y'all pass it
Let's see who can quote a Daddy Kane line the fastest
Some of you new rappers, I don't understand your code
You have your man shoot you, like in that Sopranos episode
Do anything to get in the game, mixtapes, you spit hate
Against bosses; hungry ****s are moraless
You should be tossed in a pit full of unfortunate vocalists

But you expect that and more...

Strange_Fruit

who ever was disappointed i can solve this problem in the future.

DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!!seriously,niggas brag about how good they album gonna be so you'll buy it.you were expecting too much.anyway,let it settle for a couple of days,leave it on in the background while playin the ps2 or whatever,and it'll grow,it ain that bad

Orizio

I doubt my opinion will change with time but we'll see.

Apparently Nas is selling 300,000.Imagine what he could have pushed with a decent lead single and good album?

As well as that Nas and Mega ended their beef last night at a concert.

Strange_Fruit

yeh i heard about the beef bein deaded.And as for him sellin more..i think he would have if jay z was smart enought to run def jam

Jay Ru

Strange_Fruit wrote:

.And as for him sellin more..i think he would have if jay z was smart enought to run def jam

care to go into some more detail?

gamb1or

Album is a 4/5 at least.

Strange_Fruit

Jay Ru wrote:

care to go into some more detail?

look how close the release dates were for his and jiggas album,plus the fact that jigga screwed like 2 of the biggest artists on the label.es,im holding a grudge..:D

billstraighten

i listened to the album like 8 times coz i wanted to like it but honestly i didnt like one track ..i was at the 7th track and i couldnt remember one stand out track

all over the net ..its being claimed as the best album of 06 ..its far from it ...IMO its the biggest let down of the year

Hi-tek,lupe fiasco,Az,obie trice, and snoop were the best

Kold

Finally given it a listen.


It's ****ing dire. I wasn't aware that 'disinterested' was an acceptable flow style.

Sm0ke

wow

im really shocked at the hate for this album!

I personally taught it was a solid album and have been bumpin it for the past 2 weeks, I had expected something bad tho maybe thats part of it!


the only song i can say i dislike is that who killed it song, WTf?!?

Kold

It's actually ****ing annoying, I don't know how someone can make Illmatic and Stillmatic or even ****ing God's Son, then try and pass this **** off. If he thinks Hip Hop is dead, why doesn't he come up with interesting songs instead of this bull****, sounds like so many other things crap?

Makaveli

I think it's decent enough. Then again, I had low expectations in the first place so I wasn't disappointed. Compared with SD it's a fair bit better imo.

Orizio

You seem to be very angry these days Kold.:)

Its an average album, just like all of his albums since Stillmatic,which was over rated anyway.Its not as bad as SD admittedly.And at least I get to look at Chrisette Michelle in his new video...:p

Kold

Well I was hungover and walking to college after my bus left early when I listened to it but I don't think I'm being harsh..

Orizio

Kold wrote:

Well I was hungover and walking to college after my bus left early when I listened to it but I don't think I'm being harsh..

You are being a little harsh in fairness.Money Over Bull****,Carry On Tradition,Black Republicans and Let There Be Light are acceptable enough.

Evzer

I used to be a huge nas fan but this album is absolute **** and its actually satisying to see its one of his lowest selling albums yet. 'Black Republicans' is the only decent tune on there and jay-z completely outshines nas aswell. How is he going to bring out a single called "Hip-hop is dead" with the biggest sell out in the universe on the hook? "And that can't forget about you"?? Christ. That sounds like something my da would listen to! and its actually infuriating to see him getting jocked by hip-hop media left right and center for the supposed lyrical genius of that 'who killed it' he bit the concept for that song from the gza and he knows it. Even snoop dogg serves him! And then he gets old mc name dropper a.k.a. the game(the only person in hiphop who comes close in the hypocrisy stakes) to drop a verse which is tantamount to aural fellatio on nas.

Nas fell off years ago and he's trying to use the 'Hip-hop is dead' thing as a publicity stunt to make himself relevant to the listener again. Where does your newlyweds reality show fit in to this new non commercial vision of hip-hop nas? huh?

Rant fin.

Orizio

Don't particurly disagree with your post but there are far worse tracks on the album then 'Can't Forget About You' and if your dad used to listen to Nat King Cole then your dad had an excellent taste in music.

Evzer

He's still alive yknow. that ish is coma inducing and has no place being sampled in a hiphop song and asides from that the mixing on the nas track is actually terrible

Dooom

Is it just me, or does Black Republican seem to be more of a Jay-Z feat. Nas track as opposed to the other way around? Nas just seems to be really quiet and seems like a "kid who sits on his own in class" type on it, and Jay-Z seems to dominate most of the track.
Just something that occured to me after a few listens of it. Great tune though, as are Money Over BS, Hustlers, Hold Down The Block and (imo, not many others) Hiphop Is Dead.
Rest of the album is meh at best.

Antamojo

It's an average album. There are 5 tracks max. that I could listen to a few times.
The rest are ****.
Some tracks have good production but are ruined by ****ty choruses (Blunt Ashes for example).
Kelis and Nas on Not Going Back makes my ears bleed, how horrible is that track? :mad:
Speaking of Jay-Z's album, my god.......