My Bass Rocks

Let’s just put it out there…When it comes to new Nas albums (post God’s Son) I’m the first one to feel a little skeptical. He’s arguably the best lyricist in the game, and anyone who has followed his past works more than likely shares a certain level of expectation. Such LP’s as Illmatic, It Was Written, God’s Son, and Stillmatic are all solid entries to his overall catalog, but the remaining albums are somewhat lacking.

That being said, I was a little hesitant about his latest entry Untitled…

However, after giving Untitled a proper listen through, it is obvious that this is easily one of the better albums Mr. Jones put together. The primary flaw with most of his later records (i.e. Streets Disciple) is that they sound like a conglomerate of random tracks thrown together. Of these tracks, there are maybe three or four that make any lasting impression on the listener…To my surprise, Untitled manages to completely avoid this fate. As a matter of fact, it may be the first album since Illmatic that sounds like a complete piece of work from start to finish.

It begins with “Queens Get the Money,” which uses a sample from the flick I Am Sam (produced by Jay Electronica).  Here he gets his spoken word on, since the beat itself is so subtle.  This track works perfectly, to let the listener know where Nas is trying to take them:

From here on out, we are taken on a musical journey through the brilliant mind of Nasir Jones.  Here are some of the highlights:

“You Can’t Stop Us Now”

“Sly Fox”

“Fried Chicken (feat. Busta Rhymes)”

And the heat continues from there…However, to single out individual tracks is doing the record injustice.  Honestly, the entire album as a whole is the best highlight overall.  The biggest surprise for me though, is a track that I didn’t expect to enjoy at all.  This track is “Hero,” as produced by Polow Da Don:

When I first heard this single, I immediately thought “here we go again…”  But, after giving it multiple listens, “Hero” has seriously grown on me.  Mainly due to how ferocious his lyrics are:

Another chapter of the cleanest rapper/
Distinguished gentlemen/
Crooks and castle on his back/
Maybach-er, exotic lady eye-catcher/
Holla at’cha, call me the chiropractor/
Working like Muay Thai class/
Get perspire out ya/
And of course I’ve been the boss since back when/
Rocking D Boy, Fila, velour in 190 black Benz/
Now they shut down the stores when I’m shopping/
Used to be train robbing, face covered in stocking/
I’m him/

Murdered…I mean what?  I was especially stunned at his delivery here, because it reminds me of the Nas I remember from back in the day.  Overall, this track snuck up on me and now I understand the vision behind “Hero.”

When it’s all said and done, I am completely stunned at how incredible this album is as a whole.  The problem with most hardcore Nas fans is that they expect an Illmatic every time he steps in the booth.  They have to understand that this is Nas in 2008, not 1992.  I stongly believe that Untitled is the album Nas has been meaning to make for several years now, and it’s a refreshing listen in this overall disappointing time in music.  I for one am now an even bigger Nas fan than before (crazy right?), and hope Nas keeps slapping us in the face with more albums like this…It’s too early to throw around the word “classic,” but this is the closest thing to a classic that I’ve heard from Nasir in recent memory.  I’ll make sure to update the grade if my mind changes in the upcoming months.

Overall: 8 (out of 10)

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