Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead Review
Posted by Phil Watts, Jr on 12.26.2006
You may be annoyed by the album’s title, but it could’ve been worse: It could’ve been called NAS-DAQ DOW JONES!
"I can’t fault Nas for making the change that he did (in his career direction): I actually think I personally eye witnessed the change from Nasty to Escobar. I sat two rows behind Nas at the dreaded Second Annual Source Awards...I actually watched his sad body cringe in embarrassment as Brooklyn’s finest took all of the awards for Ready to Die. Most notably, when the nominations were read for best lyricist, I could see happy anticipation from the gesture of his shoulders and the many backpats that he received from Mobb Deep and Wu-Tangers who were surrounding him and letting him know that this award had Nasty’s name stamped all over it. I knew better, as Biggie, just moments before, had miraculously taken the award for Best Live Performance from [the Roots] and KRS-ONE!!! (imagine that).
Anyway, I don’t wanna blame a pivotal moment in Nas’ career on someone who is not here right now but, when they read Big’s name as the winner, it had to have been the moment that Clark Nasty was fiending for a phone booth to transform into Super Escobar. In other words, right now the objective was to now beat ‘em at their own game...So, this is where the problem lies. A man is now faced with a major dilemma: Either bask in the embarrassment of watchin’ someone pull a coup on your hard work or forever suffer the wrath of die-hard followers." (?uestlove, in his review of the I AM album.)
Damn…the 1996 Source Awards ruined a lot. Not only was it the sight where Suge Knight brought the West Coast dominance to a screeching halt (with Outkast letting off the first shots of the South’s current dominance: “I’m sick of all the closed minds, people…All I’ma tell you is the South’s got something to say, too…”), and it was also the event that saw Nas get snubbed by the very people that awarded his debut with 5 Mics. It leaves you to wonder what would’ve happened if he actually got those awards…maybe, just maybe, Nas would’ve continued to record more albums like ILLMATIC. But because of the period in which this all occurred in (the height of the bloody Big/Pac feud, the ‘King Of New York’ elections, etc.), Nas had to do everything he could think of to compete with all that…even if it meant changing his image, and doing whatever’s hot at the time.
…and thus begins the love/hate relationship that a lot of people (myself included) have with Nas.
Sadly, every album after ILLMATIC has been, among other things, inconsistent. Yes, Nas still carries the lyricism and his amazing narrative abilities, but in his post-ILLMATIC outings, he has to do everything he can to please everyone…you know the deal: the street track for all the thugs; the club track for all the clubhoppers; the girly track for all the chicks; a track to please whatever trend is hot at the moment; and of course, a track to please the die-hards. Nas’ direction change sent a message to every MC out there: the days of making consistent, thorough albums is over. If you want to get over, you have to please everyone. Is it any wonder why there hasn’t been that many consistent Hip-Hop albums similar to ILLMATIC to ever make it big in the mainstream? THAT is what ’killed’ Hip-Hop. It’s highly ironic that Nas’ latest effort involves telling everyone about Hip-Hop’s ‘demise’ when he himself is partially responsible.
But through it all, there is one thing the most can count on; unlike Nas’ former rival (and current boss), there’s no way he’ll ever ’dumb down his vocals to double his dollars’, as he still displays the lyricism and the storytelling abilities that got him noticed in the first place. This makes it frustrating, since you have to zone out some of the blandest beat selections just to hear him. “Carry On Tradition”, Nas talks about how the mentalities of a lot of the bitter, resentful veterans and the ignorant young stars are a detriment to Hip-Hop’s growth. “Some of you new rappers/I don’t understand your code/you have your man shoot you like that Soprano episode…” (I wonder who he could be talking about. Hmmm…). Sadly, he chooses another bland Storch beat for it. The title track is another head-scratcher. Is it just me, or is Will.I.Am trying to tailor Nas for top 40 pop radio with this silly classic rock track? If Hip-Hop truly is dead, she’s definitely rolling in h.e.r. grave right now. (And please don’t get me started on will’s even sillier stab at making a track out of Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable”). To continue the silliness, Nas goes on “Who Killed It” trying to rhyme using the voice of a cornball cop looking for Hip-Hop’s murderer. Definitely one of Nas’ most embarrassing career moves. “Not Going Back” is more proof that nothing good ever comes out of Nas/Kelis colabs. Kanye West comes in to try to help out, but his contributions are lackluster, with the snooze-fest “Still Dreaming” (which Nas does a decent verse telling the story of a girl who ruined her career as a newscaster to a life of drugs) and the sappy “Let there be Light”. Dr. Dre comes in with another bland-as-hell track for the song “Hustlers”, where Nas colabs with the Game. The Game’s career would be much better off if he stops acting like an obsessive fan all the goddamn time.
However, of all these songs, only one song signifies everything wrong with Nas’: “Blunt Ashes”. In this song, Nas brings an interesting concept, talking about how he learned from some of the worst tragedies of black music, like the deaths of Phyllis Hyman and Donny Hathaway, the murder of Roger Troutman, Alexander O’Neal’s drug problems, David Ruffin beating on Tammi Terrell, Bobby Womack marrying Sam Cooke’s widow no soon after he died, and many others. Unfortunately, Nas makes the boneheaded decision of bring in pro-ballplayer Chris Webber to hook up some horrid track using some cheap-ass keyboard. (Come on, Webber…I know you could afford more than THAT on YOUR fuckin’ salary!) Here, you have the makings of what could’ve been a great song…all blown to chunks because of Nas’ poor taste in beats.
Thankfully, there are some highlights here. The ever-faithful L.E.S. comes through with an ALC-style working of Herbie Hancock’s “Sly” to compliment Nas’ hustling stories in “Can’t Kill Me”. (By the way, Herbie’s HEADHUNTERS album is a must-have, whether you’re a jazz fan or not!) “Black Republican” is the much hyped Nas/Jay-Z collaboration. It’s everything you’d expect. It’s obvious who’s carrying who here, as Nas shines the most. Jigga needs to step his game up, for real. Nas also does a decent colab with Snoop Dogg in “Play On Playa”, one of the few decent Scott Storch tracks that actually reminds me that this man was a member of the Roots. Nas does his own version of Madlib’s “Rapcats” with “Where Are They Now”, where Nas name-drops MC’s who used to be in the limelight over a classic James Brown break. This is truly the highlight of the album. The album ends with “Hope”, a nice little Nas acapella about his love for Hip-Hop. It could do without the chorus chicks, but it’s still a nice way to bring the album to a close. All this and the fact that there are no political tracks on this album whatsoever (Nas’ original explanation of the HIP-HOP IS DEAD title is that America’s corruption and the Bush Administration killed Hip-Hop, which I though was just flat-out ludicrous) is enough to keep me from unleashing that ’anti-Nas pissfest’ I promised.
The Good (“Halftime”): “You Can’t Kill Me”, “Where Are They Now”, “Black Republican”, “Play On Playa”, “Hope”
The Bad (“Oochie Wally”): “Hip-Hop Is Dead”, “Who Killed It”, “Still Dreaming”, “Hustlers”
The 411: All and all, Nas is still one of the illest MC’s on the planet. Only few can touch his lyricism and his narrative capabilities. However, Nas needs to get over his fear of another ’96 Source Awards situation and start bringing in producers that can properly compliment him. For all of his savior-of-Hip-Hop posturing, he’s still trying to beat everyone at their own game instead of just being him, which is what got people concerned about him in the first place. The airplay that “Made You Look” (from GOD’S SON) received is proof that that an ILLMATIC-style record can indeed work if properly pushed. Nas can make an entire album like that easily, but he’s going to have to get over that fear. If Nas is ever going to save Hip-Hop, he‘s going to have to save himself.
By the way, Nas…you remember that album with DJ Premier that you promised us in SCRATCH Magazine? Get on it. Now. And Make sure Jigga pushes that shit HARD.
