NAS
Hip Hop is Dead
Def Jam
· Had Jay-Z received the memo early enough that hip hop is dead, maybe he would not have released his dreadful comeback album last year (kidding!).
(Let's make this clear: There will never, ever be another Illmatic. Those, perhaps including Nas himself, who would even dare to compare his sublime, one-in-a-billion debut to any of his subsequent works are likely to think Da Vinci could have improved on the Mona Lisa. Stop this delusion, OK?)
Nasir Jones's latest CD is a logical next step for an aging rapper trying to hold onto/reclaim his elite status. After all, when your crib is no longer street-level, and your pimped-out ride is the latest and greatest money can buy, how are you going to keep it real? (Partial) answer: reminisce about the good ol' days and what got you there.
Hip Hop is Dead plays out like a history lesson of sorts, with Nas paying homage to the pioneers of the hip hop genre on a number of songs. He name-drops old-school rappers on "Where Are They Now?" as easily as Barry Bonds rolled on his teammates when tested positive for drugs. Other songs like "Carry On Tradition" and the title track (props to will.i.am's masterful production) also carry on this theme of looking back to move forward from the gigantic shadow of Illmatic. On these songs, Nas is at the top of his game, but when he begins to lay down shit like "Who Killed It" with wife, Kelis, the CD falls flatter than synthetic basketballs in the NBA. It's obvious the post-Illmatic Nas still has some work to do to become more than just a moderately relevant, modern-day rapper. Right now, he fits well with the past.
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