“Hip Hop is Dead”……6 Mic Album?
NAS – The Hip Hop Imam
There is a resounding YESSSSS…. ( in my best Marv Albert voice)…. I mean come on people before the 4th Quarter the state of Hip Hop was WACK! After listening to this masterpiece, I have to say Officially……. NAS is KING! First let me preface this blog with the point that I am NOT a HUGE NAS fan. My favorite MC’s have passed on or probably will never put out solo albums (Andre 3000/Q-Tip)……. Let’s just believe that my views come from a non-bias perspective and has Hip Hop’s best interest in mind.. OK….so let me breakdown why this album is so great…. I got to bullet point it for u…lol
- “Hip Hop is Dead” is a PURE Hip Hop album…. Pure in the sense that there are no singles, no party records, no down south records….. It’s all Hip Hop straight from the gut! Today most rappers use a formula (Fat Joe-“Make it Rain”.. basura) in an attempt to produce a decent product and obviously this approach has not been successful. Or there would be no lane for NAS… Right?
- “Hip Hop is Dead” pushes the envelope as a quality album should…. For some reason…. someone sent out a memo that we as listeners could not be challenged mentally and musically.
- All U have to do is listen to track 3 “Carry on Tradition” & track 16 “Hope“ ….accapella…. Hip Hop at its finest…..
- Few features……NAS does not have his brother, sister, or cousin Debo on the album…. The album features Kanye (The Buppy version of NAS), Snoop (King of the West), and The Game (Leader of the New School aka Human Ether)…. all artist who add value to this opus.
- As my dude Joe Colli said…. “The sequencing is BEAUTIFUL”. Unfortunately, in our “Microwave Society”, there is a true lack of well thought out albums being released. Sonically U can tell NAS really put his best foot forward to ensure the listener has an enjoyable experience.
· “Hip Hop is Dead” is masterful in that it has started a real dialogue and forced all participants in the Hip Hop culture to question their contributions towards its progression.
- The MOST important point…. This Album has PASSION! Unlike other albums that came out this yr ( The Black Album 2.1), this album will ooze Hip Hop thru your speakers, IPOD, or laptop!
Many artists from other regions have taken offense to comments made by NAS…. and U know why? Because they know in their heart…..NAS is 100% right. If these comments did not have merit there would be no reason to acknowledge the “jabs” made NAS. Am I right? If someone calls u out your of name you would only get angry if u know in your heart there was truth to the comments…. So I encourage the following to STEP THEIR GAME UP:
- 50 Cent (Lackluster Yr for the Unit… I hope Rich Harrison helps)
- Eminem…( YES, I respect him…but he ain’t top 5)
- Lil Wayne ( I don’t think HE gets the basics….lay off the coke man)
- T.I. ( I LUV u T.I.P……but U are the “King of the South”…and that is where your problems start….. a bit too provincial….. T.I.P needs to take his show Int’l )
If these cats (barring Jay….) are so offended…..Let your music do the talking and put out a 6 MIC album….That is the NEW standard! “Hip Hop is Dead” is a memo to the Hip Hop Culture STEP YOUR GAME UP!
- Jay-Z….. I feel after putting out “The Black Album 2.1 aka “Kingdom Come”, he will be inspired to put out a better product next time around. Hopefully when Hov puts down his Heineken…I mean Budweiser bottle …. he will get back into the zone.
As a fan of GOOD Music, I am truly happy with the state of Hip Hop right now. Lupe, Game, Snoop, and Hov (to some extent) warmed up the chair for the current KING of HIP HOP NAS……. NASIR JONES properly understands his role as the Hip Hop Imam…..leading Hip Hop into its next “Golden Era”. 2007 should be a very interesting year for Hip Hop Music/Culture….. Detox album coming!
~Time to Shake,
YG
P.S. Thx to Hov for being smart enough to get onboard with the movement…. 😉
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I listend to Jay’s album last night as I was “getting my grown man on”. Nowadays that means I was on my laptop working in the living room, while my wife did the same in our home office” After listening to “Beach Chair” a couple times, I realized that although I wasn’t blown away with “Kingdom Come”, I love what Jay is doing in terms of his growth. Even the great Michael Jordan needed a game or two to get back to his glorious form after he came back from Baseball.
I actually looked forward to the subway ride to work this morning, because it would be the time I needed to concentrate on Nas’album. Haven’t finished yet, but I will say I love the growth. Jay and Nas are showing Hip Hop that the streets make it relevant, but its about growth. I’m proud of these to cats. They will get a lot of flack, but hopefully they will help put to bed the singlemindedness that killed hip hop.
“He gonna think he know how its going, but show him the ropes. And if you bring him to the Gucci store show him the loafs. Hood N$#s i’m just showing you growth.”
-Jadakiss, By Your Side
I totally agree with you!
mad props for that statement and the whole blog.
much respect from Belgium
DJ PSAR
P.S.A. Radio
http://www.djpsar.com
I recently heard audio from a radio interview with Young Jeezy where he was taking shots at Nas. the interview was with monie love and I would venture to say Jeezy didnt know who she was in terms of hip hop relevance….I think that says it all in terms of Nas’ challenge….”Quick let’s see who can recite a Daddy Kane verse the fastest”. Just cause you hustled dont make you hip hop….good ish YG keep it coming.
This album is literally one of the best ever. It takes many levels of understanding the Hip-Hop community, its history, the questions that resound at its core, to truly vibe with the album.
Problem with lots of critics of Hip-Hop music, artists, albums, don’t really listen to Hip-Hop music. I mean, really. I don’t mean in the “they’ve never heard a Rakim album,” way. But literally, “I didn’t really listen to the album, or the whole song, I just don’t like it.”
People have a hell of a lot of very strong opinions about things they know very little about.
Money Over Bullshit is honest, afraid not of non of these… but of our own strength.
You Can’t Kill Me is nostalgic to our earliest days of learning how to make an industry song.
Carry On Transition is clear and timely. Lifers walk with this.
Where Are They Now is beneficent and merciful.
Hip-Hop Is Dead is thought provoking, and just literally people aren’t listening.
Who Killed It is answering lots of questions.
Black Republican is daring, and the appropriateness of that beat, man.
Not Going Back is appropriate.
Still Dreaming is early morning eating breakfast making decisions about how the day will be spent.
Hold Down The Block, use your imagination and build with that man.
Blunt Ashes speaks of metaphysics. People don’t release, people don’t question, slowly, differently.
Let there be light. Nothing else to say. Let there be light.
Playa on Playa is requesting.
Can’t Forget About You is amazing. There comes a day in your life, is such a better description of our success, than life is like a beach-chair. I need a moment y’all, I almost felt a tear drop, is so much more my side of the story.
Hustlers, is indicative of the state, yes the State.
Hope. Hope. Let me say, it will never die. It’s good to hear thoughts backed by such strong silence.
Regarding sequencing, this is the best album since Only Built for Cuban Linx.
And yes I’m buying three copies! One for myself, one for the Hip-Hop Association archives, and one for this homeless man I see on 125th every day simply listening to his CD player. As I buy him breakfast, I’ll tell him this is the best Hope we have.
Thanks Larry.
-Peace.
pls i will like to kown your full name and history