Nas is a Brooklyn rapper who has been around since the early 1990s when he broke out with his album “Illmatic.” Since then, he has released numerous projects and has been hailed as one of the greatest rappers and lyricists of all-time. This is his 11th studio album, his first since 2012’s “Life Is Good,” and the fourth in a series of albums produced by Kanye West known as the “Wyoming Sessions” chronology. This chronology started with Pusha T’s “DAYTONA,” moved forward with his own album “ye” and the KIDS SEE GHOSTS debut record, continued with this project here and will conclude next week with Teyana Taylor’s “KTSE.” Interestingly, this album has actually been teased at for a long time, all the way back to DJ Khaled’s 2016 album “Major Key,” which had a track called “Nas Album Done,” where he said the album was completed, and in the same year, Kanye apparently promised Barack Obama that he would produce the album.
Now, I’m not gonna lie here, I’m not super familiar with Nas as an artist. Obviously, he’s one of the most legendary and well-loved MCs ever, and off of that alone, I have respect for him, because you have to respect an artist that really makes it big and becomes one of the best ever, but I just unfortunately haven’t listened to a lot of his music. I’m not gonna make a ton of excuses for it, but I wasn’t initially raised on hip-hop music, I only just got into it pretty recently, so I wasn’t all that familiar with a lot of the legendary artists that helped shape the culture. That’s not to say I don’t like their music, I just haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and really listen to it that much. I’m hoping that lack of experience won’t impede my enjoyment of this project, though much like a lot of the other “Wyoming Sessions” albums, the shorter length might be cause for concern. Let’s see, though, if Nas pulls through!
Not For Radio (ft. Diddy and 070 Shake): Nas lets you know right from the jump that this track (and, perhaps the entire record) is not for radio (though at this point, I don’t think much of the “Wyoming Sessions” discography is really “for radio”), and he comes right out of the gate making a heavy political statement, one that’s actually very personal in that it deals with his own industry-related issues involving racism and finance. And I really dig the very grand, beautiful production on this one, it’s very heavenly and gorgeous, and I think Nas’s performance oozes confidence and energy. 070 Shake’s chorus is short but sweet and to the point, and I think Diddy’s ad-libs are actually more potent than the typical “rap ad-libs” in rap music today. Good stuff, a nice starter to the album.
Cops Shot The Kid (ft. Kanye West): A song that discusses the paranoia associated with police brutality and black-on-black violence occurring in the summertime, this one actually features several prominent samples, the first of which comes from legendary comedian Richard Pryor’s “Cops/The Line-Up” skit, and the other coming from the Slick Rick song “Children’s Story.” Said Slick Rick sample is actually very potent and, honestly, hearing “the cops shot the kid” on repeat throughout the whole song can be a bit annoying, I like Nas’s flow on this one, and the beat is really head-nodding and fun. Kanye’s verse is also very strong, and he once again establishes that his flow and energy are still here. Again, the only thing holding the song back for me is the repetitiveness of that “the cops shot the kid, the cops shot the kid, the cops shot the” thing. It’s definitely not a bad track, though.
White Label: Going by some of the lyrics on this track, Nas seems to take something of a braggadocious feel, but one that’s not entirely sure of itself, as he raps “laying on the most expensive beds, still I’m losin’ sleep” and he mentions how he could demand a million dollars upfront to provide a guest verse on a song, but that he won’t demand compensation for it, and instead that he’s motivated by his love for the culture. This one has some very vibrant, upbeat, and booming production (helped by a prominent sample of "Prison Song" by Iranian singer Shahram Shabpareh), and I think Nas’s flow and lyricism are some of his best on the record. And I also think the repetitive use of “I’m gonna” in the sample is not nearly as grating as it was on the last track, and the song as a whole is all the better for it.
Bonjour (ft. Tony Williams): I didn’t mention this earlier, but Nas has a really interesting lyrical theme going on with this album, where each of the songs is based on one of the Seven Deadly Sins. This one discusses the idea of lust, with Nas going into detail about his strong sexual attraction to women, and how to get past their restraint so that he may fulfill his desires. This more downtempo track has a really beautifully-sung hook by Tony Williams, and I think Nas has some of his most clever bars on the record on this one. I also think the switches between English and French are fascinating, and the really dark production on this one is fantastic. Really dig this song!
everything (ft. The-Dream and Kanye West): Continuing with the theme of basing each song off of the Seven Deadly Sins, Nas talks about greed here, basically discussing how he, along with featured artists The-Dream and Kanye West, could change anything in the world if they had everything they ever wanted. Interesting idea, and I think that The-Dream and Kanye make for great features, but I’m not gonna lie, seeing that the song is 7 and a half minutes long made my stomach drop a bit. Most of the tracks on these “Wyoming Sessions” albums have not been this long, so I did worry that this one would be weaker than most of the others. Luckily, though, I like Kanye and The-Dream’s more emotional, very pretty vocals on this one, and the very minimal production early on is quite beautiful. Nas takes a bit to come in, but his flow is fantastic and I can tell he put his heart into his performance on this one! Even at 7 and a half minutes, this is definitely one of the better tracks of the album!
Adam and Eve (ft. The-Dream): Interestingly, this track actually sees Nas talking about what he does daily, and he ties this into how the current generation essentially follows the pattern of what their parents do, without really trying to change their living condition in comparison to what their parents’ generation tried to do. I really love the production on this one, the keys are oddly fun, and they mesh surprisingly well with the fast-paced drum beat. Nas also has really great, rapid-fire flow on here and he once again drops a lot of really clever bars on this one. I think The-Dream’s vocals are very nice on the hook, and he helps to round out a really great track!
Simple Things: Rounding things out, we have a track about jealousy, as Nas talks about how criticism of his personal life is disguised as others being envious of him, concluding that he simply wants peace and happiness for himself and for his children, and how he just wants to appreciate the simple things in life. The production is also very heavenly, and I also love Nas’s bars about how he’s a lyrical rapper that’s not all about the production on his songs, and how he doesn’t really want to sound like everything on the Top 40. It’s odd, though because I actually find the production on this album really strong (though that’s probably because Kanye handled it), but I do like how he addresses his critics here, and I think that by ending with the bar about wanting happiness for his kids that he rounds out the album wonderfully.
Overall, I can see why many hold Nas up as one of the greatest lyricists, because hot damn, an album with lyrical themes tied to the Seven Deadly Sins is something pretty cool that I haven’t gotten to recently explore on any album that I’ve reviewed. And beyond that, I think that the production on this album is top-notch and that, beyond being a great lyricist, Nas really comes through as a very interesting performer here. He’s got plenty of energy, really interesting flows that remain fascinating throughout the record, and an ear for some really great features. And, while I criticized the recent “Wyoming Sessions” albums for being too short and needing a little more meat to them, I actually found the length of this album to not be a bad thing, because I think that, outside of maybe “Cops Shot The Kid” (which might even grow on me with a few listens), the album was very consistent, and I found that the seven tracks were very fulfilling.
Now, in regards to what longtime Nas fans will think of the album…I have no idea. Again, this was my first experience listening to Nas, and I can say that I was very satisfied with it, but I’m not 100% sure what longtime fans of his will think of this record. I can hope they’ll support it and give it some good listens, because I do think he’s really coming through with some really great songs here, but I can’t speak for them because I’m a first-time listener. Even so, I can say that, from the experience of a first-timer, I already have a good idea of why Nas is such a critically-acclaimed rapper, and I definitely think this is another strong release from the “Wyoming Sessions” discography. Hopefully, Teyana Taylor’s album can round things out nicely next week.
Favorite tracks: Not For Radio, White Label, Bonjour, everything, Adam and Eve, Simple Things
Least favorite tracks: Cops Shot The Kid (if I really had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
everything (ft. The-Dream and Kanye West): Continuing with the theme of basing each song off of the Seven Deadly Sins, Nas talks about greed here, basically discussing how he, along with featured artists The-Dream and Kanye West, could change anything in the world if they had everything they ever wanted. Interesting idea, and I think that The-Dream and Kanye make for great features, but I’m not gonna lie, seeing that the song is 7 and a half minutes long made my stomach drop a bit. Most of the tracks on these “Wyoming Sessions” albums have not been this long, so I did worry that this one would be weaker than most of the others. Luckily, though, I like Kanye and The-Dream’s more emotional, very pretty vocals on this one, and the very minimal production early on is quite beautiful. Nas takes a bit to come in, but his flow is fantastic and I can tell he put his heart into his performance on this one! Even at 7 and a half minutes, this is definitely one of the better tracks of the album!
Adam and Eve (ft. The-Dream): Interestingly, this track actually sees Nas talking about what he does daily, and he ties this into how the current generation essentially follows the pattern of what their parents do, without really trying to change their living condition in comparison to what their parents’ generation tried to do. I really love the production on this one, the keys are oddly fun, and they mesh surprisingly well with the fast-paced drum beat. Nas also has really great, rapid-fire flow on here and he once again drops a lot of really clever bars on this one. I think The-Dream’s vocals are very nice on the hook, and he helps to round out a really great track!
Simple Things: Rounding things out, we have a track about jealousy, as Nas talks about how criticism of his personal life is disguised as others being envious of him, concluding that he simply wants peace and happiness for himself and for his children, and how he just wants to appreciate the simple things in life. The production is also very heavenly, and I also love Nas’s bars about how he’s a lyrical rapper that’s not all about the production on his songs, and how he doesn’t really want to sound like everything on the Top 40. It’s odd, though because I actually find the production on this album really strong (though that’s probably because Kanye handled it), but I do like how he addresses his critics here, and I think that by ending with the bar about wanting happiness for his kids that he rounds out the album wonderfully.
Overall, I can see why many hold Nas up as one of the greatest lyricists, because hot damn, an album with lyrical themes tied to the Seven Deadly Sins is something pretty cool that I haven’t gotten to recently explore on any album that I’ve reviewed. And beyond that, I think that the production on this album is top-notch and that, beyond being a great lyricist, Nas really comes through as a very interesting performer here. He’s got plenty of energy, really interesting flows that remain fascinating throughout the record, and an ear for some really great features. And, while I criticized the recent “Wyoming Sessions” albums for being too short and needing a little more meat to them, I actually found the length of this album to not be a bad thing, because I think that, outside of maybe “Cops Shot The Kid” (which might even grow on me with a few listens), the album was very consistent, and I found that the seven tracks were very fulfilling.
Now, in regards to what longtime Nas fans will think of the album…I have no idea. Again, this was my first experience listening to Nas, and I can say that I was very satisfied with it, but I’m not 100% sure what longtime fans of his will think of this record. I can hope they’ll support it and give it some good listens, because I do think he’s really coming through with some really great songs here, but I can’t speak for them because I’m a first-time listener. Even so, I can say that, from the experience of a first-timer, I already have a good idea of why Nas is such a critically-acclaimed rapper, and I definitely think this is another strong release from the “Wyoming Sessions” discography. Hopefully, Teyana Taylor’s album can round things out nicely next week.
Favorite tracks: Not For Radio, White Label, Bonjour, everything, Adam and Eve, Simple Things
Least favorite tracks: Cops Shot The Kid (if I really had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
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