A Review of Nas' Fifth Album Stillmatic

In 2001, things weren't going particularly well for Nas. Sure, his last two albums had sold more than two million copies by this point. But the initial I Am... was meant to be a double album; having been bootlegged, Nas rushed out two mediocre albums within eight months of each other. The first sold well but was seen as overly commercial; and the second neither sold particularly well nor garnered any kind of acclaim, featuring his most over-the-top persona yet, Nastradamus. In addition, Nas appeared on Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest, a compilation that featured more generic gangster rap and club records from the once prophetic rapper. Increasingly seen as a joke by hip-hop circles, Nas had been called out by Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella camp at 2001's Summer Jam concert, after trading subliminal barbs with them during the previous few months. Responding with a freestyle over Rakim's Paid in Full beat, Jay-Z released his critically acclaimed album The Blueprint containing the vicious diss The Takeover, which mocked Nas' recent work.

Nas responded three months later with the fiery Stillmatic; the title, linked to his undisputed classic debut, was an affirmation of his lyrical superiority. Released shortly before the album was the character assassinating Ether, which assailed everything from Jay-Z's appearance, sexuality, early work, misogyny, street credibility, and associates. It's more vicious than The Takeover, which all the more surprising given the relative lack of battling in Nas' background. It's also surprising because of Illmatic, a singular event in hip-hop which conferred upon Nas, perhaps prematurely, the status of a hip-hop icon. Many hip-hop fans found it appalling that someone so seemingly hell-bent on crossover success as Jay-Z was (see his In My Lifetime, Vol. 1and Vol.2, Hard Knock Life, could call out artists such as Nas and Mobb Deep who had released classic and influential material. Further, Nas' Bravehearts notwithstanding, the battle was largely a Roc-A-Fella vs. Nas affair, as the origins of the dispute also involved Jay-Z's protégé Memphis Bleek, and would grow to include new signees State Property. The David vs. Goliath theme, the viciousness of what many perceived to be the first strike, The Takeover, and Nas' unquestioned (though arguably eroding status) as a hip-hop legend, set the stage for Ether.

But like Jay-Z, Nas knew the best response was releasing a solid album. While there are shots fired at Jay-Z throughout (see the rousing Got Urself a Gun and the haunting You're Da Man, among other tracks), Nas has put together a passionate defense of his legacy and abilities as an emcee. Stillmatic showcases Nas' storytelling ability (one of the best storytellers in the game), write poetic verses, and craft provocative songs. Take Rewind, a story told in reverse chronological order. Take the evocative imagery of Every Ghetto:

"Blessings of life to the children, they say life is like five days
Words of an old man with silver hair, in his wheelchair
His eyes were bloody while describing what lies before me
Said evil [women] and jealous men would try to destroy me"
...
My skin is an art gallery, right - with paintings of crucifixes
Hoping to save me from all the dangers in the music business."

Take 2nd Childhood, in which Nas tackles black underachievement, or the album's second single One Mic, a blistering soliloquy in which Nas raps the first two verses in a whisper, gradually raising his voice to a shout, and begins the third verses on a shout that declines to a whisper. Or My Country wherein Nas and Nashawn compare and contrast the experiences of convicts and the experiences of the military soldiers in Afghanistan.

There are a number of tracks about the recently begun Operation Enduring Freedom here. This is expected, as the 9/11 attacks were still fresh at the time of this release; and it provides an excellent backdrop for Nas' own war. Besides Jay-Z, he's got a few other scores to settle with lesser rappers. Unlike Jay-Z, he wisely engages them-Nature, Prodigy, and Cormega-on a separate track, Destroy and Rebuild, which interpolates KRS-One's infamous diss The Bridge is Over.

The album isn't all diss records and war, nor does it follow the template of Illmatic. Nas does reunite with some of Illmatic's producers, like L.E.S., Large Professor, and DJ Premier, but a pre-Autotune Ron Browz, Salaami Remi and Megahertz give it a distinctly different feel. There are more guests here too: Nashawan, Blitz, Amerie, and AZ, who joins Nas on the fly The Flyest.

There are a quiet a few other highlights, but few capture the magic of Nas as an emcee as well as What Goes Around, which addresses various issues affecting the black community: drug addiction, educational underachievement, AIDS, deadbeat fathers, and racial identity issues.

What makes this album so remarkable is that for the first time since his debut, Nas is rapping about things that genuinely interest and concern him without any concern for the commercial reception of the end-product. There's no concessions to radio, like Hate Me Now, or overblown production, like Nastradamus; the beats here are generally darker, but they fit Nas' contemplative lyrics. And there's a minimum of gangster posturing. Further, he shys away from the facile targets on display on I Am... or Nastradamus (Y2K, the Illuminati, government conspiracies), in favor of more concrete and relevant issues. The album also highlights Nas' willingness to take artistic risks, such as on One Mic or Rewind, which might to some come across as gimmicky.

Gone are the distasteful Nas Escobar and Nastradamus personas, replaced by an older, wiser Nasty Nas, who's once again put together an album worthy of his talents. This is by far the best album since his debut-focused, aggressive, provocative, and insightful.

Buy Nas' Stillmatic here:

Amazon

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Sources

Jason Birchmeier, Nas - Biography, Allmusic

Shaheem Reid, Nas vs. Jay-Z: Grade A Beef, MTV.com