Since the next project in the Jay-Z discography for me to review happens to be his first collaboration with R. Kelly (which I don't really want to have to listen to again), I figure it's time to introduce a little procrastination, and cover a Nas record first instead, one universally regarded as one of his best. And get this - it's not even a studio album!!
Some of my loyal readers may remember my review for Nasir Jones' third studio album, I Am..., more specifically the opening paragraphs in which I discussed that project's initial double album concept, a vision that was put to sleep when half of the LP was leaked via MP3 technology, forcing Nas to re-record the album, which resulted in a very inconsistent yet still pretty good final result. What this did mean, however, was that there were a bunch of unreleased Nas tracks that were either floating around the interweb like directionless eels, or sitting in a hard drive in the Colombia offices having never actually seen the light of day. Some speculated that Nastradamus would consist of these unreleased records, but nope - only two songs on that album were actually taken from the I Am... The Autobiography sessions, with the rest being recorded from the sofa of Nas' apartment whilst he was half asleep and fighting a nasty head cold (or at least that's what I presumed, having listened to the album). It's also rumoured that a couple of the more Nas-centric joints on that QB Finest album I reviewed were taken from the double album, but even if that was the case there are only so many songs on there to prominently feature the man, and even they can't all be from The Autobiography.
By the time Nas released Got Ur Self a Gun as the lead single for Stillmatic, many presumed that these songs were never going to see official release, as they were recorded in a darker period of his life, one the man may not wished to have revisited at any time in the near future. So, when promotional pressings of Stillmatic were issued with a bonus sampler and promotional image-behind-the-disc (or whatever that's called) for something called "The Lost Tapes", fans were ecstatic - it looked like Nas was ready to put out these tracks after all, and by the time the buzz from the incredible Stillmatic record had died down in mid-2002, The Lost Tapes was primed and ready to hit stores.
Fans of Nasir who hadn't already heard the bootleg versions of these tracks probably picked this one up expecting some pretty solid cuts reminiscent of the I Am... album, perhaps without the radio-friendly guff that appeared on there, but not much more. What they got from this entirely solo record was something different - a cult classic with some of the best rapping and production ever heard on a Nas LP. That's right, this thing is widely regarded as one of the best projects Nas ever released, and is often held alongside and even above the proper studio albums Nas put out at this time, Stillmatic and God's Son, and that's pretty high praise, considering those are both often considered some of the best hip-hop albums of the early 2000s. And this album has no features! None whatsoever! So, looks like it'll be an impressive listen, but was it? Well, we know who's duty it is to tell you...
1. Doo Rags (prod. Precision)
The opening track here seems like it would have originally appeared early on in the I Am... The Autobiography tracklist, as Nas spends most of this one talking about his teenage and young adult years, and about the trends, and the mindset he was in. He also speaks as his current self on some societal issues, obviously nothing new for Nasir. I don't want to deliver spoilers, but I think I can say with the confidence that this is a top 3 track on The Lost Tapes - Precision's instrumental, that reminds me of Kanye West's Late Registration for some reason, is absolutely beautiful, the chorus from Nas is brilliant, and all three of his verses sound focused and thematic, with great flow and delivery matching the mood of the music. This is one fantastic opening track. I mean, how can you not love that piano?
2. My Way (prod. The Alchemist)
Even though this album is often remembered as a collection of purely content from I Am... The Autobiography, there's actually a few Stillmatic leftovers thrown in there too, this being one of them. Why this was left off and not "My Country", which had a hook that sounded like it was recorded while Nas was drunk and unaware his vocals were being recorded, is anyone's guess. This one contains a very potent instrumental from The Alchemist, which is intense and relaxing simultaneously somehow, and on it Nas talks about the pros and cons of fame - yes, it's not exactly new subject matter for the genre, but Nas touches on it in his own way. The part about Ill Will was touching, and the chorus on here is all kinds of catchy too. Why he included the line "alcoholic, on toilets I shit blood" I don't know, but everything else here is simply excellent in my opinion. Great cut.
3. U Gotta Love It (prod. L.E.S.)
This one contains the only vocal that doesn't come from Nasir on the whole record - the "it's what they want, huh" is taken from an Esco track, but it's actually AZ's vocal, from the song "Affirmative Action". This track includes an L.E.S. beat that you would swear was actually provided by a certain young Alchemist, and on it Nas appears to discuss a multitude of subjects, including his sex life, his aspirations as a child and even his preference of gun. The track is thematically a bit random, and tied together by a hook that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but still, this track does work quite well, what with the nice instrumental and some very good Nas bars in there. An enjoyable track.
4. Nothing Lasts Forever (prod. L.E.S.)
Originally titled "Make It Last" according to the aforementioned sampler released with the first few pressings of Stillmatic, a fact I'm sure no-one else finds interesting, but there we go. Anyhow, this track is fucking great, as Nas raps about what you would expect from the title - the changing dynamic of where he grew up, and the people he used to be friends with. The track is very reminiscent and slightly sad, and is only made more so by the fantastic L.E.S. beat which would probably have the best piano loop on here if it wasn't for the fact two of the best piano loops in hip-hop full stop appear elsewhere on the tracklist (that'd be "Doo Rags", and one that's yet to come - see if you can guess it). The hook is ever so slightly cheesy, but Nas' verses make up for that, and I'll be damned if that beat doesn't at least make you feel something.
5. No Idea's Original (prod. The Alchemist)
For all you Wu-Tang heads out there, this one includes exactly the same sample used in Ghostface Killah's track "The Watch", which was probably recorded around exactly the same time as this one. Interestingly, both tracks were intended for the artist's 2001 albums, but removed and revealed on later projects (well, "The Watch" did leak before Bulletproof Wallets was even released, but whatever). That sample definitely sets this one apart from the sound of the first four songs - where they all featured mellow, piano-based instrumentals, this one is percussion heavy and features prominent electric guitar, and also only features one long Nas verse, which I'm sure most will appreciate. The track deals with the workings of Nas' mind, and is almost like a diatribe of his thoughts looking at the outside world, ending with some spiritual bars that include one of the man's more profound lines - "God or guns, which is better protection?". The track isn't as pretty as the last four, but it's still damned good, that's for sure.
6. Blaze a 50 (prod. L.E.S. & Poke and Tone (The Trackmasters))
So far, The Lost Tapes has been a fairly mellow ride that the whole family can enjoy, but that all stops here, as Nas spends "Blaze a 50" spitting one of the more brutal storytelling tracks of his career. Interestingly, this one was originally leaked as part of the I Am... The Autobiography album, despite being (let's hope) a false narrative. On this one, Nas meets a woman whilst at one of his exclusive parties, who tells him that she doesn't like her husband much anymore, and if he were to die she would get a hefty wad of cash out of it. Nas hears this, decides to fuck this woman, and then go ahead and kill the husband and the maid he's apparently having an affair with, only to change his identity along with the woman. He then decides that if she is to get scared and go to the police, he'll be the one to suffer, so he replaces her cocaine with smashed glass (how the fuck didn't she notice that??), causing her to die from internal bleeding, and so he can keep all the money for himself. Or that's what I got out of it, anyway. The storytelling on here is intense, shocking and incredibly unique, and it's only made better by the intense instrumental that I'm shocked to find The Trackmasters had a hand in. I mean, this shit doesn't even sample anything! Anyway, this is easily one of the best songs here.
7. Everybody's Crazy (prod. Rockwilder)
Another one taken from the Stillmatic sessions, and since this beat has very little in the way of a melody, instead a kind of electric pulsating sound with fairly tame drums in the background, you can probably tell it was produced by Rockwilder, who tended to provide a lot of instrumentals with this same formula - seriously, listen to this and Jay-Z's "Do It Again", and you'll see the beats are very similar, only this one has a more relaxed tone to it. This is probably the worst instrumental on this whole album, but that doesn't mean the song is bad, as Nas gets a bit aggressive and spits some convincing threats at you that actually don't really fit the tone of this beat at all, but still sound good nonetheless. This one is problematic, but I definitely wouldn't sleep on it. It's still pretty dope.
8. Purple (prod. Hill, Inc.)
The most popular song on this album by quite some margin, seemingly due to the fact that this is simply a great song. Production on this one comes from something called "Hill, Inc.", which sounds like a group that would make cheap early 2000s beats that aged horribly, but actually made something quite beautiful here (they also produced the beat for Busta Rhymes' incredible single "Where's Your Money", another track on this album, a song on Large Professor's solo debut, and absolutely nothing else). Nas' flow on this one is simply sublime, but really I could say that about every song here, and the lyrical content that discusses some of the ills he sees around him (that he uses the "purple" to escape from) is very interesting. This is truly a Nas classic, and definitely deserves the fame it has garnered.
9. Drunk By Myself (prod. Al West & Poke and Tone (The Trackmasters))
Probably (or rather, definitely) the emotional high of this particular album, "Drunk By Myself" features Nas recounting a (most likely fictional) tale of a time when he got drunk, went driving, became suicidal thinking of all the negatives of life, and then almost decided to kill himself when he sobered up and went back home, wondering what the hell just happened. It's a very depressing and highly dramatic song, especially in comparison with most of the rest of this thing, and really only "Blaze a 50" matches its vibe, but that's all good, as that was one of the best songs here anyway. This track is incredible, and- wait, Trackmasters produced on this one too? The fuck??
10. Black Zombie (prod. Hill, Inc.)
Hearing the sound of a lion roaring on this album probably wasn't what most people expected, but then again I also didn't expect such a horrible chorus to appear on this track. I mean, seriously, what's up? That chorus could have been better sung by a drunken, fat Scottish man with no teeth and a belly the size of the barrel of beer he's guzzling from. But whatever - besides the incredibly cringeworthy hook, I do enjoy this one, as Nas raps over another Hill, Inc. beat that's fairly mainstream sounding but still pretty chilled out, and with that brilliant laid back yet calculated flow he uses on a lot of this record. The lyrical content here focuses on how a lot of black people should be revolting against the society that's oppressed them, instead of just accepting their plights and the disadvantages they face in America, and while a song like this could have come across terribly preachy, Nas does it pretty well on here. Except for on the chorus. The chorus sucks.
11. Poppa Was a Playa (prod. Deric Angelettie) (but really, prod. Kanye West)
The final (well, supposedly final...) song on this album is a dedication to Nasir's father Olu Dara, and despite being credited to Deric Angelettie of The Hitmen in the booklet, this song was ghost-produced (who knew that was a thing?) by none other than Kanye West, and in 1999, before he had ever even sent a beat to Jay-Hova. That's a crazy fact, and even thought there are no sped-up soul vocals in here, the rich sound of the beat still does sound quite Kanye-ish when you think about it. This track details Nas' perceptions of his father, and how he realised the man's ills as he grew up, and still stuck beside him. It's actually very sad that Nas is one of the few rappers that seems to have a good relationship with his father - most hip-hop artists we know and love have recounted abusive and deadbeat dads on their songs, which shows how common those things are in the places where a lot of rappers grow up, and also why a lot of rappers are as angry as they are. It's because a lot of them never had a role model, something all the hip-hop naysayers fail to recognise, and are ironically "ignorant" of (a common criticism these people have). Anyway, I digress. Nas' lyrical content over this instrumental is wonderfully insightful, and this would definitely have made a great addition to that I Am... The Autobiography concept. It certainly makes a great final song here, that's for sure.
..... eeeexcept it's not actually the final song. The following song is tucked in right at the end of "Poppa Was a Playa", and on the same track.
- Fetus (prod. The Trackmasters)
This is the one song on the whole record that isn't entirely in its original form (I think) - the version that was supposed to actually open I Am... The Autobiography has a slightly different instrumental, with the same dark piano melody, but with a lot of other different sound effects that make it sound quite different from the one we see on The Lost Tapes here. That version was also titled "Fetus (Belly Button Window)", which is a more confusing and also more stupid title anyway, so it's good they changed it. This track sees Nas describing what he saw from his "belly button window" while his mother was pregnant with him, and also his first moments having just been born, and it's interesting to see him describe a load of shit that he obviously never actually experienced (I mean, I don't think you can actually peer through a belly button - if so, there might be a problem). This production work is fantastic, being a bit intense and creepy, and the perfect music for an intro track, Nas' flow is predictably fantastic, and the lyrical content is certainly interesting. I also appreciated the short sample break in the middle, which takes a line from the Nas classic "One Time 4 Your Mind". This is actually a great little gem in my opinion, one more people should check out.
For a project that's made up of random loosies not even all taken from the same period, The Lost Tapes makes for an incredibly cohesive and consistent listen that really is one of the best Nas projects, and deserving of it's title of "best hip-hop unreleased music compilation of all time" (a confusingly named accolade, but a relevant one nonetheless). But it's more than that - even if this was released as an official studio album, it would still be remarkably good. See, since this is just a compilation of unreleased music, it required no radio singles, no R&B features, no meddling from the label, and no ill-advised conceptual direction either. It's simply a collection of some of the dopest Nas material from the late '90s and early 2000s, and also standing proof that had I Am... The Autobiography been released in its intended form, it would probably have turned out as one of the best double albums in the history of hip-hop. It's also evident that that project would have had a far more laid-back sound than the I Am... we received, that is if the production on these tracks hasn't been altered at all from their original incarnations (obviously "Fetus" was). Looking at these tracks, I'm surprised to say I think the Stillmatic outtakes ("My Way", "No Idea's Original" and "Everybody's Crazy") are generally some of the less intriguing tracks on the record, with the I Am... outtakes standing as some of the clear highlights. And what highlights they are. "Doo Rags", "Nothing Lasts Forever", "Blaze a 50", "Purple", "Drunk By Myself", "Poppa Was a Playa" and "Fetus" all stand as some of my favourite Nas songs ever released, with a few of those probably being contenders for a top 20 list if I ever did such a thing. These tracks exhibit outstanding production, incredibly interesting lyrical content, lightning flows and actually great hooks, that all come together to create consistently perfect songs. And even the songs I didn't mention aren't bad at all - I have small gripes, mainly with the hook on "Black Zombie", but also the beat on "Everybody's Crazy" and a couple of others, but really these are nitpicks, and taken as a whole this album appears completely perfect. It's a relaxing experience that features some of the best rapping of Nas' discography, and if you're a fan of the man's music, you should definitely check this thing out. If the fact that a compilation of his outtakes can be a classic album isn't proof that Nas is a legend, then I don't know what the hell is.
Best tracks: Doo Rags, Nothing Lasts Forever, Blaze a 50, Purple, Drunk By Myself, Poppa Was a Playa, Fetus
Worst Tracks: Black Zombie (but only the hook)
Read up on other Nas reviews (that are most likely just as positive) over here!
No comments:
Post a Comment