By Gary Lee
I can remember being a young kid in 2006, begging my mom to actually let me a buy a hip-hop album. The moment she did let me, I rushed to Wal-Mart and bought Nas's "Hip-hop is Dead" and listened to songs like "Money Over Bullshit", "Still Dreaming" ft Kanye West and Chrisette Michele and even "Black Republicans" ft former enemy Jay-Z. Yet the most noticeable track that struck me was the song named after his latest album, "Hip-Hop is Dead". That song itself made me open my eyes and made me ask the question is hip-hop really dead? It cant be, with artists from the past like Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, ect. Then I realized maybe it was dying when one of the most famous songs of that year was "Throw Some D's on it" by Rich Boy, even though I liked the song as a young kid. I could still tell that it wasnt comparable to "Dead Presidents", "The World Is Yours" or even "I Used To Love H.E.R". Hip-hop was trully changing and would always be changing, it wasnt the 90's anymore. Fast forward 6 years later with great hip-hop albums down the line like "College Dropout" by Kanye West , "American Gangster" by Jay-Z and "Finding Forever" by Common but no album has reminded me of how Hip-Hop used to be like Nas's new album "Life Is Good"
With his Ex wife's Wedding Dress in one hand and our ears in the other Nas opens up to us about His marriage, relationship with his kids, and his overall rap career. I swear I sat down with a cup of Orange Ade and a sandwich and soaked in this album, not actually a Blunt and Henny but it still had the same effect. As I sat there I felt I was listening to something from 96, something like Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" or even Nas's first album "Illmatic"
After hearing the Justice League produced intro track "No Introduction" I was told that this was going to be a classic album, with the soulful orchestra sound that the Justice league always brings to the table. Nas got off proving that he needs no introduction. I wish I could tell you my Top 3 favorite tracks but on this album it is really hard. "No Introduction" being first, the next will be "Accidental Murderers" ft The Boss Ricky Rozay. When I was listening to this song I was thinking this would have been perfect for Ross to be on and seconds later I heard the infamous Rick Ross grunt. I feel he stole the track rapping the lines "Memoirs of a rich n*gga, sweatsuits, gold chains, old drug dealer (ugh), new rims, new Benz are for show killa (whoop)" He even reminded us of his next album by saying "Pay your tides,stay alive, cant be dodging my clique( M-m-m-m Maybach Music), cut a check, use your b*tch for some bargaining chips, in a hole, sell your home, n*gga go sell your soul, this 45 and control, God Forgives' And I Don't". This has to be one of the best songs on the album. "You didn't mean to merk him, your guns a virgin". The final track I will talk about is featuring a fallen legend, the very talented and late Amy Winehouse.
Cherry Wine is the name of the track, where Nas talks about his perfect girl and how she would be, "
I want some who like the champagne I like, My a-alike, someone to talk me off the bridge any day or night, She teach me how to live, she ain’t afraid of life,Not easily impressed with the rich and famous life Cause she done been there and heard all the rumors before" and after lyrics like that the soulful Amy Winehouse sings the hook like this "
Where is he?, The man who was just like me, I heard he was hiding somewhere I can’t see,Where is he?, The man who was just like me, I heard he was hiding somewhere I can’t see And I’m alone, and I realize that when I get home ,I wanna go through my red and my cherry. Yes I’m alone, and I realize when I get home, I wanna go through my red and my cherry". That song itself proves we lost a great talented singer.
Those are just 3 tracks out of the 19 on the album. There are tracks like "
Bye Baby" where he talks about his past marriage and the Swizz Beats produced track "
Summer On Smash" where he talks about how his summers are. Nas put together a classic album here, with features like Miguel, Rick Ross, Mary J Blidge, Anthony Hamilton and more.
This is an album that many people were waiting for. An album that we all knew Nas could produce. In my mind Nas contradicted himself with the 2006 track "
Hip-Hop is Dead" because he himself proved that it is alive with the album "
Life is Good"
Please support this album by going out and purchasing it.
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