Nas 06. 15. 2018 8.2 NASIR (Mass Appeal)
One of hip-hop’s greatest has returned with a new album produced entirely by Kanye West, whose tight track list contains killer beats and sharp, conscious verses. The lavish “Not For Radio” opens the album with booming sub bass, epic choral vocals and a fitting appearance from 070 Shake to make for a solid opener. Nas dives into political bars almost immediately on this album, and continues the streak with “Cops Shot The Kid”; an insane banger with a looped vocal sample laced throughout the entire track. I love how Kanye West transforms this abrasive vocal snippet into a more melodic element as the song progresses, and his appearance on the microphone is uncharacteristically thoughtful; “Tell me who do we call to report crime when 911 doin’ the drive-by?”
“Everything” is the clear centerpiece of the record, and while I find the song to be both uplifting and gorgeous, its lengthy runtime does affect the momentum of the project. The blissful finale “Simple Things” closes out NASIR with more modern sounding production, and as much as I enjoy Nas on a song like this I am pleased he went with a more traditional direction for this album. Best Track: Adam and Eve Worst Track: Everything
West’s use of sampling is nothing short of genius on NASIR; I love the bright horn samples layered throughout “White Label” as well as the dusty piano that sounds straight out of a wild-west saloon on “Adam and Eve”. The Dream is featured prominently on this album and although I am not familiar with his solo material, I think he fits seamlessly within the project. His contributions to “Bonjour” and the afore mentioned “Adam and Eve” are nothing short of beautiful, and his singing with Kanye West on the hulking “Everything” is also stunning.
Albums in Review
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