Nas is one the best MCs ever to do it (even taking into account his 1997 – 2000 slump). This is not up for debate. So, take a hike debate teams (like anyone smart enough to be on a debate team would read this blog, right?). But what makes Nas an even better MC? Marketing! You gotta keep your name out there to sell mad amounts of records. So sometimes Nas logs on to Twitter and just takes questions from his fans, which is a really cool thing to do. I could do a post about his best answers (he’s got some interesting ones), or I could do a post on the insulting (and hilarious) questions he gets, like this:
"RT @Nas Can you twitpic the time niggas caught you rocking two watches?"
Two watches? What? I would love to see that twitpic! We all would! Nas didn't answer that one. But I can do better than just repeating other people who create funny shit. This blog can do better! Let's review other people being stupid! Let's look at all the stupid and pandering questions from Nas "fans". We all know that fans are the worst and apparently have some sort of brain damage.
--Official Stats-- Artist: Nas Song: "Nastradamus" Album: "Nastradamus" Release Date: October 26, 1999
It's a trick! I fooled you, this track should not be in the Trackmaster category at all. Why? Because it is the master of nothing. It's horrific. I'm posting this up as a bookend to my post on Nas Is Like, which is a great track and was the first single from Nas' disastrous album "I Am...", that song somehow rose above the ruin of a bad album and became a highlight of a strong career. Wow, great achievement. It's like the Phoenix rising up from the ashes of Arizona*. Nas is honestly one of my all time favorites. He's probably tied for the most spins in my life. He's a legend to me. The song Nas Is Like is honestly what hip hop is all about. Nastradamus on the other hand is the first single from the album "Nastradamus" and it is an appalling song from Nas' worst album. But no matter, it is a bad song worthy of a bad review by a turtle in the army. *Joke from Sienfeld
Good Cover / Terrible Title
This is an important post for me becasue it fits into a period of hip hop ('99-'02) which I call the fucking terrible period. This was the time of "Nastradamus", "Tical 2000", "Immobilarity", and "Vol. 3...Life and Times of S. Carter". Many career defining bad albums were dropped by heavy hitters and many fans bought such albums and were disheartened. IMPORTANT NOTE: Not every album during this period was bad, but trust me, fans were let down lots of times, big times. BIG TIME. The ratio of good to bad was way off (again, there were also some great albums, so calm down).
On my Nas Is Like post I described how I found the single for that song by accident or something, was impressesed, and bought the album. It was a simple process. This time, I don't remember how I heard "Nastradamus" for the first time, but I know that I didn't buy the single. I'm guessing I came across it on Philly's Power 99 (Bangin' Hip Hop and R&B) or on BET. Whatever. Not only was I not impressed, I was disgusted. But you know what? I bought the "Nastradamus" album the day it came out anyway. I knew it would be bad but I'm a fan of Nas and I thought, "how could it be worse than 'I Am...'? Nas is one of the best! It'll have a few good tracks! 'I Am...' did. I trust Nas and record companies!" There were no good tracks. As soon as I played the album I instantly knew the rankings, "Nastradamus" had created a new category:
Not an exaggeration
"Let's get to the song review you rambling jerk!" - my readers.
What in the hell is this song? What happened? How did this make it to the public arena, Nas? Hey, L.E.S. (the producer), in 1999 you had a good run with Nas and others. Actually, you only made one good song (Life's a Bitch off "Illmatic") then you made a bunch of other stuff, then you made this, then you made Gettin' Jiggy wit It. Yes, thatGettin' Jiggy wit It. What was your problem? Were you getting comfortable with your wealth and decided to phone it in because you kept saying "they'll buy anything"? Well, we would buy anything. Listen, L.E.S., this beat is SO BORING, it sounds overproduced and amateur at the same time. How is that even possible? Nas is one of the few rugged MCs who doesn't need a rough beat, Nas can flow over smooth beats. But this is like bad video game music. And that chorus? Why did you produce that chorus? Why did you do any of this? What did we do to you?
Now for Nas. Did you really think I wouldn't get to Nas? They lyrics aren't bad. In fact, they're okay (nothing special so don't feel redeemed Nas). Except for this:
Nasty, Nas the Esco to Escobar
Now he is Nastrodamus
Nasty, Nas the Esco to Escobar
Now he is Nastrodamus
(repeat x500)
Come on. I mean, COME ON! I know it's tough to make a chorus but this is one of the worst in history. It reminds us of Nas' progression into the commercial abyss. Each of Nas' aliases that are mentioned make you wish for the good old days, they get worse and worse until you get to the last one and you fall into depression because you realize how harsh life is and how a lot of musical output by record companies is a money grab. Nasty (great), Esco (uh), Escobar (tolerable), Nastrodamus (bad), and eject.
Oh, and the lyrics are pretty bad (forget what I said before). You've got a strong first verse then it all falls apart. I was going to say that L.E.S. could have just replaced the second and third verses with audio of his dog barking and it would have been better, but that's not true (and it's very mean). Nas is way better than any animal, but I bet a hungry young MC could have killed him on this track (probably not Young MC though). That's not the way it's supposed to work, Nas. Nas is supposed to win at all times with all verses. "That's a lot to ask of an artist" Nas says. To which I reply, "I know but I'd given you like $100 of my hard earned money at that point in my life...and I was just a kid. It was hard to earn money as a kid. You're a professional MC and should have put the time into writing dope lines and finding great production. There was just seven months between 'I Am...' and 'Nastradamus'. Seven months. You could have spent a few weeks saying, 'maybe I shouldn't do a hook like that...and maybe I shouldn't rap anything about Lamborghini trucks being topless.' I know you were probably trying to get this out before Y2k and Christmas or whatever, but that's in the past now and we don't even remember Y2k. Nobody does. I mean, Y2k? What? Now all we have is the album and this single and they're both unbearable." Hindsight is 20/20 or whatever, but not in this case. I knew as soon as I heard this song for the first time that the album was going to be terrible, so foresight was 20/20 for everyone but Nas.
Well, this whole post was uncalled for, and now I'm just feeling angry AND I've got that chorus stuck in my head. THANKS.
Nas dresses appropriately for bad weather, know dat.
Usually when a veteran MC drops a new track i'm like "it's okay" but this one is actually good. Nas always* brings HQ** tracks.This one is no different except that it is ridiculously good.“Good Life” is looking up! This is like a throwback. A product of the old school and the newest of the new. Also, scratching?Doubletime flow?Vet level lyrics.What? They still make good hip hop? Apparently.
Well this fits right in with an interview with Nas from a time long ago, before Illmatic dropped (so around 18 years ago) it's kind of amazing to see that Nas’ philosophy still applies today and especially to this track. Mad consistent.
QUESTION – How do you feel getting respect from old and young emcees?
Nas: “It’s a blessing.I’m a product of hip hop.I’m a product of the old school and the newest of the new.”
ALSO –
Nas: “I been in this for years, so I’m dedicated to this music.Respect everybody to get respect.
QUESTION – “You’re style is considered very hardcore.Would you consider doing remix things with R&B artists?”
Nas: “Whatever, as long as it’s real ill. As long as it’s clever.As long as I did something good and it sound right.”
Well this is real ill. You did something good and it sound right.
Anythihng else?
"Excuse the vulgarity, I’m still not fully adjusted / Or used to the new fans hearin’ me spit rapidly"
-and-
"Vest on. Forty-Five still crack ya ribs. Sacrilege: talk trash about the nasty kid.
Past nasty now, I’m gross and repulsive. Talk money, is you jokin’? Cash everywhere, in my bank, in the sofa /
in the walls, in the cars, in my wallet, in my pocket
On the floors, ceiling, the safe. Bitch, I got all you envy, but don’t offend me."
Artist: Nas Title: "Nas Is Like" From Album: "I Am..."
Release Date: March 2, 1999 Producer: DJ Premier
Aliases: Nasty Nas, Escobar
Affiliations: The Firm, Queensbridge
You and I already know who Nas is so there is no reason to go into all of that, is there?
I was introduced to Nas thanks to Rap City occasionally playing his "The World Is Yours" video. I was impressed, but not enough to buy his debut album Illmatic. As time passed and it became apparent that Nas was dope through his hundreds of guest verses on hot songs I built up the courage to buy It Was Written despite the "If I Ruled The World" video, which was on MTV almost all day everyday. I really liked the album (and still do), so I went back and picked up Illmatic and was both blown away and kicking myself for not buying it sooner. This was in 1996.
Years passed, I wasted some money on The Firm (but I blamed big business for that mess), and finally in March of 1999 I found the single for "Nas Is Like" in my neighborhood Sam Goody, PAID FOR IT (this was 1999), and loved it. Nas was back! And at that time he had never really gone away. Just a month later I went in to pick up Nas' third album I Am and this is what I saw:
HOLY CRAP! ART SCORE: 0/10
Any normal person would pass on an atrocity like that just based on, well everything. Gold, Egyptian, creepy, etc.. But, being a fan (and an idiot) I bought it anyway. I sat in a parking lot near the Tower Records on South Street (in Philly) listening to this album and being disappointed immensely. I instantly knew the ranking (which is still true today):
The album is officially awful (you can find a good review of it by my friend Max here). It is so bad they made an announcement that the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, had declared it a disaster area, and the public rallied together and helped Nas sell over two million copies of his shitty album in the national interest (a definite stab wound to hip hop). Thank goodness this wasn't a double LP like it was originally intended.
So anyway, as sticking with my tradition of too much typing, I can now get to my review of ONE SONG: "Nas Is Like" is good. Done. Actually I think this song is significant in several ways. First, it is one of the few REAL Nas songs that dropped in the six years between It Was Written and Stillmatic. Second, the lyrics are veteran level. I'm not even going to quote the good lines because the whole track is good. Do you want me to just post all the lyrics? Do you? I didn't think so. Finally, the beat is EPIC. DJ Premire tapped his premium resources for this one. He blends in some of his trademark chorus/scratching to keep the track sick, then he pulls from the oddest of sources for the beat: Christmas narration. Primo, you're a genius, and also, where do you dig up this stuff? From what crates? In the end, the final project is DOPE INFINITY, meaning a 7/10 (not his best work but better than almost anyone else could do). So.....COP THIS.
The sample (Primo, you crazy for this one):
And the official Jawn...
If you don't like this one, you're demoted to Private. In fact, get out of my Army.
