Nas: Hip Hop Is Dead

Nas:
Hip Hop Is Dead

Release Date: 18 December 2006

Reviewed By: Rachel Burley

Hip hop is dead - no way! Just take a listen to this album and you’ll see that that statement is an entire contradiction. The statement ‘hip hop is dead’ is clearly meant to be controversial as it was as rappers and rap fans exploded into debate after Nas declared it to be the title of his next album.



The album is a work of genius and each track is full of energy; it’s hard not to play this album and not listen to the whole of it. The track the album takes it name from ‘Hip Hop is Dead’ featuring Will.i.am is astounding. It’s powerful, energising and funky beats blend seamlessly with the lyrics.



‘Who Killed It’ is a really different track. It has the same kinda feel as the film ‘Sin City’ with its narrative style and it dark lyrics. ‘Not Going Back’ features Kelis, and her stirring gravely vocals, the rousing piano notes mixed with Nas’ straight lyrics makes this track the most outstanding song on the album and is definitely worth a listen. Nas raps about the streets and even though that is where he is from and he’ll always have the hood in him, QB’s finest ain’t never going back.



He also laughs at the way people on their way up show their wealth with their bling (as he once did) and states that when you are truly affluent, bling is not what you spend your money on. “The way I flaunted it then would now embarrass me/It kinda make me wanna hate bling/Real millionaires spend 60 mil on paintings.”



Even though Nas’ eighth studio album is skilful, it is not his debut LP, ‘Illmatic’. Nas’ first release is still one of the most impressive in rap music, and has made it almost impossible for anyone to review a Nas album without comparing it. However, as it stands, ‘Hip Hop Is Dead’ is a masterpiece of an album.



My only criticism is the main point of the album is to state that hip hop is dead and Nas wants to say what he thinks about the deterioration of hip hop. Yet, the lyrics on the album don’t fully support the title. Nas can’t seem to decide whether to warn of hip hop’s imminent departure, whether it has already gone or to promise ‘to carry on tradition’ and resurrect it.



It’s kind of ironic that Nas is saying hip hop is dead, because as he has shown, it clearly isn’t - it has just evolved and become more commercialised. If it was dead, Nas would never have released this album and I’m ecstatic he did, because ‘Hip Hop is Dead’ is an intoxicating supply of gratifying pleasure.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top three tracks:

8) Not Going Back

5) Hip Hop is Dead

1) Money Over Bullsh*t