Damn itโs been a long time coming but finally got a new project from one of the greatest MCs ever (and my personal top 3), and not only a new album but entirely produced by Kanye West (arguably the greatest producer ever). Out of all the announced albums in this GOOD music/Yeezy season,ย Nasirย is the one that intrigued me the most. With the many social issues that have exploded since his last album and with hip-hop and R&Bโs return to more consciousness and celebration of โblacknessโ itโs been strange not to hear his musical voice on these topics. But he wastes no time in getting right to the issues as most of the album is about subjects heโs been addressing for years even before this newfound โwokenessโ โ the black community, policing, (some questionable) history, passing down wisdom, and anything and everything between. The production, while done by Ye, still feels very true to Nas stylistically, not overly commercial but with a more substantial bounce and rhythm to make it more sonically pleasing. โCops Shot The Kidโ and โAdam and Eveโ feel like perfect synergies between the two and are everything I wanted from the pairing. After 6 years it still would have been nice to get more than 7 tracks from Nas but even in those 7 songs heโs able to say a lot and leave a strong impression regardless.
Never sold a record for the beat, itโs my verses they purchase
Without production Iโm worthless
But Iโm more than the surface
Want me to sound like every song on the Top 40
Iโm not for you, you not for me, you bore me
I drop lines prestigious schools read to their students
Look at my album plaques, somebody agrees with the musicโ โSimple Thingsโ
Have you heardย Nasir? Whatโd you think about it? Was it everything you wanted from a Kanye produced Nas album? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your own ratings and reactions for the album.
