October 08, 2004 @ 2:26 pm

Commentary: Nas Is Coming

by: Corey Seaton

"lightning, hits the top of the church steeple when i'm writing" - nas

As hip hop fans, we've all gotten duped into those mindless media arguments like, who's the best ever? Instead of enjoying good albums, we focus on the rhetoric, forever asking, "Is it a classic?" Or how about the one I hate most, "What's your top ten list?" You know, name your top ten albums of all time, and other bullshit like that. Somewhere along the way we accepted this nonsense, and it jaded the way we listen to hip hop. Instead of rooting for an entire genre of music, we started taking sides. We root for a han

As hip hop fans, we've all gotten duped into those mindless media arguments like, who's the best ever? Instead of enjoying good albums, we focus on the rhetoric, forever asking, "Is it a classic?" Or how about the one I hate most, "What's your top ten list?" You know, name your top ten albums of all time, and other bullshit like that. Somewhere along the way we accepted this nonsense, and it jaded the way we listen to hip hop. Instead of rooting for an entire genre of music, we started taking sides. We root for a handful of emcees that represent our voice and curse the rest, labeling their art dumb, pop, or totally insignificant. That's like having to choose between Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, or Donny Hathaway. Very quickly it becomes a moot point, and it's no different with hip hop. Unfortunately with hip hop, there are many genres within the genre. You have underground hip hop, club hip hop, commercial hip hop, and whatever else. Thanks to the media, hip hop is even seperated by regions, East, West, Dirty South, and Midwest. Within all of these different genres, you have different champions. Lil Jon is the best at what he does. KRS-1 is the best at what he does. And Jay-Z is probably the best at what he does. But every now and then, a person comes along who transcends the many divisions of hip hop. These artists come too few and far inbetween. In one era, it was Run DMC. In another era it was A Tribe Called Quest. Soon after it became 2pac. Well in 2004, there's only one guy who gets equal repsect from hip hop purists, music critics, thugs, female listeners, and 15-year-old-white suburban kids alike. And that man, is none other, than Nas. Over the years, I must've read about a hundred different interviews with Nas. He's often portrayed as a quiet, brooding, very introspective person who could care less about the industry and all its craziness. There's probably been no one in hip hop who has received as high a level of both praise and scrutiny. Which has often made me wonder, is it really Nas who's been bugging, or is it us? After careful analysis I've found the answer to be us. The great thing about being a new artist is, when you're a new artist, you're an underdog. And everyone loves underdogs. Well, as an underdog, Nas came into the game with what is still considered hip hop's most perfect album, Illmatic. Nobody expected anything like Illmatic from a rookie emcee. Legendary rappers spend their entire careers trying to get close to that bull's eye we call the perfect album and rarely ever hit it. So to see someone come in on their first album, and accomplish such a feat, it not only seemed uncanny, it seemed, god-like. And that's how we chose to perceive it. Nas was quickly put on a pedestal, romanticized, and annointed hip hop's savior. One problem with that though-Nas never viewed himself the way his fans and peers viewed him. He saw himself as another dope rapper amongst many dope rappers. And much the way the smartest kid in the class would rather be accpeted by his peers, unfortunately Nas wanted the same thing. To this day, people still wonder why Prince never made Purple Rain 2. The streets wanted it. The industry definitely wanted it. But Prince? That was the last thing he wanted, even though he could have easily accomplished it. Prince was an artist, who didn't want to back track. I think the same could be said for Nas. He had given us Illmatic already, so he experimented. His album that followed, It Was Written showed the same lyrical intensity, however this wasn't the album people wanted from Nas. Nobody wanted to hear Nas rap over beats made by the Trackmasters. Plus much of the content and the deep messages had changed. Street observations had been substituted for braggadicio and Big Willie-isms. On any given song Nas would find his voice and would give us a song to hold on to, and hold up. But then he'd turn around and give us some pop sounding song. Although Nas was still considered the dopest lyricist in the industry, our attention had shifted. The East Coast/West Coast beef, another media invention, had thrust Tupac and Biggie Smalls to the center of hip hop's attention. Despite all of Nas's talent, Tupac and Biggie did something that Nas didn't, they wrote better songs. Maybe not as visually descriptive, or lyrically complex as Nas', but more memorable. And 'Pac and Biggie had much bigger personalities behind the mic. 'Pac's brutal honesty and infusion of the blues made him hip hop's best selling emcee of all time. And Biggie's uncanny flow, and riddle ridden rhymes quickly thrust him to legendary status. In the end though, Big's lyrics were very one dimensional and lacked the overall content to make him hip hop's savior. And Tupac was just far too controversial and complex to ever hold that title, although he did something no other rapper ever did-laid the blueprint for connecting to people on a human level. His recipe was honesty. For instance, as opposed to other rappers who make up gangser names to represent themselves, Tupac used his real name. Rather than focusing on fictional tales, 'Pac focused on reality. And even though it can be argued that Tupac wasn't the most superior writer in hip hop, he quickly became the most prolific voice. Another man, who also used his real name instead of an emcee name paid close attention, and that person was Nasir Jones. Many years and two martyred rappers latter, Nas is once again as revered as ever. At 30-years-old, approaching the release of his latest album, Street's Disciple, Nas is a new man. He seems likeable now. He shares more of his personal life with his fans, and because of that, people love him more. His rhymes now focus less on fiction, and more on reality, and he seems far more authentic as a person. He's shown he can be human, by dropping less than stellar albumes. And he's also shown he can be hip hop's prophet, by returning from the dead to drop hotness, and even by winning one of hip hop's largest battles ever (depending on who's your judge). It's time we accept this y'all, Nas is just like us. Sure, maybe he's more talented, but he's equally insecure. Equally in love with money. And maybe even at times, as equally fed up with hip hop. And over the years, we've seen it all in his music. The difference though is Nas' potential holds our dreams for what hip hop could be and what it should be. We know he's capable of returning hip hop to its essence. And if the lyrics he's been spitting recently are an indication, the return is near. Street's Disciple, in stores November 30. Be on the look out y'all, Nas is coming. One luv. for niggaz up in their mom's crib listening to this unadulterated Nas shit wishing it was them instead of, me on this track on this beach with palm trees drinks with umbrellas straws telling it raw, jungle of concrete killers and snakes I was amongst that bundles of crack through this funnel that's black i want you to vision, through my telescope see the hell I wrote it's Reynolds when i Wrap it like an envelope package and they were into dope back then numbers, pimpin and robbing, well they still robbing and pimpin but it's small change compared to hip hoppin And did I mention millions because of lip poppin trips expensive gift shoppin, whip drivin benzes, jeeps, see, them and they bitch got one it's shockin, you thinkin naw it's just rhymin but all this time it's like organized crimin for instance, there was a time when there was a line between streets and business, but now peep how it's mixed in the beef is now sickenin, everybody got paper words or power, because of it the cops hate ya the government watchin all of those who thuggin it they wanna lock us up cause they kids are lovin it not knowin that most rappers are straight ass the shots ring out, whenever we clash it's star wars - nas

Article tags: Commentary, Nas, Coming 

del.icio.us digg Furl Reddit YahooMyWeb

Page printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2004/10/commentary_nas_coming/

Return to previous page