Off The Record #5 - "Nasir" by Nas

Welcome to Off The Record! A Fresh Weekly Album Review segment brought to you by @stickykeys!

5th Edition

June 20th 2018

Nas

"Nasir"

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It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Kanye West, releasing albums under his label, GOOD Music and music composed by himself, namely, Pusha-T’s ‘Daytona’, his own album, ‘Ye’, a collaboration with himself and Kid Kudi, ‘Kids See Ghosts’, and most recently, Nas’ ‘Nasir’ album.

Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones, a.k.a. Nas began his rap career in 1991 has Main Source’s ‘Live at the Barbecues’ feature artist. He released his debut album ‘Illmatic’ in 1994 to critical acclaim to the Hip Hop community and critics alike. It is often hailed as the greatest Hip Hop album of all time. He’s released eight consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums ever since, while doing his part to stimulate the community and the projects his grew up in with his success.

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‘Nasir’ is Nas’ eleventh album since he released his debut album, and is his first album in six years. Released on 15th June 2018 with seven tracks and a run-time of 26 minutes, it’s a brief yet insightful view of social justice and conspiracy theories. Nothing new to his previous releases, however, I personally feel that it’s lost the cheerful or fun productions backing his vocals comparing his earlier albums. That’s the issue with Kanye West releasing consecutive albums: quantity over quality.

Nas – ‘Nasir’ full album

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I wish I could say more about the album. I respect Nas as an excellent rapper and lyricist, as well as his topics he’s trying to convey, however, this particular project didn’t stand out for me. Maybe on his next venture, when he’s freed of the clutches of Kanye West’s promise to Obama to collaborate together with Nas, he will have a much prominent offering.

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Stay tuned for the next edition and be sure to follow me at @stickykeys! Also if there are any albums you would like me to review, drop a comment below.