Having lived in South Africa and America I am very familiar with the complexities of modern day race relations. The world knows about South Africa but it wasn't until I lived in the US that I started realising racism is very much still alive yet glossed over here.
I wanted to hate on this new Nas Album. I am a Nas fan thru & Thru but I really wanted to hate on his latest offering after what appeared to be a gimmick using a racial slur that grates on my nerves & I have personally purged from my vocabulary. Publicity stunts (grammy appearance with "Nigger" printed on his & his wife's clothes) and lackluster hype singles leaked. I was not convinced he could still rhyme at the levels that catapulted him to legendary status. His last couple of albums had been alright but none really touched me since Stillmatic. I wanted to hate.
So the album was originally titled "Nigger". Just google "Nas Album title" the internet is riddled with reports of activists and celebrities denouncing and endorsing the title.
Nas could have made a "safe" album. Lined up all the 'hot' producer out now and tried to duplicate Illmatic. Instead he chose to make a theme album tackling one of the most controversial and important social dynamics. Racism. When asked why title the album that Nas said it was meant not as a media stunt but more of a reflection of the slur's position in the hip hop & American (specifically African-American) psyche.
Growing up in Zimbabwe we never really viewed it as a slur. In fact is was/ is still cool to call each other "Niggers" imitating our "heroes" from the States. It was just another cool North American slang word for us.
With this album Nas takes up the daunting task of getting to the root of the slur and what it means not only to be called a "Nigger" but to actually BE a "Nigger". Deeper than the word its an analysis/ commentry on the psyche.
Chuck D from Public Enemy once defined hip hop music as "the ghetto CNN". I've always used this definition before the jiggy era or the current ringtone music incarnation of hip hop. By this definition hip hop is supposed to inform/ educate/ stimulate intellectual as well as entertain. I believe Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was using this same definition when he concieved "Untitled".
As a simplistic though effective Jay Electronica melodic piano backdrop with no customary hip hop drum pattern plays Nas rhymes the first 5 bars of "Untitled":
"Ay yo Queens get the money, N*ggas still screaming paper chasing;
But Presidential Candidates is planning wars with other nations;
Overstate with Masons;
Pregnant teens give birth to intelligent gangsters, their daddys faceless;
Play this.."
The listener knows from the very beginning we are in for an audio journey heavy on substance.
'You can't stop us now' is a song of difiance celebrating the achievements of the black north American underclass. The message here is that even through all the adversity and against all odds African Americans have risen from nothing but property to take their place in North American society. "Betsy Rose sold the first American flag, bet she had a N*gger with her to help her old ass". The vinyl static gives this one a vintage sound which is complimented by the appearance of Eban Thomas of the Stylistics singing the chorus. The spoken word from the Last Poets is a nice touch offering some valuable introspect.
'Breathe' is as much a narration of Nas's ascention to fame from the projects to fame as it is a tale of the vices of conspicuous consumption plaguing a young African American men. Most of the subject matter on this song has been covered before even by Nasir himself. The beat is a lackluster sleepy breezey backdrop reminiscent of 8Ball & MJG/ West coast g-funk production. Not a bad song especially by today's standards but it didn't move me as much.
'Make the world go round' is the mandatory Nas attempt at a commercial single. In the same breath as "Oochie Wally"/ "Hate Me Now"/ "Made you Look" it is has the most accessible subject matter & will make for a decent atack at charts. It features teeny bopper heart throb of the moment Chrs Brown & The Game who sounds as hungry as he did on the Documentary even though he is rapping forgettable lines about Nick & Jessica Simpson. Relatively average song but again not bad for a 'commercially accessible' single.
Having drawn comparisons to aforementioned Nas singles the istinction must be made with a different brand of Nas singles. I shall call these the 'purist singles'. These are still accessible to the mainstream market because they have catchy hooks and beats but do not alienate the so-called hip hop purist core of Nas's fanbase. Think "I Can" "If I ruled the World"; "Nas is Like" or even "It aint Hard to Tell".
'Hero' is that song on the Untitled Album. It features a catchy bass drum heavy beat laced with some melodic key riff coupled with spacey sound effects. Polo the Don favourite Kerri Hilson provides the sing-along female harmonies. Make no mistake though this is not some throw-away forgettable popcorn *ahem-oochiewally*. Nas uses this as his first single where he laments the burdens of being a rap superstar living legend championing greater causes. The people's Hero addresses his journey to Untitled in the 3rd verse rhyming:
"It's universal apartheid
I'm hog-tied
the corporate side
Blocking y'all from going to stores and buying it
First L.A. and Doug Morris was riding wit it
But Newsweek article startled big wigs
They said, Nas, why is he trying it?
My lawyers only see the Billboard charts as winning
Forgetting
Nas the only true rebel since the beginning
Still in musical prison, in jail for the flow
Try telling Bob Dylan, Bruce, or Billy Joel
They can't sing what's in their soul!
So "Untitled" it is..."
Great choice for a lead single. The best attempt at entertaining both schools of Nas (& hip hop) fans. Not too heavy for casual fans to digest but not as light as to alienate the die-hard 'purists'.
"They can't stand us even in White tees, Blue jeans & Red bandanas" is the line that caught my ear on the dreamy 'America'. At this stage in the album Nas has got the hype singles out of the way & now its back to the business of social commentry. One of the standout songs on album it plays as a wake up call to issues including racial double standards, public perception of "black success" and the establishment of the American Nation. These are issues that often get swept under the carpet in American society. Nas urges society to "Wake Up" from the dream.
I remember recieving some emial spam highlighting the Media's damn near racist coverage of Hurricane Katrina. It appeared the media was almost clowning the victims most of whom were black. I do not watch Fox news but I have noticed the media bias.
On 'Sly Fox' Nas points the figure at Fox using the similie of the media as a "Sly Fox" to address the issue of racism in the media. Commenting on censorship and the humiliation of African Americans in the media Nas urges:
"Watch what you watching,
Fox keeps feeding us toxins,
Stop sleeping start thinking out of the box
The electric guitar riff on this one lost me a bit since as a matter of personal preference. I am anti-electric guitars. Though I didn't like backdrop but the message was powerful enough to come through still.
Its rare that you hear a sincere 'testimony' from a major recording artists. Even in hip hop the tales are (more often than not) fabricated sensationalisations. 'Testfy' is a genuine lamentation straight from Nas's heart. He raps about the paradigm of being a successful hip hop artists knowing that over 70% of all hip hop record & concert sales are to "little rap fans that live out in safe suburbia" who don't really identify with his 'struggle'.
Not only the sincerity but the style of this song is what makes it great. The backdrop features a mellow soulful sample & piano riff which I am always a sucker for. Nas rhymes a casual nonchance as if he is sitting on a couch with the liistener just kicking it. Almost conversational. Other than its questionable sequencing position in the tracklisting sheer genius.
On 'N.I.G.G.E.R (the slave & the master' attempts to offer some insight into the complexity of the African American identity. Celebrating great black leaders at the same time reciting some of the 'dumb sh*t' typical of black society.
I was initially not impressed by this song when it leaked but in the greater scheme of the album it fits. Especially after risking alienating some listener on the track before.
Nas has recently been dedicating whole songs to his influences (see 'U.B. R' or 'Mike Tyson'). 'Louis Farakkan' is this album's dedication to a black leader and obvious influence Nas looks up to. All too often the achievements of these leaders are forgotten. Its a celebration that even in the face of near brushes with death a revolutionary stood up. A bit light on specific details more of a toast to revolutionary ideals. I would have liked to see this song after Sly Fox though.
On 'Fried Chicken' enlists the assistance of everyone's favourite party guest Busta Rhymes to use the personification of a stereotypically black favourite food to celebrate black women. Interesting concept which fits within the context of the album. Busta has a typical Busta verse that almost steals the song especially the adlibs at the end "I'm'a eat some sh*t until what I'm eating kills me.. Coz thats just what n*ggers do". Way to punctuate Trevor!
'Project Roach' likens black people to low income housing project cock roaches. On face this seems an outrage but the track serves more as a defianct celebration of the ability of black people to always find ways to survive. "N*ggers are like Roaches, they'll never go away".
Just one verse. This is my kind of song. heavy on the keys & melody with a deeper positive message. Short & to the point featuring once again the legendary Lost Poets.
The album culminates in arguably the best song "Yall My Niggers". Here Nas really tries to break down the capacity of the word "N*gger". This song serves as a summary of the overall theme of the album & what a sumamry it is. Over synths pounding drum kicks Nas stands in defiance as a proud black man even if he is labelled a "Nigger". Its like you gave me nothing & expected me to be nothing but look at me & all I've achieved, how I've influenced society even as a so called "Nigger". If there was one song that embobied the spirit of this project this is it. It invokes thoughts of both pride & disappointment in "Niggers" all over the world. Brilliant song. Maybe even a single. I would have liked to see this as the last track on the album though.
On "We're not alone" Nas points the finger at the "big brother" aka the "hidden hand" that runs everything and essentially makes everyone else regardless of race into "Niggers". In this track it becomes apparent that the issue of being marginalised is not just a black problem but a broader societal problem. A somewhat sleepy backdrop sleepy backdrop reduces this one into mediocracy when compared to the rest of the album.I don't hate the song but there are better tracks on this album.
While the mood of this album is certainly a somber one due to the seriousness of the subject matter the bonus track "Black President" is the glimmer of light at the end. Nas paraphrases Barrack Obama "Yes we can change the World" showing some cautious optimism there is hope even with all the negativity highlighted throughout the album. Not a typical Hollywood happy ending but a good song to end the album on.
This is arguably Nas's bravest most relevant topical project yet. Some very important tough & adult themes that have never really been spoken on so directly. Nas holds a mirror at society & says "you call me a Nigger, do you know what that means? What is a Nigger? Am I a Nigger? or are we all Niggers? Too long society has side-stepped issues of modern-day racial identity & racism. These issues need to be discussed. This is the first real attempt at encouraging reflection. Nas heroically pours his heart out as a revolutionary social commentator.
Some will argue that Nas's beat selection is not the greatest which I don't completely disagree with. But Nas is a lyricist first & foremost I almost think having stellar backdrop insrumentals would detract from the lyricism. Almost like Nas needs relatively average beats to shine his abilities. This is a great album & certainly a candidate for record of the year.
4/5 possibly 4.5/ 5 if it stands the test of time.
Well Done & Thank you Nasir.