Never averse to getting the pants of others in a twist, Nas said in 2006 that what developed into this self-titled album was, at the time, titled the six-letter version of the "N" word. The following year, the NAACP buried the five-letter version (along with each variant, as the obituary states) at a Detroit ceremony, replete with a horse-drawn carriage, a casket, and the presence of "hip-hop legend Curtis Blow" [sic], according to the NAACP press release. Whether it is believed that the word was truly placed six feet deep or merely swept beneath the proverbial rug, the word, regardless of its last syllable or the context in which it is placed, still carries a lot of power. Millions of Def Jam marketing dollars could not have ensured as bright a spotlight on their artist. All he had to do was mention the one word as an album title. And from that moment until the album's release, through each leaked track, mixtape, and article tracking the status of the album, more attention was paid to the MC's moves than in the recent past. An album with a proposed title of, say, East Coasta Nastra, would not have been anticipated with nearly as much scrutiny or speculation.
Nas uses the "N" word as a mere jumping-off point for his self-titled album, its initial title and final content even more closely related than the title and content of Hip Hop Is Dead. It's his most purposeful album; nearly every verse goes beyond talking trash and recalling exploits to address the change of title, the "N" word, race relations, stereotypes, the long arms and legs of Fox, love for his people and country, and the United States from slave ships through the possibility of a black president. It carries a stern lyrical focus all the way through, including the radio-aimed/Polow-produced anthem "Hero" ("If Nas can't say it, think about these talented kids with new ideas being told what they can and can't spit"), the gleaming "Make the World Go Round" (where a proud Nas, clearly reaching out to a younger crowd, refers to the featured Chris Brown as "the young Mike Jackson"), and the appropriately greasy "Fried Chicken" (a cunning track in which Nas and Busta Rhymes seem to embrace and parody dietary and sexual stereotypes at once). There is as much content here to absorb, to think about, discuss, and debate, as there is within Ice Cube's Death Certificate or anything by Public Enemy or BDP. While it is not a feast from a production standpoint -- the album is not bound to silence those who contend that Nas is not the best selector of beats -- it doesn't have the hastily slapped-together flow of Street's Disciple or Hip Hop Is Dead. A couple tracks might sonically resemble inferior versions of years-old tracks that helped make Nas a hip-hop deity and, nearly ten years after Nas was first accused of selling out, he might still sound a little awkward over radio-friendly productions. But the MC has never made an album as engrossing or as necessary as this one.
My friends just shared this video with me and I was not to sure if it was here on MOG. This video gives me hope and empowerment for the world to have change.To me, electing Obama as President of the United States would be a monuemental change for our country. Maybe we can really be the change that we want to see in the world that Gandhi preached. Maybe others could begin to listen to one anothe...
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Nas is on FIRE this year!! His new video for one of the new album's strongest songs is totally mental. Here's the brand new, Rik Cordero-directed video for "Sly Fox": All about murda murda and kill kill - FOX News and Halliburton that is...And Nas doesn't stop at pointing out the problems either. The video goes right into the streets and discusses solutions too.Be sure to check out Mr. Frost...
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This morning I was listening to the Eddie & Jobo radio show. They're two DJs that have been on the air in Chicagoland since I was born. Talking about the new number one album in America, one of the guys, I'm not sure which, made a joke in reference to my peeps (see my last name) and Nas, whose self-titled sold 187,000 copies to land on top of teh char thtis week. He beat last week's number one ...
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A whole lot of Nas news just dropped onto the wire in the last few hours. Apparently, the controversial rapper has shocked friends and fans alike by inking a good old fashioned brand partnership with the athletic clothing company Fila. Nas usually steers clear of such endorsement deals, but Fila is product that's close to his heart. Fila's head honchos think Nas is a good representative of t...
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My friends just shared this video with me and I was not to sure if it was here on MOG. This video gives me hope and empowerment for the world to have change.To me, electing Obama as President of the United States would be a monuemental change for our country. Maybe we can really be the change that we want to see in the world that Gandhi preached. Maybe others could begin to listen to one anothe...
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You guys HAVE to check out these videos... The Colbert Report's coverage was really funny and did a great job of relaying what happened."Nothing says 'Thug Life' more than a clearly worded argument submitted in writing and supported by the signatures of concerned citizens" - Stephen ColbertVideo 1: The actual protest rallySteven Colbert's briefing on the protest rallyStephen Colbert interviews ...
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Nas, along with reps from "MoveOn.org":http://www.moveon.org/ and "ColorOfChange.org":http://www.colorofchange.org/ will deliver a petition of over 600,000 signatures to Fox News tomorrow in Manhattan.The petition claims that Fox News is practicing racism against Black Americans, notably presidential hopeful Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. Included in the incidents that sparked this petitio...
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Rik Cordero is a up and coming video director who has been making many waves lately for his video production. True Stories had the chance to link up with Rik at one of his video sets. Rik speaks on what artists gave him a chance early in his directing career, how does he feel about [...]
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On teh Internetz DJ Green Lantern and Nas released a song addressing Obama coming very close to becoming a first Non-Caucasian president. Although I wish the campaign would be as funny and successful as:However Nas brings up some points about this campaign:Line: "How Many rallys will I watch?/I ain't got it in me to march"From the first time Rodney King was beat by "Not Guilty" Cops to cops sho...
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like this isn't the most played nas song on november 4th. yeah, it's old. i don't give a flying 747 though. my job is to make you jam incredible songs, regardless of when they were released. everybody voted this year, and it's great. i'm out here watching CNN, checking facebook statuses and away messages like a [...]
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Queens Get the Money |
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| 2 You Can't Stop Us Now |
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| 3 Breathe |
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| 4 Make the World Go Round |
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| 5 Hero |
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| 6 America |
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| 7 Sly Fox |
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| 8 Testify |
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| 9 N.I.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master) |
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| 10 Untitled |
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| 11 Fried Chicken |
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| 12 Project Roach |
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| 13 Y'all My Ni**as |
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| 14 We're Not Alone |
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| 15 Black President |
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 "Nas")
