Hip Hop Is Dead [PA] by Nas

Pros: Creative lyricism, thoughtful rhymes, a sense of humanity missing from most current hip-hop.
Cons: Some inconsistent production, Nas slips back into "Escobar" territory once or twice.

After the debacle that was "Street's Disciple", Nas was going to have to do a lot to get back into my good graces. While he's always been a compelling MC, Nas has been frustratingly inconsistent throughout his career. After pulling out one of ...

Pros: Dense and impassioned lyrics concerning musical and social issues; well-fitting production; artistic maturity
Cons: Some beats are comparatively average

In retrospect, we all should have known that Nas would get to this point – the very personification of hip hop’s conscience. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones has had the most fascinating – albeit frustrating – artistic metamorphosis in rap ...

Pros: Stunning lyricism, great themes and production, truthful, on-point, and passionate.
Cons: The Game isn't great, a few tracks make the album slip up a couple times

In this day and age, no matter their past rivalries – both Jay-Z and Nas are compared a lot to each other. Every hip-hop head who’s on this site or a fan of both in general are opinionated with the best of them, they could be arguing that ...

Pros: Almost everything is perfect here.
Cons: A few beats I'm not feeling.

Nas has been stirring up a great deal of both attention and controversy with the title of his latest album, Hip Hop Is Dead. East & West Coast Rap cats have kept their noses relatively clean, but the south has, more or less, taken Nas’ album ...

Pros: mostly good lyrics, Jay-Z's guest appearance, some good production, good concepts
Cons: some half-assed verses, some bad production, Game's guest appearance

After the long period of different predictions, anticipation and hype, the potential album of the year with a seriously disturbing concept is finally here. When I say 'concept', a simple look at the title is enough to conclude what I mean - this entire ...

Pros: Creative lyricism, on-point production, meaningful topics, mostly good guest appearances, no bad songs.
Cons: None, it's Nas' greatest achievement since "Illmatic", and the best Hip-Hop album of 2006.

"Fortunately, I have hope that Nas' next project, which will be his first album with Def Jam, will be a more focused, more intense record, and will be more along the lines of "Stillmatic" and "God's Son"." This sentence was my final say from ...

Pros: top class lyricism, production, classic, well rounded
Cons: some guests, 1 or 2 weaker beats

Even though there are plenty rappers who’ve been in the game for over a decade there are none who have had such a complete and well rounded career as Nasir Jones. He’s had the all-time poetic classic (Illmatic), the transformation from a poet to a ...

Pros: Consistent production, consistent rhymes.
Cons: One of those albums you kinda gotta be in the right mood to really enjoy.

Me likin' a Nas album more than a Jay-Z album? Ya must be crazy. Sure, it's a subject that's been beaten to death, but understandably. The two legendary emcees had one of the most talked-about hip-hop beefs in recent memory, and probably one of the ...

Pros: focused, good production, clear message, excellent lyricism
Cons: Play On Playa , a couple ehhhh tracks, airplane seats

He's baaaack... BRING 'EM OUT, BRING 'EM OUT, IT'S HARD TO YELL WHEN THE BARRELS IN YO MOUTH For those who don't know me, my name is Mr. Fat Kid. Or, fatty. I'm the one who can't fly because i don't fit in the seats, the one who reads the ...

Pros: Consistently great lyricism and production
Cons: A couple of weaker songs and beats

Its been exactly no secret that the quality of today’s hip hop scene has been going downhill for the last couple of years and this is acknowledged by quite a lot of hip hop fans. However, there has been a growing number of disgruntled hip hop fans ...

Pros: Phenomenal lyricism, great production, Nas checks most of the flaws with his skill
Cons: "Play on Playa", The Game on "Hustlers", I wish "The N" was on this ;_;

Nas is quite possibly the only MC that can make a statement as bold as "hip hop is dead" and get away with it. Before this album, when your average backpacker would say something of the same measure, no one would give a damn. But when Nas made official ...

Pros: Subject matter, some beats, most rhymes.
Cons: Some tracks are barely listenable, which is shameful at this point for NaS.

I always thought of NaS' career as likened to the rise of the Corleonesi family in La Cosa Nostra (In terms of both Michael and Luciano Liggio). Starting off as a humble youth with aspirations but slowly becoming corrupt by the web of gratuitous wealth ...

Pros: Nas will always be a legendary lyricist, a handful of great tracks.
Cons: Overrated, mediocre production, lukewarm album concept and execution, weak lyrical moments, gimmicky, guests, inconsistent.

I hate getting my wisdom teeth out!!! It is painful as hell. I lay in this bed while listenin to "Hip-Hop Is Dead" for the 7th time in its entirety and feel I'm confident enough to review it. But you know what is more disappointing? When your ...

Pros: Lyrics are near perfect on every song. Great concept. Album is consistent with the theme.
Cons: Mediocre production in a few spots. Guest appearances uncharacteristic of Nas

With all of the controversy surrounding how commercialized rap has become lately, who else but Nas would see himself fit to release an album that officially declares hip hop dead? As was probably predicted, the album title served to generate interest in ...