Not many would argue that Nas is one of the top ten lyricists living. The rap laureates debut Illmatic put a barely known, fresh-faced MC onto the cusp of greatness. By the time he dropped his fourth album Nastradamus, a frisbee for many but still viable for his hardcore fan base, he was in this weird ambiguous space; seesawing between Italian gangster and pro-Black griot. After the critical beat down Esco took for not living up to Illmatics standards, Mr. Jones disappeared for a minute and was all but forgotten. Stillmatic, and a shot of beef from Shawn Carter, announced his subsequent resurrection and newfound hunger. He has since cemented his lane with three subsequent releases. Nasir Jones' Greatest Hits (Columbia) reads like the cliffs notes of his career.

Starting off in true Nas fashion is the autobiographical Surviving The Times. Produced by NBA star and former Fab Fiver Chris Webber, the track is laidback with an intermitted piano riff and loungy drum melody. Nas breaks down his first steps into the rap game. I was with Akinyele in the streets trying to get us a deal/G Rap tried to get us to sign to Cold Chill/But Fly Ty didnt have the contract we wanted/Clark Kent just signed Das he didnt want us/Russell said I sounded like G the ni*** fronted.

This project is in chronological order and highlights the most influential hits Nas has created from his intellectual introspection to his grimier street tales. Earlier joints like It Aint Hard To Tell and One Love bring the listener through memory lane. The album then moves into classic cuts from If I Ruled The World to Bridging the Gap. Unfortunately Ether is missing from the album. The monumental battle track would have served as the perfect turning point between the gaudy Hate Me Now and One Mic. It fills in that gap of time when fans and critics alike were forgetting how ill Nas really is. His beef with Jay-Z was a moment of clarity for those who were foggy about Nass talent after his hiatus; One Mic, a lyrically gorgeous song, was the affirmation that the world needed.

While the track listing could have been more definitive, it's only 14 tracks after all, this Greatest Hits is still good money. It drops at a time when the Rap community is coming down from the whole Hip-Hop Is Dead theme and coming into the N-word fiasco that he recently started. Its obvious that Nas is not afraid of controversy but this album is a testament to why Gods Son is a Hip-Hop legend.

SOUNDCHECK:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X19-R_qdSKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-X3TqY-Df8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUW8zOIy-HE




-- Edited by Crazypickney at 17:37, 2007-12-18

-- Edited by Crazypickney at 17:39, 2007-12-18