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 Nas back to his roots Jul 18, 2005
After putting out the bonafide rap classic Illmatic in '94, one would think - why on earth would Nas try to cross-over on his next 3 albums? Unfortunately, that was the case with Nas. It Was Written was great, I Am... was decent, and Nastradamus just didn't cut it. I guess all Nas needed was some motivation to get back on track, and all thanks to Jay-Z, Nas put out this 2001 rap classic, Stillmatic.
As you may already know, Jay-Z dissed Nas a lot on his album, The Blueprint, saying that Nas had an average of one hot album per ten years. Obviously, Stillmatic was meant to shut Jay-Z up. After listening to the intro of Stillmatic, you already know this album's hot 'cuz it's the only intro I've heard that's worth listening to. After the intro is "Ether", the infamous Jay-Z diss track, keeping the beef between Jay-Z and Nas alive. The first single, "Got Yourself A..." is a great song where Nas pays homage to 2Pac and Biggie, and the second single, "One Mic" shows Nas still had more heart than any other rapper in the business - it's terrific. "You're Da Man" and "Rewind", both produced by Large Professor are great tracks as well, where in "Rewind", Nas tells a story from end to beginning, truly a fine moment in the album.
But without a doubt, the finest moment in the album is "2nd Childhood." Nas can never go wrong with the type of storytelling he displays here, and it's backed by a signature DJ Premier beat. Other standout tracks include "Destroy & Rebuild" (Nas comes off sounding a bit like Slick Rick here), "The Flyest" featuring AZ, and "Rule", an epic track that sounds a lot like it could very well be If I Ruled the World Part 2.
In the end, Stillmatic is probably the closest he'll ever come to his masterpiece Illmatic, Stillmatic is extremely enjoyable and Nas fans will not be dissapointed one bit. Watch for Street's Disciple, Nas' new LP out Nov. 30. Until then, enjoy Stillmatic.
Straight Up Classic Sep 20, 2004
Let's get one thing straight here. Like alot of other reviewers have said for other Nas albums, Nas will never make another Illmatic. That is because he says that everybody wants him to make another Illmatic but he's not moving backward, always forward, so let's move forward to Stillmatic. A classic Nas record. It doesn't match up to Illmatic, but let's pretend Illmatic didn't exist. Now this seems like something you'd want to hear from Nas. It's great, however this record has only one flaw. We'll get to that later.
"Stillmatic" is the opening song. It's the intro that's the same title as the album. It's pretty good. I like the "Blood of a slave, heart of a king" line he drops a couple times. "Ether" is the well known diss to Jay-Z. This is an excellent track, and I really like the chorus. Very good diss. "Got Yourself A..." is another good track. It's not the best, but it's still a track you always listen to. "Smokin'" is the first song that I really really liked, the others before this are good, but this is great. Produced by Nas himself, you'll always be listening to this one. The next one, "You're Da Man" is also a classic track, produced by Large Professor. It has great lyrics and beat. The actual song isn't long enough, it has an added on skit that makes it longer. "Rewind" is a wonderful cut. Nas raps this story backwards, all the way to what the people in the story say. I've listened to this track many times, and I still can't understand the story. "One Mic" is one of the best songs on this album. It's a masterpiece. Nas tells us all he needs is one mic in this world. Very powerful cut as well. This one is also self-produced, and it's probably the best song on here. "2nd Childhood" is another cool cut. It's produced by DJ Premier. It's about how people that still aren't doing anything when it's time to grow up, and they're acting like it's their childhood all over again. This is more laid back too. "Destroy and Rebuild" is sorta a diss song to Cormega, and other Queensbridge rappers. He's saying that the Bridge isn't over it's just cowards that are killing it. This one's produced by Baby Paul and Mike Risko. "The Flyest" featuring AZ is another great track (all these are, actually, except for one). I really like the chorus. Not as good as "Life's A B**ch" which is a song Nas did with AZ on Illmatic, but it's awesome still.
"Braveheart Party" featuring Mary J. Blige, is the only weak track on here. Produced by Swizz Beats, this should have never made it on the album. It's a party track, and it just feels completely out of place on this album. Not very good at all.
Don't worry though, the album picks up right after that awful track. "Rule" featuring Amerie, is a pretty catchy track, and it's produced by Track Masters. It contains interpolations of the track "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". "My Country" is a song that I never really listened to that much. After I did though, I figured out that this an awesome track as well. I really like the chorus on this song. It's what drew me into the track. It's produced by Lofey. "What Goes Around" is another classic track on the CD. It's about how your actions will eventually catch up and turn on you, and "What goes around comes around, and what goes up it must come down". Those are some true words for you. The extra track, "Every Ghetto" is okay. It's not a song I listen to much, because it's the very last song on the album. It doesn't even appear on the credits inside the booklet.
So, as my final though, I'd say get this right now if you don't already. It's near flawless (Braveheart Party really messed up the album, but it took care of the slack). It's something every hip-hop fan should have in their collection. You can play it over and over again, except for the horrible Braveheart Party. It's great. 5 Stars.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Another Hip Hop Classic Feb 07, 2003
This cd is a masterpeice. Songs like "Your da Man", "Rewind", "One Mic, "2nd Childhood" and "What Goes Around" cannot be touched by any mc in the game today. This is a must have cd for anybodys collection.
0 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Garage Nov 15, 2002
This album is complete and utterly devoid of creativity. People give Nasir Jones credit, but he is a ... If you want to hear a good album, check out the Blueprint by Jay-Z.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Stillmatic Review Feb 22, 2002
This is one of NaS' best cd's. I read a few of the reviews and they do this cd no justice. 1. Stillmatic intro is just letting you why he was Nasty NaS. 2. Ether tore Jay apart. 3. Got Ur Self.. this song is okay, I like it but there are songs much better. 4. Smokin' is not the worst song on the album, it's second best. Last verse is nice. 5. You're Da Man another great song, NaS talks about what his plans were in the biz and what it turned out to be. 6. Rewind is a great visual song where he tells a story backwards. 7. One Mic...the best song on the album, NaS gets you hype with the whisphers to screams and just does wonders with the lyrics. 8. 2nd Childhood, a DJ Premier song..great lyrics with a great beat..NaS and Premo..great combo. and talks about people who don't grow up. 9. Destroy & Rebuild..NaS is tellin about the biggest projects in America.. QB..and how he's rebuilding and trying to make it unite...I love this song despite how everyone thinks the beat is not good, I love it. 10. The Flyest, NaS and AZ...I love this song too...NaS comes strong as well as AZ. 11. Braveheart party..let's just say i'm glad this was taken off the album. 12. Rule..second least favorite..i'm just not feeling this song, but it has good meaning..and I do listen to it. 13. My Country is a good song too..telling of how USA has treated it's people. 14. What Goes Around is a great song..talks about how things come back on those that do wrong and what things POISON the mind. 15. Bonus track 1 Every Ghetto..Great song with a great beat. I don't get to hear this song much because I start the cd over every time I put it in. I have two other bonus songs on my cd, Everybody's Crazy and No Ideas Original which talks about nothings original but the outcome all depends on HOW you do it. Everybody's Crazy talks about people and there actions. This is more than a 5 star cd because even though there is 1 bad song, the others make up for it, and it's taken off the newer version. I recommend this cd for everyone. I'm a big fan of NaS since Illmatic and I think it's his second best cd. Go check it. It's worth it!
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