After reading that Nas was going to drop Lost Tapes 2, then seeing that it got a release date, I came to a sudden and sobering conclusion. Despite our humble music blog preaching that it's about the world's best music, and having Nas heads as some of our closest buddies and family members, not a single Nas song has graced these pages. And that's a damn shame.
Nas is one of the all-time greats. From his classic debut, Illmatic, to his most recent collabo album, Distant Relatives, with Damian Marley, Nas has been putting out jamandahalfs for 16 years now. Although Nas has stuck true to his roots, he never sounds stale, and almost every Nas bar reflects both a lyrical mastery and technical delivery that puts Nas at the tops of almost every top-10 dead or alive rapper list. Nas's truthful accounts of life growing up with nothing never gloss over the harsh realities, but neither does Nas shine away from remembering the good times and laughs. In both his flow and his subject matter, Nas finds an uncompromising balance from which he delivers his message.
The first track off of the classic first Lost Tapes, released in 2002, "Doo Rags" is a story about enjoying life's ride while not forgetting its tough truths. On the second verse Nas raps about a laundry list of problems facing inner cities across the US and the world: guns, drugs, crime, murder, crooked cops. But in the third verse, he flips it and flows about the good times: turning nothing into something, treating your body right, finding a direction. On "Doo Rags" Nas shows off the balance that makes him so unique, and does so with an unforced ease solely fueled by his authenticity. It's been a long time coming but I can't think of a better first Nas jam on these pages than this one.
Another RnB singer to remember. Thanks for telling the world about him so as the other RnB singers. it means a lot. Thanks.
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