Nas’ Life is Good, was greatly anticipated by hip hop heads everywhere, anxious to see what direction the legend MC was going to take with his 11th solo album. NaS, arguably the greatest lyricist of all of all time, is known for having his personal life events greatly affect the message of his albums. It is easy to draw direct correlations from each of his albums to a specific transition or event in the MC’s life. Examples include his mother’s death (God’s Son), his beef with Jay-Z (Stillmatic), his marriage to Kelis (Street’s Disciple), and of course his divorce with Kelis (Life is Good). Hip Hop enthusiasts, NaS fans, and industry personnel were all worried this would be a heartbroken, love-themed compilation. Listeners immediately had no more worries and were instantly in a trance as soon as they pressed play…
NaS brilliantly introduced the LP with an opening song titled “No Introduction” which set the tone perfectly for the album with just the first few bars. “P.S. 111 free lunch/embarrassed but managed to get a plate” connected listeners to NaS’ childhood right away and proved the beginning of somewhat of a timeline as he goes through this track as well as the album itself. Transitioning through periods of his life with lines such as “15 I got a gun/16 I robbed a train/Licked off a shot for fun/What’s got inside my brain” all the way till the present with a shout out to his ex wife, “I wrote this piece for closure/some of yall might know Kelis/ This goes out to her with love.” The legend MC keeps it personal with his fans discussing topics as close to the heart as his relationship with his daughter Destiny in the song “Daughters” while also having direct conversation with Kelis concerning their divorce on “Bye Baby.” Aside from family and personal glimpses NaS continues to show appreciation and respect to the environment that raised him, Queensbridge Projects in New York City in songs like “Nasty”, “A Queens Story”, “Back When” and a new NYC anthem, “The Don”.
The GOAT continued to prove how true love and passion for the art of music and the real depth of Hip Hop can overcome any financial or industry success. NaS after nearly 22 years in the game is still able to touch nerves and emotions of listeners from a slew of fan backgrounds. The same man that coined the phrase “Hip Hop is Dead” helps prove that while lyrical legends such as himself are still blessing us with their musical art, Hip Hop still has a heartbeat. Which is exactly the message I think NaS is trying to illustrate with this album, no matter how difficult things may seem always “Count Your Blessings” (shameless Distant Relatives plug) and remember that Life is Good.
Rating: 5 Beats
RaS
streetsandbeats 