http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====79111&nbc1=1
Nas repping Tupac:
http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=GLS====79111&c4nvi=3&str=3157&styp=clbi&nbc1=1
Hiphopdx speaks on the career of Nasir Jones:
Who The Hell Am I?
Wednesday - September 29, 2004
Andreas Hale
"Be the change you want to see in the world"--- Gandhi
For a few months now I have been asking the question "Who the Hell Am I?" But now I prefer to direct the question to God’s Son...the one and only Nas. On the eve of Nas’ next album I took the time to analyze the man’s career and directive of his music. In a previous article I witnessed how many readers looked at J-23’s analytical stance on the Jay vs. Nas issue and felt that it was a debate worth expanding on. Many people felt as if Nas vs. Jay was a no-brainer considering the fact that Nas may be the most prolific lyricist of our time. Others felt that Jay was not on Nas’ level and after the scathing "Ether" that this battle was a done deal. But let’s look at Nas and understand there is more to this "battle" than the one on the mic. This battle delves deeper than that. This battle actually is played out in the psyche of God’s Son. And with that the parallels between Nas and the rest of the world are drawn.
I spoke with a close friend of mine on the subject of changing the world. How in order to see the change you have to become the change. Change starts one person at a time. Everybody wants to change the world but nobody wants to be the first to cast the stone. The conversation shifted gears in terms that everyone can’t be the next Malcolm X or Che Gueverra. Either you possess those attributes or you don’t. It’s just that simple. Nobody can just step up without the tools to change the world and expect to fix it. Point is that there are many deciding factors into what made some of the world’s most influential figures that go beyond the means of wanting change. You have to be it. You have to embody it. You have to have it. But you also have to understand that change isn’t the popular thing to do. Change isn’t going to make you rich right off the bat. Change isn’t going to be accepted by just anyone. People with those very attributes are considered different by many of their peers and go back into the shells from which they came out of. What exactly does this have to do with Nas you ask? Everything and nothing. But let’s analyze this a bit further in terms of Nas’ career.
Nas came onto the scene with his show stealing verse on Main Source’s "Live at the BBQ" with that became a buzz that this was not your average emcee. Soon after the jewel of all jewels dropped; the legendary “Illmatic.” From the mind of a young man came words of vicious intent. Nothing had ever been that prolific. Nothing had ever been that vivid. The album, although relatively short with 10 songs, instantaneously thrust Nas into the company of the one and only Rakim. But through all the "classic" references Nas put up paltry numbers. Sad but true, everybody wasn’t ready for what Nas was doing. The west coast was hot and people didn’t exactly appreciate Nas’ talent to the fullest extent. Right there at that very moment Nas had to make a decision. Continue to make music or attempt to make money. 2 years later "It was Written" dropped and some of the people who spent their money on “Illmatic” weren’t too sure what this venture was all about. "If I Ruled the World" still showed flashes of brilliance but contained a more pop feel to it. Not a problem. But when many people saw Nas rocking the pink suit a la Casino and listened to the album, which didn’t contain the Pete Rock’s and Large Pro’s and opted for the Trackmasters, Nas aficionados felt betrayed. Fair assessment? Not really, because we don’t truly know what goes on in the mind of Nas. However, it was apparent that he wasn’t going for the critical acclaim, and he wanted more. The kid wanted to go Platinum. He did eventually. But was this a victory for someone who was on the cutting edge of hip hop? It really depends on who you ask. Many Nas fans were able to swallow the pill and stayed along for the ride. But as soon as "I Am" and "Nastradamous" dropped, loyal fans were ready to give Nas the finger and keep it moving. He suckered us in with the incredible "Nas is Like" and bamboozled every fan he had in the beginning thinking that the "old" Nas was back. Nah, because as soon as many of us heard "You Owe Me" we reached for our barfbags. Meanwhile the "pop" crowd ate this up. Pushing Nas to the astronomical numbers that he wanted to achieve. We watched the transition from Nasty Nas, the cutting edge emcee, to Nas Escobar, the emcee who emulates what is popular instead of doing his own thing. From The Firm, the Lil’ Jon song (I swear that back in the day if Mobb Deep went to Lil’ Jon for a hit, they would have gotten kicked out of Queensbridge), the dumbed down lyrics, the betrayal. We all know the story; what goes up must come down. And people who loved Nas now weren’t too fond of him anymore. Many who loved his pop songs opted to move on to other poppy songs. It’s almost sickening to watch an individual with that much ability opt not to use it because it doesn’t sell records. Then it happened. The one person who sat atop the rap game and embodied the very nature of everything Nas wanted to be gave him a swift kick to the groin. That man was Jay-Z and the song was the "Takeover" where in one verse Jay summed up Nas’ potentially brilliant career and exposed Nas with a plethora of truths that many people couldn’t argue with...including Nas. Sure Nas came back with the dis-infested Ether but not much truth was within it. He clowned Jay but really couldn’t say nothing about what he accomplished as an artist. But what Nas did realize is that he indeed was slipping and that the only way to become Nasty Nas again was to look at the man taking shots at him and realize that Jay-Z wasn’t Nas. Nas didn’t want to be Jay-Z. Hell, Nas couldn’t be Jay-Z. And from that point Nas took it back to what gave him critical acclaim in the first place with his revisit back to 1994 with the lyrically sound “Stillmatic.” What Nas realized was that he hadn’t been happy inside his own skin. He yearned to be like so many of those rappers who had quick success but didn’t understand that he couldn’t be like those rappers. He wasn’t like those rappers. He was Nasir Jones. He was a lyricist, emcee, visionary, prolific and everything else that made him different than every other rapper in the game. The gift that he had wasn’t one that would make him famous, it was a gift that could and would change the game, one listener at a time.
With all of this said does this mean Nas is a potential revolutionary? I can’t answer that. But what it does mean is that before you can point the finger at anyone else you must look at yourself and make sure you are doing your part in becoming what you want to see in your music, culture, or planet. What Nas’ career is like parallels what much of hip hop is like; a bunch of rappers running around that just don’t have it but sell millions of records as opposed to the rappers that got it but don’t encompass those tools to change the perception of hip-hop. The latter most of the time attempt to "cross over" and forget where they came from in order to be famous or "cool" amongst their peers. Face it people, ignorance runs amuck and until we are fed (or accept) apples instead of applesauce it will continue to be that way. This parallel not only goes for hip hop but also goes for the rest of the world. Many of us are talented in our own right but aren’t taught to use what we have to change the world. Many of us are considered "weird" for the music we listen to, the things we read, the way we talk, the way we dress, etc. It’s not "cool" to write. It’s not popular to read. But the truth is that the world will never change if those with the stones are scared to throw them because of what other people think is "popular." We have to be the change we want to see in the world. But hey he’s Nas and I’m just a critic...Who the Hell Am I right?
Nas repping Tupac:
http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=GLS====79111&c4nvi=3&str=3157&styp=clbi&nbc1=1
Hiphopdx speaks on the career of Nasir Jones:
Who The Hell Am I?
Wednesday - September 29, 2004
Andreas Hale
"Be the change you want to see in the world"--- Gandhi
For a few months now I have been asking the question "Who the Hell Am I?" But now I prefer to direct the question to God’s Son...the one and only Nas. On the eve of Nas’ next album I took the time to analyze the man’s career and directive of his music. In a previous article I witnessed how many readers looked at J-23’s analytical stance on the Jay vs. Nas issue and felt that it was a debate worth expanding on. Many people felt as if Nas vs. Jay was a no-brainer considering the fact that Nas may be the most prolific lyricist of our time. Others felt that Jay was not on Nas’ level and after the scathing "Ether" that this battle was a done deal. But let’s look at Nas and understand there is more to this "battle" than the one on the mic. This battle delves deeper than that. This battle actually is played out in the psyche of God’s Son. And with that the parallels between Nas and the rest of the world are drawn.
I spoke with a close friend of mine on the subject of changing the world. How in order to see the change you have to become the change. Change starts one person at a time. Everybody wants to change the world but nobody wants to be the first to cast the stone. The conversation shifted gears in terms that everyone can’t be the next Malcolm X or Che Gueverra. Either you possess those attributes or you don’t. It’s just that simple. Nobody can just step up without the tools to change the world and expect to fix it. Point is that there are many deciding factors into what made some of the world’s most influential figures that go beyond the means of wanting change. You have to be it. You have to embody it. You have to have it. But you also have to understand that change isn’t the popular thing to do. Change isn’t going to make you rich right off the bat. Change isn’t going to be accepted by just anyone. People with those very attributes are considered different by many of their peers and go back into the shells from which they came out of. What exactly does this have to do with Nas you ask? Everything and nothing. But let’s analyze this a bit further in terms of Nas’ career.
Nas came onto the scene with his show stealing verse on Main Source’s "Live at the BBQ" with that became a buzz that this was not your average emcee. Soon after the jewel of all jewels dropped; the legendary “Illmatic.” From the mind of a young man came words of vicious intent. Nothing had ever been that prolific. Nothing had ever been that vivid. The album, although relatively short with 10 songs, instantaneously thrust Nas into the company of the one and only Rakim. But through all the "classic" references Nas put up paltry numbers. Sad but true, everybody wasn’t ready for what Nas was doing. The west coast was hot and people didn’t exactly appreciate Nas’ talent to the fullest extent. Right there at that very moment Nas had to make a decision. Continue to make music or attempt to make money. 2 years later "It was Written" dropped and some of the people who spent their money on “Illmatic” weren’t too sure what this venture was all about. "If I Ruled the World" still showed flashes of brilliance but contained a more pop feel to it. Not a problem. But when many people saw Nas rocking the pink suit a la Casino and listened to the album, which didn’t contain the Pete Rock’s and Large Pro’s and opted for the Trackmasters, Nas aficionados felt betrayed. Fair assessment? Not really, because we don’t truly know what goes on in the mind of Nas. However, it was apparent that he wasn’t going for the critical acclaim, and he wanted more. The kid wanted to go Platinum. He did eventually. But was this a victory for someone who was on the cutting edge of hip hop? It really depends on who you ask. Many Nas fans were able to swallow the pill and stayed along for the ride. But as soon as "I Am" and "Nastradamous" dropped, loyal fans were ready to give Nas the finger and keep it moving. He suckered us in with the incredible "Nas is Like" and bamboozled every fan he had in the beginning thinking that the "old" Nas was back. Nah, because as soon as many of us heard "You Owe Me" we reached for our barfbags. Meanwhile the "pop" crowd ate this up. Pushing Nas to the astronomical numbers that he wanted to achieve. We watched the transition from Nasty Nas, the cutting edge emcee, to Nas Escobar, the emcee who emulates what is popular instead of doing his own thing. From The Firm, the Lil’ Jon song (I swear that back in the day if Mobb Deep went to Lil’ Jon for a hit, they would have gotten kicked out of Queensbridge), the dumbed down lyrics, the betrayal. We all know the story; what goes up must come down. And people who loved Nas now weren’t too fond of him anymore. Many who loved his pop songs opted to move on to other poppy songs. It’s almost sickening to watch an individual with that much ability opt not to use it because it doesn’t sell records. Then it happened. The one person who sat atop the rap game and embodied the very nature of everything Nas wanted to be gave him a swift kick to the groin. That man was Jay-Z and the song was the "Takeover" where in one verse Jay summed up Nas’ potentially brilliant career and exposed Nas with a plethora of truths that many people couldn’t argue with...including Nas. Sure Nas came back with the dis-infested Ether but not much truth was within it. He clowned Jay but really couldn’t say nothing about what he accomplished as an artist. But what Nas did realize is that he indeed was slipping and that the only way to become Nasty Nas again was to look at the man taking shots at him and realize that Jay-Z wasn’t Nas. Nas didn’t want to be Jay-Z. Hell, Nas couldn’t be Jay-Z. And from that point Nas took it back to what gave him critical acclaim in the first place with his revisit back to 1994 with the lyrically sound “Stillmatic.” What Nas realized was that he hadn’t been happy inside his own skin. He yearned to be like so many of those rappers who had quick success but didn’t understand that he couldn’t be like those rappers. He wasn’t like those rappers. He was Nasir Jones. He was a lyricist, emcee, visionary, prolific and everything else that made him different than every other rapper in the game. The gift that he had wasn’t one that would make him famous, it was a gift that could and would change the game, one listener at a time.
With all of this said does this mean Nas is a potential revolutionary? I can’t answer that. But what it does mean is that before you can point the finger at anyone else you must look at yourself and make sure you are doing your part in becoming what you want to see in your music, culture, or planet. What Nas’ career is like parallels what much of hip hop is like; a bunch of rappers running around that just don’t have it but sell millions of records as opposed to the rappers that got it but don’t encompass those tools to change the perception of hip-hop. The latter most of the time attempt to "cross over" and forget where they came from in order to be famous or "cool" amongst their peers. Face it people, ignorance runs amuck and until we are fed (or accept) apples instead of applesauce it will continue to be that way. This parallel not only goes for hip hop but also goes for the rest of the world. Many of us are talented in our own right but aren’t taught to use what we have to change the world. Many of us are considered "weird" for the music we listen to, the things we read, the way we talk, the way we dress, etc. It’s not "cool" to write. It’s not popular to read. But the truth is that the world will never change if those with the stones are scared to throw them because of what other people think is "popular." We have to be the change we want to see in the world. But hey he’s Nas and I’m just a critic...Who the Hell Am I right?