Nas
Hip Hop Is Dead
written by rickness |
Track 5 – Hip Hop Is Dead
‘If hip hop should die before I wake
I'll put an extended clip inside of my AK
Roll to every station, murder the DJ’
Since his signing to Def Jam in January 2006 there’s been plenty of hype around Hip Hop Is Dead. He kicked around a few titles including Ni**er and Ni**a until controversy broke out and was quickly dropped. The title finally landed on Hip-Hop is Dead (HHID) and the blogs haven’t stopped blogging! With producers including Chris Webber, Kanye West, Stargate, Scott Storch, Will.I.Am, Dr. Dre, and long time Nas collaborators L.E.S and Salaam Remi the album was bound to be good. The much hyped collaboration with Jay-Z, “Black Republican” also only helped inch the album closer to classic status before anyone had even heard it.
The album leads off with the L.E.S produced ‘Money Over Bullshit’ with Nas showing off his dynamic flow over a hard, street style beat. The following track, ‘You Can’t Kill Me’ produced by Salaam Remi, has Nas dealing with issues stemming from his life on the streets. ‘Where Are They Now?’ which has Nas and Salaam Remi behind the boards, has Nas asking where are his favourite MCs that he (and a lot of us) grew up with.
Scott Storch also features with his characteristic keyboard and synth bangers. They include the preachy ‘Carry on Tradition’ and West Coast bangin, Marvin Gaye sampling ‘Play On Playa’ with Snoop Dogg (every song with Snoop always has that indescribable ‘feel’ to it). Will.I Am also contributes a number of tracks to HHID including the lead single ‘Hip-Hop is Dead’ which samples ‘Apache’ and ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,’ and the catchy ‘Can’t Forget About You’ which samples excerpts from Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’ and features the rising Soul star Chrisette Michele. Both of these songs have a video made with the clip for ‘Can’t Forget About You’ due out soon (keep your eyes peeled).
A real stand-out track from HHID is the clap-drum driven ‘Who Killed It’ which MUST be added to DJs playlists ASAP, it’s a definite club banger! Kanyeezee also gets in the mix with some trademark old school samples and key drum-notes. His tracks include ‘Still Dreaming’ featuring West himself side by side with Nas and Chrisette Michele once again, and ‘Let There Be Light’ with newcomer Tre Williams, and Nas spitting his relevance hard.
Veteran producer Dr. Dre also gets in the mix with his much hyped contribution ‘Hustlers,’ featuring The Game and Floetry’s Marsha Ambrosius. The beat is as hot as anything Dre has delivered with Nas and The Game spitting straight heat over the track. With Marsha on the hook and Dre on the beat this song is by far one of the stand-outs and yet another HHID jam that should be rocked in the club!
Overall I would give HHID a 4/5. Standout tracks are the Will.I Am single ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead,’ Dre’s ‘Hustlers,’ and ‘Who Killed It,’ with ‘Carry on Tradition’, ‘Play on Playa’ and ‘Black Republican’ also making the grade. It’s a really good album with only small instances of inconsistency and I suggest everyone from all walks of life who love hip-hop to check HHID out.
IN STORES NOW BUY IT!
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