On the album "Blueprint," Jay-Z dissed Queen's Bridge alum Nas, commenting that the rapper averages one hot album every 10 years. Nas's "Street's Disciple," which hit stores Nov. 30, is a vehement reply to such criticism.
The double CD offers a variety of ridiculous lyrics. Nas was able to reinvent himself by not commercializing or selling out the rap industry, as many of his counterparts are doing today. He is writing for himself and it is displayed in everything that he spits.
"Street's Disciple" displays the large gap between Nas and other lyricists. He comes at the listener with the song "These Are Our Heroes." On the track he says the things that other rappers think, but would dare not say. He goes after the people the general public looks up to, but really should not.
He takes on Los Angeles Laker star Kobe Bryant rhyming "First he played his life cool just like Michael/ Now he rocks ice too just like I do/ Yo, you can't do better than that?/ The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?"
There are plenty of songs on this album that have a street swagger to them, which is exactly what the rap industry has been missing. "Street's Disciple" is not about the flashiness in every video talked about by all of today's rappers.
The tracks express his creativity and lyrical prowess. The song "U.B.R." speaks about rap legend Rakim and his life. It does not stop there as Nas teams up with Ludacris on "Virgo." This song should be all over the radio airwaves soon.
The one knock to "Street's Disciple" is the production. Certain beats do not meet the standards that Nas upholds in his lyrics. His lyricism is at its best, but the production slacks. On the songs "The Makings of a Perfect B---h" and "No One Else in the Room" the album takes a few misguided steps.
Throwback joints like "American Way" bring the listener back to the core of hip-hop. The CD is better than his past two albums, "God's Son" and "Stillmatic." Like most double disc offerings, this record would have been a classic if it was a single disc.
The problem with Nas is that his fans want another "Illmatic," a peerless hip-hop release. Even though it may never happen, "Street's Disciple" is one of the better rap releases of the year.
