Nas, the Untouchable
The story of Hip — Hop’s Undying Warrior
New York City is infinitely restless. Any time of day, activity can be found in every corner of the city coming from bars, offices, and everything in between. It almost seems that to live in the city, one would need to stay awake at all times.
Perhaps nobody has expressed this sentiment better than the legendary New York rapper Nas, with his now iconic bar, “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of Death.” Partly referring to the constant fear of being shot to death, partly paying tribute to the city “that never sleeps,” Nasir Jones made a statement in 1994 with his landmark single, “N.Y. State of Mind.” He is wide awake.
Hailing from the Queens borough of New York City, Jones quickly rose to prominence in the early ’90s. Aided by a library of slick rhymes, he captured the attention of New York’s hip-hop scene in 1994 with the lyrical brilliance of his debut, Illmatic. From the opening statement of “N.Y. State of Mind,” where he asserts, “Rappers, I monkey flip ’em with the funky rhythm,” to the boastful end credits of “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” where he claims “Nas’ raps should be locked in a cell; it ain’t hard to tell,” he outlines his spitting flow as a force to be reckoned with.
If Illmatic was a thesis statement, the follow-up to this album, It Was Written, was all of the evidence Nasir needed to back that statement up. A pop-oriented approach through guest artists like Lauryn Hill and Foxy Brown compliments the intricate wordplay. The themes of urban strife which Illmatic introduced, are also expanded on. Shootouts, police brutality, and the general day-to-day fear of living in New York’s ghetto lurk underneath life’s grim reality.
While releases in the 2000s never quite managed to reclaim the boldness of Illmatic, they each brought a unique perspective to the table. 2001’s Stillmatic was touted as an unofficial comeback to Nas’ roots, boasting one of Hip Hop’s most well-known diss tracks, “Ether.”
It was a middle finger pointed directly at Jay-Z, with lines that didn’t always translate to modern context nicely (one of the insults thrown at Jay-Z involves turning his name into Gay-Z). Street’s Disciples carried on Nas’ unique lyricism by incorporating Biblical themes, and a few other serviceable releases were scattered throughout the 2000s. Nas seriously started to lose steam on his 2012 release, Life is Good, featuring a somewhat bland and generic attempt at updating his sound to fit the current sound of rap music by incorporating overly bombastic production and lyrics that seemed out of place for someone like Nas.
This trend wasn’t necessarily unusual among peers from Hip Hop’s golden age. Well-respected rappers from the ’90s, such as LL Cool J and Kool Keith, had spiraled during the 2000s into producing dull music that either had awful lyrics, lousy production, or both.
2018 saw the once prolific in the belly of the whale; a lost man trying to find his way through the labyrinth of rap. Nas desperately wanted to get back into the fight and prove his relevancy in the modern scene. Naturally, this meant turning to the one and only Kanye West to produce his next album, Nasir. Bogged by a strange mix of West’s production and a runtime of twenty-six minutes — Nasir felt half-baked. In this vulnerable state, Nas had two options — continuing an aimless jaunt down the road of mediocrity or seriously reconsidering his direction as an artist.
The answer presented itself in a fairly obvious manner; the fresh and energetic producer, Hitboy.
Hitboy didn’t need to prove himself to Nas. Having worked on commercial successes such as Kanye West’s “*****’s in Paris” and Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE,” he had a repertoire that proudly spoke for itself. The combination of Nas and Hitboy made perfect sense. One of the most influential lyricists of the ’90s is paired with a producer who understood the modern game like the back of his hand. The result of their first collaboration was King’s Disease, an intriguing hook and a great setup for the next few years.
Nas starts the project on King’s Disease by boldly exclaiming, “Amazing Grace, I’m gracefully Aging.” The proclamation is clear. The Nas, who revolutionized hip hop with Illmatic, had come back. And he was here to stay.
Throughout the three-album run of the King’s Disease trilogy, Nas reflects on a variety of themes relevant to his own experiences as an aging rapper, such as the beautiful and troubled relationships under his belt and the continuous struggle of Black Americans in the fight against systemic racism. Nas also spends much of the trilogy reflecting on his career and where he fits in now. Certain song titles make this sentiment inherently obvious with phrasing such as “Nas is Good” and “Replace me,” but other tracks serve the purpose of celebrating more than anything else. “I’m on fire”, taken off of King’s Disease III, is an example of Nas’ embracement of his veteran status and the spirit left within him.
If the King’s Disease trilogy was a collage of Nas’ experiences in the industry, the sibling Magic trilogy (also produced by Hitboy) is a proud celebration of success. Nas doesn’t boast for the sake of it; he boasts because he’s truly earned his status through his countless decades of persistence.
What truly makes these six albums stand out against the cohort of other rappers is the uniqueness of the concept and its lasting effectiveness. A phenomenal lyricist from the ’90s is combined with a modern producer who understands that context but is also up to date with current hip-hop trends.
In addition to the updated sound from Hitboy, the projects feature collaborators from Nas’ glory days (Foxy Brown and AZ) but also incorporate new talents (Lil Durk, A$AP Rocky). The final product is cohesive and distinct in the jumble of subpar releases, with King’s Disease becoming Nas’ first Grammy. The highlight of this six-album run easily stands out as King’s Disease III. Nas himself says on the opening track, “Ghetto Reporter,” “They argue KD1, KD2 or Magic, was harder when… KD3 go harder than all of them!”
The album is a culmination of Nas’ intelligent lyricism on tracks such as “Thun” and “Legit,” along with Hitboy’s sample-based production that truly makes Nas sound like he’s still in the ’90s. This particular album has no features and is concentrated on Nas at the peak of his game. Nas is blunt in getting this point across, even titling one of the tracks “I’m on Fire.”
Almost three decades into his career, Nasir Jones made a phenomenal comeback. Instead of continuing down the rabbit hole of mediocrity or trying to appeal to a new audience by jumping on a popular trend, he seamlessly combined the best of both worlds.
Modern production and classic soul samples. Old collaborators as well as new musical icons. The end product proves that aging rappers who are determined to make quality music still can, given their ambition and drive to reward their fans.
Nas seriously wasn’t lying back in 1994. He doesn’t sleep, and death won’t get anywhere near him as long as he continues.
