Nas: Life is Good Album Review

Sometimes, an album comes along and really captures my attention.  In the past, albums fitting that description include: “Aquemini,” “Reasonable Doubt,” and “Illmatic” to name a few.  Nas is one of the most talented emcees to ever bless the microphone. That said, he has frustrated me as a music lover because of his lack of consistency, at times.  When you hear Nas at his best, it is easy to understand why many consider him the best emcee ever.  On his latest studio album, entitled “Life is Good,” Nas was focused and produced a high quality album.  This album definitely caught my attention.

Nas has stellar production on this album.  In the past, it seems to me that he was loyal to certain producers, even to a fault.  He used certain producers that were not on par with his lyrical abilitiy.  Here, he utilizes the talent of No I.D. and Salaam Remi, almost exclusively. However, Swizz Beats, now deceased legend Heavy D, and Buck Wild chipped in to give the album that authentic New York feel.  It also has the right amount of guest appearances.  Some emcees release “solo” albums that sound like group projects as a result of long lists of guest appearances.  On this album, Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, Rick Ross, and the late, great Amy Winehouse are the featured artists. 

Nas was very reflective and nostalgic on this album.  He discussed serious subjects such as his much publicized divorce from Kelis, gun violence, the joys of fatherhood, and various addictions people succumb to.  The lyrics are strong and the tone of the album is reflective of Nas’ current state of mind.  It is a little too early to decide if the album is a classic.  As I continue to listen to the album over the next few weeks, I will make that determination.  I have often loved or loathed an album during the first week, and then a few weeks later, I did a complete 180 with respect to my feelings about the album. Much of my admiration for this album could be that I am happy to hear new material from one of my favorites emcees and that could skew my opinion.  I will revisit this discussion in a few weeks.

At this stage in my album review of “Life is Good,” I do not skip any songs.  For me, that is rare because I become impatient sometimes (that is still a virtue I am working on), and if I do not like the beat, or the hook, I will skip a song.  At this point (after three full listening sessions), I listen to every song.  One of my early favorite songs is World’s an Addiction featuring Anthony Hamilton.  First off, the beat and hook on this song are amazing.   The song is about peoples’ struggles with various types of addiction.  The hook for the song is “The world is an addiction, serving our fix, the world is an addiction, way too much for me.”  The song is a deep dive into humans’ innermost thoughts and struggles.    

Stay is another one of my early favorite songs.  The horns playing in this song give it a classic jazz vibe.  In the first verse of this song, Nas raps about temptation and the women who tempt men.  He raps: “Watch out for desperate lonely women, hurt ya happy home, miserable and alone, kissable, nice to bone, she not the type deserving of a throne . . .”  Wise words indeed.

Reach Out featuring Mary J. Blige is another one of my favorite songs.  Mary J Blige has one of the most powerful voices I have ever heard.  The beat on the song sounds like something right out of the 1990’s “bad boy” era.  This song has a few notable lines including, “Can see myself in presidential campaign dinners, but I’m gassing blunts around a bunch of gang members, when you are too hood to be in them Hollywood circles and you are too rich to be in the hood that birthed you. . . “  That line sounds like a person who is stuck in between two worlds.  I suppose he is describing an inner struggle between the desire to stay true to yourself; but at the same time, growing and having different experiences.  Another one of my favorite lines from the song is, “I like to teach and build, with brothers about how easy it is to reach a mil.  All you need is some skill, then it’s grind time, imagination is better than knowledge, says Einstein. . . “

Cherry Wine featuring Amy Winehouse has grown on me and it could easily be my favorite song on the album.  Amy Winehouse possessed one of the most unique voices ever and her voice on this song is a nice touch.  The premise of the song is a man/woman searching for a perfect companion.  Nas raps, “She likes the herbs, natural medicine, she cooking good, she tell me everything is cool when it ain’t looking good, for real, the world is ill, yo I want a girl so real who's not after material wealth, but get dough still or maybe an educator, a lady with etiquette who can be from out the hood or even work for the President . . .”  The song is really smooth.

If you love good music, this album is an essential to own.

Peace