Nas:
Street's Disciple

Release Date: 29 November 2004

Reviewed By: Nooreen Kara

Disc1

1. A Message To The Feds, Sincerely, We The People (intro)

2. A Message To The Feds, Sincerely, We The People

3. Nazareth Savage

4. American Way - ft, Kelis

5. Coon Picnic (These Are Our Heroes)

6. Disciple

7. Sekou Story - ft, Scarlett

8. Live Now - ft, Scarlett

9. Rest Of My Life

10. Just A Moment - ft, Quan

11. Reason - ft, Emily

12. You Know My Style

Disc2

1. Suicide Bounce - ft, Busta Rhymes

2. Street Disciple - ft, Olu Dara

3. U.B.R (unaithorized Bography Of Rakim)

4. Virgo - ft, Ludacris, Doug E Fresh

5. Remember The Times (intro)

6. Remember The Times

7. The Making Of A Perfect B***h

8. Getting Married

9. No One Else In The Room - ft, Maxwell

10. Bridging The Gap - ft, Olu Dara

11. War - ft, Keon Bryce

12. Me & You (Dedicated To Destiny)

13. Thief's Theme

14. Thief's Theme - ft, Rising Son

Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled
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Nas’ much delayed ‘Street's Disciple’ has finally been released. It was 10 years ago that the Queensbridge rapper debuted with the enormous ‘Illmatic’, christened the Holy Grail of hip-hop. He claimed he would ‘carry the cross’ if Jesus had not existed. He is essentially to hip-hop what Christ is to Christianity. ‘Nasty Nas’ has grown into, and beyond, the poet ‘Nastradamus’, and after a district war with Jay-Z, the self-appointed King of New York is back with a sensational eighth solo venture.

One striking thing about this CD is how it consists of more than just sex, violence and pimp-focussed topics, a common downfall in much of today’s hip-hop. Recently released ‘Bridging The Gap’ featuring his father, Olu Dara, merges hip-hop with jazz, blues and soul into a sincere music escapade, allowing Nas to show off his street poetry. There’s also the gritty lyrics and political hate on ‘American Way’, soothing and reminiscent ‘Just A Moment’, and an introspective song to his daughter in ‘Me and You’, which very much rivals Eminem’s ‘Mockingbird’. ‘Getting Married’ is for his fiancée Kelis, and at first glance, I half expected it to be a weak, soppy love song, but Nas kills it with his smooth, real rhymes over the serenading beat.

Even the most established artists often find themselves with fillers but here, especially for a twin-disc release, there is minimal track-skipping. One of my personal favourites is ‘Coon Picnic (These Are Our Heroes)’, where Nas thanks the likes of Tiger Woods, but disses Kobe Bryant over recent allegations: ‘Who woulda knew? Mr. goody-two-shoes/ He love a little butt crack, got enough cash/ little kids with their bus pass who look up to you/ do somethin' for the youth, stupid spoof’.

The title track ‘Streets Disciple’ has Nas spitting sharp rhymes over the infectious trumpets and piano chords: ‘They took Will, let me describe him, a live one, I think he was the true God Son’.

‘U.B.R (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)’ is a fresh tune where he educates about hip-hop’s pioneering rapper and possibly most renowned and finest MC ever. In short, if Nas compares himself to Jesus, Rakim is God, and there’s no shortage of praise on this track.

There’s also ‘Remember The Times’ where he graphically raps his sexual history: ‘Chelsea used to tell me choke her while I stroke her/ stuck a Heineken bottle in her ass, a real joker’ – too much information Mr Jones. The introduction to this song has Kelis explaining how he can have sex with one girl before he’s stuck with her for life. Wow, what an understanding wife…

While on his previous single, ‘Got Yourself A Gun’, Nas claims that having no famous collabos helped ‘Illmatic’ be such a success; (‘My first album had no famous guest appearances. The outcome, I'm was crowned the best lyricist’). Yet, there are a number of guests who feature on this album – Busta Rhymes provides the hook for the bass-thumping and energised self-produced beat on ‘Suicide Bounce’; Ludacris joins Doug E. Fresh for ‘Virgo’, and Kelis features on the old-school vibe ‘American Way’. However, these collaborations simply help the record be that bit more of a classic, and do not hinder Nas’ verses, lyrical skills or flow whatsoever.

Nas keeps it real throughout the duration, almost without any commercial cuts. This momentarily slips for ‘No One Else In The Room’ – the only track I’m not feeling. It’s too “poppy” for a classic Nas album. ‘Thief’s Theme’ is, however, an excellent finale, giving us another glimpse of that ‘Nasty Nas’ hardcore style over the prowling guitar beat.

To say the least, Nas is definitely worthy competition for the likes of Wu-Tang (‘Wu-Tang Forever’) and Biggie (‘Life After Death’) for creating the best double-disc release ever, with an almost-flawless and consistent play. The entire album is reality driven and he provides an excellent insight into his personal views using strong-minded rhymes and a near-perfect execution. It has to be said that Nas, having previously failed, has finally achieved the standards set by himself back in 1994 with ‘Illmatic’, and another timeless album has been created with ‘Streets Disciple’.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Three favourite tracks:
2) Streets Disciple
10) Just A Moment
5) Coon Picnic (These Are Our Heroes)

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