NASIR

by 

Nas

AlbumJun 15 / 20187 songs, 26m 33s
Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop
Popular

The fourth in a series of weekly Kanye West-produced releases to come from the G.O.O.D. Music label head\'s Wyoming compound, Nas\' 11th studio album is one of the most anticipated hip-hop collaborations since West and Jay-Z’s monumental *Watch the Throne*. With *NASIR*, it\'s clear that Nas and Kanye share a similar worldview, one focused on the world their children will inherit: The pair engage America\'s epidemic of police brutality toward people of color on the Slick Rick-sampling \"Cops Shot the Kid,\" while Nas questions the practice of vaccination over the slow-burning guitar loop of \"everything (feat. The-Dream).\" The man who once likened himself to a prophet offers personal truths in abundance on \"Not for Radio,\" but is ever-wary of penance, rapping on \"Adam and Eve,\" \"Pray my sins don\'t get passed to my children/I made a killin\'.\"

9692

6.1 / 10

No longer able to summon his mythical sense of storytelling, Nas sounds lost on his 11th studio album. Kanye’s production doesn’t help, either.

D+

Note: This review is based on last night’s livestream of Nasir, which hasn’t been officially released at the time of publication. You can watch the stream below.

6 / 10

Nas' first album since 2012 is made up of seven Kanye West-produced tracks. It's a frustrating listen, with glimpses of greatness

Instead of being received as Nas' 11th album, Nasir arrived in a blur of Kanye West's design.

5 / 10

Nas's latest release proved to be exceptionally poor timing, and not because of its shaky rollout, or the fact that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's surp...

5 / 10

Kids See Ghosts, the self-titled collaboration between Kanye West and Kid Cudi, was the peak of West's five-installment Ye Season, both chronologically and...

It’s producer Kanye West’s most consistent 2018 release, but Nas mixing social justice and conspiracy theory sits awkwardly, as does his resistance to address domestic violence allegations<br>

Album Reviews: Nas - Nasir