GHETTO PROVERBS: LIFE IS OKAY

Thursday, July 26, 2012

LIFE IS OKAY

Nas - Life Is Good - Def Jam Records – July 2012

"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."
- Robert Heinlein

Whew! It’s hard to tell whether the title of Nas’ 10^th studio LP needs a question mark after the title or it’s simply a glass half full approach to the shit life hands you. The undisputed passionate, pragmatic poet from Queensbridge (who is typically immune to romantic matters of the heart) seems to be stuffing a world of introspection in the obvious void left by ex-wife Kelis.

Kelis' Inspiration

Esco’s penmanship rarely gets more personal than the throwback, Guy sample on “Bye Baby” which summarizes his marriage from courtship to courthouse. The nostalgic Guy sample (“Goodbye Love”) is creative and [lyrically] timely, but clearly NOT one of those jeep-jumpin’joints that has been a staple in the Nas catalog since the days of Illmatic and It’s Written. In fact, this track flows like a heart-broken teenaged chick trapped in a room with a bowl of Häagen-Dazs and a zip locked dairy. That fact notwithstanding, Nas is still the same witty, wisecracking, jab-thrower that has made his work a signature on every emcee’s top 10 wish list. I sure hope Kelis has a sense of humor.

The Anthem to Marriage

SIDEBAR - If women REALLY knew the power they “sit” on they would truly understand that running this country from the would-be named Ovarian Office would be easier than a Wal-Mart greeter.

Never Personal

Now don’t for one second get it twisted; those thinking that Nas has remotely fell off; need to look no further than the spit-fire, storytelling track “You Wouldn’t Understand”. On this single you should understand, that rumors of his Nas’ rap demise have been vastly overstated. The Victoria Monet hook really doesn’t do any justice to the crime-riding riddles of the New York City streets. In fact the hook softens the story and invites a radio-rotation to the never-ending dichotomies of rap.

The Look of Love

The latter mentioned radio rotation is certainly amplified by the Rick Ross guest appearance on “Accidental Murders” which is an ode to fake gangsters (which is really ironic considering the guest star). If Nas is a true legend of the game, big boss Ross is the balance needed to keep the clubs hoppin’. Personally, I’d rather see the clubs elevated versus lowering the bar of legends. But, what do I know – I think a country with human rights SHOULDN’T need civil ones.

“Cherry Wine” features the late Amy Winehouse and just makes you wonder if “life is really so good” why must the gifted die so young. This is one of those rare rap examples where I believe the hook is actually better than the [spoken] verse. I sure hope he and Kelis mend their woes, as any rap legend wouldn’t want to make this a common occurrence.

“Back When” is the emcee’s thirst quencher and personally, I was anticipating much more of this. “Back When” is a classic, storytelling, window blaster, underscored with a MC Shane/Ronnie Gee sample, punctuated for those just landing from outer space looking for some historical Hip Hop context.