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It
Was Written
Nas |
As a general rule, I
fucking hate Nas. I find his 'brilliant' lyrics to be overrated.
I find his rapping devoid of a sound that I like. I really don't
see why Nas is such a revered rapper. I think a lot of his lyrics
are contrived and clumsy. Nonetheless, the 10rd review bandwagon
must go on so in I popped It Was Written.
I have heard a lot of
Nas songs, and I have liked a few. Three of my favorites are on
here. I am really a big fan of "The Message", "Street
Dreams" and "If I Ruled the World". These
songs are interesting because they have good beats backing up above
average Nas lyrics. They have a hit songs quality about them, and
of course "Street Dreams" is really an extrapolation
on the Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams".
While I couldn't approve
less of Nas using the title "The Message" without
giving props the songs is admittedly good. Sometimes Nas loses me
on the lyrics, but generally it is a good song with a strong message.
The beat also makes the song. It goes so well with what is being
said and gives the song an emotional and powerful feel. The beat
demands the attention of listener without detracting from the focus
of what is being done: the lyrics. Also, conspicuous is the "I
ain't the type of brother for you to be testin'" line.
Why? Because Nas uses brother instead of what most rappers would
use: 'Nigga'. While there is no shortage of the n word in Nas' raps,
I just like the replacement here, it's positive.
"Street Dreams"
is another favorite, but is really made by the beat and the chorus.
I really wait for the chorus, because it's really strong. The chorus
is shocking, but also mixes in words like 'destiny'. Hearing a word
like that in rap music is surprising and when it is used well (as
it is here) it makes it all the better. Nas' vocabulary really adds
to a lot of his songs, and this is no exception.
While there are a couple
more good songs on It Was Written, ("I Gave You Power",
"Shootouts") generally most of it comes up average.
There is a long lull in between "Street Dreams"
and "If I Ruled the World". A lot of very average
to poor Nas work seperates these great tracks. What I mean is that
when Nas isn't captivating, he's boring and clumsy as hell. There
are times when Nas seems destined for greatness, and other times
when you wonder how he got a record deal at all.
A problem I have with
Nas is that he is not original. While this subject has beeen ahrped
upon by countless critics I am not going to criticize his beat recycling,
or his remake of "Sweet Dreams". The problem I
have is when I hear some songs I get the distinct feeling they were
inspired directly by earlier work of other rappers. For instance,
"Black Girl Lost" seems to be a direct take off
of 2Pac's "Baby Don't Cry". Also, while I recognize
that Nas is a contemporary of the Wu - his East coast lingo flat
out reeks of the clan. The 'word is bond' line has basically been
unoffically copyrighted by the clan, and it seems really off to
have someone else (who indeed sound sismilar) saying it all the
time.
Overall, this album is
a grand mixture Nas-icity. You get it all here. There are some really
high moments, and a long lull before you get that last on with track
15. I don't hate all the work that Nas does, but some of it needs
to be cleaned up quite a bit. After the first two tracks of It
Was Written I was ready to deem this bad boy a classic, but
it lost me not long after that. Nas can be good and he is here,
but he is also mundane, boring, and unoriginal.
Favorite line[s]
"There's one life,
one love, so there can only be one king."
- This line has a power
when you hear it that I can't explain. I don't know that it's
one of the most profound liens that's ever been written, but it
has a draw to it. It's a very American line and it does an admirable
job of summing up America in one line.
Favorite track
"The Message"
While after you finish listening to it the message is not
as crystal clear as that one portrayed by Grandmaster Flash and
Furious Five, it's not one without merit.
Total Tracks: 15
Skipped Tracks: 9
Recommend: Borrow
It
If you like Nas, get
it. If you don't give it a try - you'll likely be surprised early
if not often.
- The
Great Hart 
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