Nas God's Son CD

Personnel includes: Nas, Bravehearts, Kelis, Claudett Ortiz, 2Pac,
J. Phoenix, Alicia Keys, Lake, Jully Black.
Producers include: Nas, Eminem, Salaam "The Chameleon", Ron Browz, The Alchemist.
God's Son is an emotional album, imbued with recent experiences in Nas' personal life, particularly his bout with Jay-Z and the unfortunate death of his mother, Ann Jones. These experiences had challenged the self-reappointed King of New York, attacking both his street status and his heart, and he in turn looked within, embracing both his craft and his spirit. Brazenly declaring himself God's Son, in tribute partly to his mother's legacy as well as his own increasingly Jesus-like one, Nas emerged from his experiences wiser, stronger, and holier than ever, less engaged by the material world than the inner one, less interested in flossing than teaching, and less obsessed with his riches than his soul. And his soul he bares nakedly; profusely personal, Nas' lyrical divulgence is sometimes even startling: "Last Real Nigga Alive" name-drops Biggie, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, and other '90s-era rappers; "Hey Nas" reflects on recent failed relationships with women; "Dance" is an ode to his mother; and "Heaven" questions spirituality. As usual, there's a street-rallying leadoff single here, "Made You Look," that announces Nas' periodic return with fury and bombast. Salaam Remi produces the Marley Marl-fashioned track and lays down similarly inventive beats on four others. He's joined by many of the other producers who had worked on Stillmatic a year earlier: Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and the Alchemist, all of whom deliver harsh tracks without pop gimmickry. In addition, God's Son includes three noteworthy collaborations: Nas and 2Pac trade gentle verses on "Thugz Mansion," Alicia Keys contributes the production and hook to "Warrior Song," and Eminem produces "The Cross." Throughout it all, God's Son plays like an album. The playing time is reasonable, clocking in at under an hour; the song selection is diverse, no two tracks resembling one another; and the themes are interwoven, giving the album a narrative sense. God's Son isn't quite the masterpiece it could be -- mostly because Nas is so self-involved, sometimes seemingly intoxicated by his kingliness -- but it's surely one of the more remarkable albums of the Queensbridge rapper's highlight-filled career. ~ Jason Birchmeier
In the tradition of its predecessor STILLMATIC, GOD'S SON seeks to erase the memory of Nas's commercial pop-crossover albums, instead hearkening back to the poetic glory days of STILLMATIC. The New York hip-hop legend returns to the thoughtful, introspective philosophy that turned heads early in his recording career. There are no attempts at fancy, hook-laden production here--quite the opposite in fact, as the tracks almost seem to go out of their way to be workaday, subservient frameworks to the lyrics. Sampling records (James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache") that have already been used by a jillion other rappers, Nas makes it clear that his focus here is strictly on the message. Nas's mother died during the making of this album, and the experience moved him to address such weighty topics as mortality, religion, family, and personal responsibility. Those themes might seem far from the thug-life reveries of many of his contemporaries, but for Nas it's business as usual.Rolling Stone (1/23/03, p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A welcome return to form....Nas is deft with sorrow-tinged details--about everything from drug addiction to the rap game to failed love..."
Entertainment Weekly (12/13/02, p.82) - "...Nas...returns to his introspective roots..." - Rating: B
Vibe (2/03, pp.135-36) - 4 discs out of 5 - "...With grim determination, Nas sets out to give the currently vacuous genre of hip hop a swift kick in the ass..."