|
|
 |
The title cut, with its pounding Iron Butterfly beat and nihilistic lyrics, is profoundly provocative. And while the long-awaited collaboration with Jay-Z on "Black Republicans" will inevitably draw attention, Nas shows he's best on his own--doing ... Full Descriptionhis Sam Spade impression in the hard-boiled detective story "Who Killed It"; producing an unapologetic swansong to his hood life in "Not Going Back"; and spitting introspective street poetry in "Can't Forget About You." Nas is past trying to relive his ILLMATIC glory--and that's ultimately the point--yet HIP HOP IS DEAD contains both the gutter ghetto anthems and gritty brilliance that made him a legend in the first place.
Title and all, Nas's eighth solo album clearly intends to spark controversy. But what gives Nasir Jones the right to declare that HIP HOP IS DEAD? For one Nas's 5-mic debut album ILLMATIC represents the best of a by-gone era. Since then he's tried to find his place in the ever-evolving genre, flirting with the mainstream to mixed results, all the while mired in beef with former allies and childhood friends as well industry rivals. The fact that HIP-HOP IS DEAD is the product of his teaming with one of those former(?) rivals, Jay-Z, shows that business trumps beef--as Nas emphasizes on track one, "Money Over Bullshit."
Additional personnel: Marsha Ambrosius, Tre Williams, Chrisette Michele, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kelis, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Will.i.am.
Rolling Stone (p.72) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nas never solves the crime, but his point is implicit -- few MCs are taking the artistic chances he does."
Entertainment Weekly (p.84) - "[D]enser and more grandiose than the minimalist digital funk heard on rap radio." -- Grade: B
Vibe (p.109) - "HIP-HOP IS DEAD is a loud, expansive album, packed with brand names and big ideas -- and is arguably the best thing Nas has done since 1996's IT WAS WRITTEN."
XXL (Magazine) (p.133) - "Nas' latest opus comprises solid lyrics and layered beats and proves that hip-hip isn't dead, it's just been asleep..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A fully realised, painstakingly compiled assault on hip hop's slide into bling-ridden mediocrity." Hide Description Hip Hop Is Dead Music | List Price | $13.98 (You save $1.53) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, R&B CDs, Urban Soundtrack, East Coast Rap, Rap | | Label | Def Jam | | Orig Year | 2006 | | All Time Sales Rank |  3996  | | CD Universe Part number | 7337248 | | Catalog number | 000722902 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Dec 19, 2006 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Will.i.am; Kanye West; Scott Storch; Dr. Dre; Nas; Chris Webber; L.E.S.; Mark Batson; Stargate; Salaam Remi; Wyldfyer | | Recording Time | 60 minutes | | Personnel | Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Game, Jay-Z, Chrisette Michele, Kelis, Marsha Ambrosius |
Nas Hip Hop Is Dead Songs Purchase Hip Hop Is Dead CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Styles P Time Is Money CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead album
 $11.89  
Styles P had been through his share of trials and tribulations, between the success of his certified gold debut, A GANGSTER AND A GENTLEMEN, and the release of its much-delayed follow-up, TIME IS MONEY. After a brief prison term for assault, Styles's label drama began, and he chose to go the mixtape route, recording three while Interscope put TIME IS MONEY on the back burner. Nearly two years after its first single came out, the Lox's most laidback crew member's sophomore album finally arrived to smash the world. With his measured cadences, sly one-liners, and understated intensity, ...
| | Ghostface Killah Fishscale CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead CD music
$11.89 
FISHSCALE, the fifth solo album by Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah, is a brilliantly cryptic album drenched in complex ghetto slang that reinforces the MC's status as a master wordsmith. Ghostface doesn't disappoint with lines like, "Ay-yo I should just bark on you/burn your car on you/'cause I'm too much man to leave a mark on you." His voice is mellifluous even when he's shouting, and the infectious ...
| | Young Jeezy The Inspiration CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead music CDs
$10.85
His hypnotic grunt-heavy flow and intense vocal presence has listeners by the throat from the album's opener, "Hypnotize," on which he hauntingly chants, "Now I command you n*ggas to get money." On the production side, the synthesizer-driven beats from Shawty Redd, Midnite Black, the Runners, Timbaland, and Mr. Collipark, among others, range from nightmarishly seething to upbeat and dreamy, always rising and falling in effectively dramatic arcs. Young Jeezy has ...
| | Lil Scrappy Bred 2 Die, Born 2 Live CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead songs
$15.39
Lil Scrappy was already a certified Dirty South superstar (having come up strong under the tutelage of Crunk virtuoso Lil Jon, and recorded alongside fellow Atlanta acts like Trillville) before he signed to 50 Cent's G-Unit South label. His first album for the budding sub-label, BRED 2 DIE BORN 2 LIVE, represents a maturation of sorts for Scrap. Lyrically he's in the same place he's always been, recounting street-hustle scenarios, wallowing in glock-toting gangsta paranoia, and triumphantly celebrating his material excess; while on the production end, the album offers a mix of down ...
| | Game Doctor's Advocate CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead album
$12.45 
On his second major-label release, Compton rapper and former Dr. Dre protege The Game returns with more of the West Coast gangsta flavor that has been his trademark since the 2004 indie debut, UNTOLD STORY. DOCTOR'S ADVOCATE's production credits include a long and eclectic list of super-producers such as DJ Khalil, Will.I.Am, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Scott Storch, and Hi-Tek, but not, oddly, Dre.
That might be the point. It's a testament ...
| | Snoop Dogg Tha Blue Carpet Treatment CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead CD music
$12.45
There's no question that Snoop Dogg is one of hip-hop's most beloved artists; Snoop has not only ridden with hip-hop from the margins to the mainstream, he helped get the big rig there. All reverence aside, though, the quality of Snoop's output has frequently come into question since the release of his undisputed classic, 1993's DOGGYSTYLE. While all his albums have had their share of hits, they've often lacked cohesion as Snoop aimed for broader appeal, catered to big-name pop guests, and alienated hardcore fans in the process.
But on his eighth effort, it seems Snoop finally has the formula locked down, seamlessly blending smoothed-out 1970s ...
| | Various Artists Chiswick Story--Adventures Of An Independent Record Label 1975-1982. CDs (1992) (Import) United Kingdom
Hip Hop Is Dead music CDs
$23.29
| | Various Artists Cafe Del Mar V.8 CD (2001) (Import) Bonus Track; Australia
Hip Hop Is Dead songs
$17.95
| | INXS Kick CD (1987) Bonus Tracks; Remastered
Hip Hop Is Dead album
$7.29
Okay, this album's omnipresence (it produced no less than five charting singles out of 12 songs) on radio and television for over a year and a half--alongside singer Michael Hutchence's mass media anointment as THE premier rock and roll sex symbol of the late '80s--makes it difficult to hear KICK as simply an album. KICK isn't a pop culture icon on the level of BORN IN THE USA or IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK, but once you've hit a certain commercial threshold and the inevitable backlash has set in (see also THE JOSHUA TREE and I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT), the musical worth of a disc ceases to matter much. KICK's five hits are easily its best tracks, and the remaining seven range from excellent to inoffensive. If you want to mentally recreate 1988, look no further.
The original 12-song album remastered with 4 bonus tracks, the non-LP single 'Move On' (guitar version) ...
| | Various Artists The Project: CD (2004)
Hip Hop Is Dead CD music
$11.29
| | Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-'75 CD (2006) (Import) Import
Hip Hop Is Dead music CDs
$22.35
| | Shawnna Block Music CD (2006) Edited
Hip Hop Is Dead songs
$11.89
For the 2006 follow-up to her debut, WORTH THA WEIGHT, Shawnna unveils another set of potent hip-hop tunes (aided once again by her mentor, Ludacris), most notably the sensual, R&B-tinged "Take It Slow." Although the fast-flowing Illinois native clearly feels a kinship with the Dirty South (as guests Lil' Wayne and 8 Ball will attest), ...
| | Freewheelin Bob Dylan / Times TH CD (2006)
Hip Hop Is Dead album
$33.75
Track Listing of songs: Blowin' In The Wind; Girl From The North Country; Masters Of War; Down The Highway; Bob Dylan's Blues; A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall; Don't Think Twice, It's All Right; Bob Dylan's Dream; Oxford Town; Talkin' World War Ill Blues; Corrina, Corrina; Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance; I Shall Be Free; Times They Are A-Changin', ...
| | Wooden Wand Harem Of The Sundrum CD (2007)
$10.25 |
|
Hip Hop Is Dead Music Review | Have you heard this album? |  |
|
|
|
|
|
buttons below to play song samples
Windows Media
Real Audio
Adobe Flash
BEST ALBUM OF 2006
