"No matter what the CD is called, Im unbeatable yall...LET'S GO!"

Nas - Untitled
written by doesn't Matt R

The last time we heard from Nasir Jones on wax, he proclaimed Hip-Hop to be dead. This sparked countless debates as to the status of the art form we all love. With a claim like that, how could he possibly cause a bigger dispute…? The answer is to title his next album with possibly the most controversial word in America’s history. But Nas is not the type to simply spark a conversation and walk away. He sticks around to give a solution. Destroy and rebuild. Nas ends Hip Hop is Dead with Hope and chants of, “Live Hip Hop live.”

If you don’t know by now that this album is untitled, you’ve probably been on your couch watching reruns of House Party on STARZ! In Black for the last six months. No press in bad press, and who knows how much is true surrounding the rumors of the title change. Calls from the White House? Pressure on the record label? But as Nas himself spits, the title doesn’t change a thing. And this is one hot album.

Starting off with the track Queens Get the Money, Nas channels Rakim over a simple beat and allegedly goes at 50 Cent. From there on what we are treated to is a snapshot of America. Equal rights for all races and sexes, police brutality, and media propaganda are all chewed up and spit out for your listening pleasure. The shock comes when you realize that despite these topics, despite the world we find ourselves in today—this is a work of art filled with optimism. Tracks like You Can’t Stop Us, Breathe, and the hot as Megan Fox on the Vegas strip in August, Hero are all steeped in optimism. Yes, there are problems, but there are solutions. Educate yourself. Refuse to be passive. Just keep breathing.

As the album continues it becomes clear that Nas isn’t just trying to rebuild Hip-Hop with a hot album. He’s holding a mirror up to society. We may not like what we see (or hear) but the good news is that somebody is speaking out against the true oppressive forces like Fox Corp, on the track Sly Fox. He goes on to call out his own listeners on Testify. “Don’t buy my songs, Y’all don’t roll with it.”

As we’ve come to expect with a Nas joint, the lyrical content is mind blowing. While both Fried Chicken and Project Roach come off as a funny look as some staples of the hood, listen closely to the metaphor that he’s handing you. The consumption of something you know will kill you. Learning to live in harmony with the roaches, because roaches never die.

With We’re Not Alone, Nas explores what it’s like to be a leader in today’s society. Do all the bling and riches cancel you out if you still live like a revolutionary? That’s a deep idea. This track builds to Black President, another high IQ banger. Has anyone watched Obama and not had some of the fears Nas elaborates on this track?

This is a perfect example of an artist finally having something to say and spitting it so ferociously that you can’t help listen again. The beats are simple and soulful. The message is clear by the end. There’s somebody pulling the strings in the world and it isn’t any of us. Nas killed Hip-Hop and brought it back. Untitled takes shots at the world. Will he be able to bring that back as fast? Probably not. But we can sit back and enjoy the revolution one hot track at a time.