Sources Reasons For Stillmatic 5 Mic Rating

[AlerG]

here is what the source said about stillmatic in the review section of this months source mag...

Don’t sleep. Don’t fall victim. Nas knew this 10 years ago. He realized that if he slipped up and surrendered his mental state to the cousin of death, he would be in trouble. So he proclaimed he’d "never sleep" on his classic debut, Illmatic. But early on in his career, he got tired. He lost track of his purpose in hip hop and, well, fell asleep.

The release of Nas’s It Was Written, I Am… Nastradamus and the Firm confirmed a drowsy Nas with visions of money, hoes and clothes taking over his mind. With his street dreams entertaining a confused audience thirsty for just a sip of hip hop’s mainstream success, Nas kept his inner thoughts tucked under his pillow. And the dreams he once referred to on Illmatic (Be having dreams that I’m a gangster/ Drinking Moets, hold techs") began to come to life.

So hip-hop went on while Nas continued to nap. Learning how to get drunk, spend money, have sex and even kill, the music Nas loved grew up to be a disobedient teenager. Peer pressure being a muthafucka, he followed. Criminal thoughts, fabricated Mafia connections and lyrical shootouts dominated his subject matter. The music was cool, but the message was lost.

Maybe it was the spirit of Pac and Big that brought Nas out of his comatose state, warning him not to make the same mistakes. Whatever the case, he realized that he had been reduced to being just another rapper-not the same humble MC writing words past the margin of rhymes. He was simply Nas Escobar, the average multiplatinum rap star.

Nas’s fifth album Stillmatic is his awakening. His rebirth. Illmatic revisted. Well, of kind of. He explains on the intro, "They thought I’d make another Illmatic/ But it always forward I’m moving/ Never backwards, here’s another classic." But before he begins to lead hip hop into it’s next era, he has some unfinisher business to tend to. The leadoff song, "Ether"," answers Jay-Z’s "The Takeover", a below the belt jab that severely attacked Nas’s character and skills. Though the rap audience is way too fickled for one MC to proclaim himself king, Nas confidently responds, "Burner at the side of you dome/ Come out of my throne/ I got this locked since ‘91/ I am the truest/ Name a rapper that I ain’t influence/ Gave y’all chapters but now I keep my eyes the Judas/ With Hawaiian Sophie fame, kept my name in his music."

Thankfully, Nas doesn’t spend too much time focused on his "industry" beefs. And the little time he does spend (two tracks) is well worth it. "Destroy & Rebuild," directed at Cormeg, Prodigy and Nature, also addresses Nas’s personal conflicts. In a Slick Rick-accented flow, Nas accuses his three former affiliates of disloyalty. At the song’s end he extends an invitation to them (less to Cormega) to mend their relationship in hopes of rebuilding the legacy of Queensbridge.

It was looking out of a QB project window that triggered Nas’s Illmatic thoughts. And after several years of hearing what sounded like tales from the balcony of Los Angeles hotel room, Nas comes home for Stillmatic. He reminisces about his days growing up in the world’s largest housing projects on the first verse of "2nd Childhood," a track produced by the one and only DJ Premier. This reunion, as well as that of Nas and Large Professor on "Your da Man," gives the album it’s Illmatic feel. There’s even an L.E.S. track that features AZ ("The Flyest"). The beat is missing the glorifying horns of "Life’s a Bitch," but the chemistry between the two MC’s still feels good.

Conceptually, Stillmatic raises the bar for hip hop, and it’s about time. On "Rewind" Nas delivers his storytelling rhyme, only, he does it backwards, from end to beginning, in a way that mirrors the film Memento. Then on "One Mic" which he co-produced with Chucky Thompson, Nas experiments with his pitch. Starting with a whisper, he raises his voice until each verse ends with shouting, adding more and more impact to the lyrics as they intensify meaning. But this album is more than just a call for rappers to bring better rhyme skills to the table or step up their game; Stillmatic is an invitation for change, a change in both hip hop music and lifestyle.

And just when he has your attention, Nas begins his lesson in social studies. Starting with the Trackmasters-produced "Rule," which reinterprets Tears for Fears’ "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" one step further. Obviously written post-September 11, Nas offers answers to society’s destructive tendencies, rather than proposing questions. He contrasts that with the anti-patriotic "My Country," where he talks about the US government’s unfair treatment of boyz in the hood. His political views climax on "What Goes Around," a mid- tempo gem that finds Nas dropping knowledge.

Fully aware of what meant to hip-hop back in the early 90’s, Stillmatic proves that Nasir Jones has awakened from his slumber. And in this day and age of hollow hip-hop and world tragedies, it’s a good thing he did.

tight shit, peace.

[Alex_Wreck]

is the Source review?

I think it's great. But the Nas Escobar, average multiplatinum rapper line was stupid

[Dogg_Pound_Gangsta]

wow long readin.  good review tho.

[SugeFight]

ewww

You guys all love the Source now-pathetic.

[jerraveli]

^^^^^agree

[ZILLA THA GOODFELLA]

Good Review........

But......


FUCK THA SOURCE........period.

[Don Rizzle]

all they said was good review nuthin about the source is great or n e thing, it does have some good points n bad points ie 2/3 of it is frickin adverts etc.