Nas

After the elegiac Hip-Hop Is Dead, which mourned Nas' diminished medium, the NYC lyricist goes into attack mode. Among his targets: Bill O'Reilly, Al Sharpton, 50 Cent, suburban rap fans, alien-aided illuminati, Western academia, fried chicken, etc. Nas positions himself as "Huey P. and Louis V. at the eulogy / Throwing molotovs for Emmett," and his focus is sharp as he builds ("N.*.G.G.*.R.") and destroys ("Sly Fox"). The production is dramatic, nestling symphonic soul against soaring strings. As a linguistic dissection of the n-word, this is searing. As a hip-hop album, it's decent.

Late last year, Nas announced that his new album would be called Nigger, prompting howls
of protest from Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the NAACP — a formidable phalanx of
opponents, even for one of rap's most hardened battlers. Nas eventually backed down,
and the CD now bears no title. But the cover art — an arresting image of the rapper's bare
back, lashed with whip marks that form the letter "N" — leaves little doubt about t... More >