Once upon a time, there were four brothers named DJ, graffiti, b-boy, and MC. Now graffiti and b-boy were the freshest ones and in the beginning everyone wanted a part of them. However, they couldn't continue to generate the big bucks, so the media heavyweights paid more attention to DJ and MC. People put in MC's ear he could wing it on his own and get more loot than all the rest combined. The reality was, MC could gain more shine than his brothers. The fame and glory came and little by little, MC had to change his image to maintain the interest of his so-called-followers. So, he flashed some money in his videos, threw on a shiny suit, and made sure his rims could spin faster than a tornado. As time went on, MC realized he lost the interest of his true fanbase a long time ago. So, he hired a long trusted ally to do consulting to get his grassroots mojo back.
Enter Nas with Hip-Hop Is Dead. The album that generated controversy as Nas is known for doing.
Dr. Dre invokes an early 90s Compton feel in his production on "Hustler's." The Game spits furious, "1995, eleven years from the day I'm in the record shop with choices to make / Illmatic on the top shelf, The Chronic on the left homie, wanna cop both, but only got a twenty on me / so f--- it, I stole both, spent the twenty on a dub sack, ripped the package off Illmatic and bumped that."
The first lady of QB, Kelis, collaborates with the borough President on "Not Going Back." And he lets it be known, he doesn't need to because it's in him. Nas boasts he has no time for new school people trying to coach him. "Let There Be Light," features crooner Tre Williams. "When you're four years into the game, we can have a conversation / eight years in the game, I invite ya on vacation / ten years in the game, after I've enjoyed my fame only then I let ya pick my brain, n----s."
Kanye West appears and lends his production skills on "Still Dreaming." The eerie tune doesn't disappoint even though the lyrics deal with life's dreams deferred.
Nas reinvigorates his new LP with a Nat King Cole sample from "Unforgettable" at the end of "Can't Forget About You." Will.i.am's genius creates the perfect backdrop for nostalgic lyrics. Chrisette Michele generates Motown era vocals as support. "Can't forget about the old school, Bam, Cas, Melle Mel, Flash Rocksteady spinnin on they back / can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy, Fresh Prince, Fat Boys broke up, rap hasn't been the same since."
And thus Nas sets the format to what could possibly be MC's way of retaining his soul. Because it doesn't necessarily take big bucks to keep the cohesive fraternal bonds together. It's up people like DJ Kiel to spin for the hip-hop fans in Stockholm. And Suiko needs to keep spraying his can in the metropolises of Japan. Of course b-boys like BreaksKru continue to mentor newcomers at their practice sessions at El Puente in Brooklyn. And as long as the MC continues to spit at the park benches around the world, hip-hop will burn in the souls of its true believers. Forever...
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