"I Am.." is the third album by the New York rapper, Nas. It came out in 1999, and was shortly followed up by "Nastradamus" later onm in the year. Nas continued to show off his lyrical talent as he had with his first couple of records, and his joint effort along with Foxy Brown, Nature and AZ as part of The Firm.
1. "Intro"
2. "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II"
This is a revisit by Nas as he goes back to material from his debut release, "Illmatic" for inspiration as he does a remix to it. You have him doing similar things in this tune as he raps on a sample of the DJ Premier beat for this new take on the tune which he originally recorded in 1994.
**Four Stars**
3. "Hate Me Now" (feat. Puff Daddy)
The purpose of having this one on here, apart from the music is the controversy surrounding to the video to it, in which Nas is crucified, so this allows the album to cover all aspects of nas' career, not just his successes, but when the times got tough also.
This track is certainly 'of the time', especially when you look at who is commanding the production, as much of what came from Bad Boy (or anything associated with it) had very emotional strings in the late ninties to bring out a ominous feeling from the sound of the classical sample, "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff, and it also raises the levels of tension.
I
found this to be a thought-provoking piece from Nas as it makes you really consider what you have done in your life, and what came as a result of it, perhaps making you change potential actions of the future. He does this by giving examples of things which people around him have done in the past and the consequences which eventually come as a result of it all.
**Four Stars**
5. "Favor for a Favor" (feat. Scarface)
To give Nas some additional backing from other MCs, you have the Geto Boys' Scarface providing some hardcore Houston Hip Hop to Nas' music here as they come together in an inventive way in order to put across their ideas. Here you have some typical rough hardcore Gangsta Rap stuff from the pair as they talk about how they would kill if a friend did it for them too.
**Four Stars**
6. "We Will Survive"
Due to the fact that this was released in 1999, and the deaths of both Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac were still in the minds of those involved within the Hip Hop community, Nas decides to address the pair who had gone, two and three years respectively, before this came out. He does this by talking on how things haven't really advanced, and how amazed he is at 'Pac's predictions in his rhymes regarding his death.
**Four Stars**
7. "Ghetto Prisoners"
You get haunting Horrorcore production from this tune as Dame Grease, famous for early work with DMX, takes over for the production. I felt that it was perfect for the concept which Nas went for in this one as it is about a rebellion which he would like to take place as the "prisoners" of the poverty-stricken areas are told to "Rise", and seek the freedom which is currently not available.
**Three Stars**
8. "You Won't See Me Tonight" (feat. Aaliyah)
I was astonished by the fact that this one wasn't released as a single as it possessed all that you would expect from a tune which would come out by itself, with its mainstream appeal (which comes in the form of catchy production from Timbaland and R&B vocals sang in the chorus by Aaliyah). It's a really nice track from Nas and one which should have received more attention by music fans.
**Four Stars**
9. "I Want To Talk To You"
This is a politically-charged rap from nas and has him presnet the stae of America to those who are in charge of running the country. From his prespective, he is able to highligh all of the faults withthe counrty and how certain people are left behind as the nation advances.
**Four Stars**
10. "Dr. Knockboot"
This is a short track which has Nas take on a new persona as Dr. Knockboot, in which he gives sex and relationship advice to the masses based upon his past experiences. It is a well thought-out one and has him simply list the 'Dos and Don'ts' of these issues. The funky music which accompanies this one, provided by Poke & Tone keeps you entertained as he educates us through his raps.
**Four Stars**
11. "Life Is What You Make It" (feat. DMX)
This is a collab which has Nas perform with one of the other big MCs out on the East coast, DMX. I found that although it was a nice one, there was little which really sood out for me as that original and so I couldn't find that much to like about it, and then again little was that poor.
**Three Stars**
12. "Big Things"
here you are given some amazing production by Alvin West, who decides to go for something more up-tempo, and this forces nas to change his smooth style for a while as he is made to go along with the faster stuff, and he seems to get it on his levels without much force.
**Four Stars**
13. "Nas Is Like"
Thsi is the big single from the album and has Nas collaborating with the lengendary producer, DJ Premier on this track as he talks about half-man, half-amazing; Nasir Jones. You have Nas rapping aboutth early years of his carrer, first before he just opens it up and Mcs about genreal things, and although I thought we were going to get a nice review of his career, it was still an amazing tune from him.
**Five Stars**
14. "K-I-SS-I-N-G"
I found this to be one of the best track son the album as it has Nas rapping in a form which isn't really done very often, and here as Nas raps about his love for a particaulr girl, her traces the psat whcih they have had before they are ready to move on into marriage. The use of the the the nursey rhyme is highly effective here and gives Nas a chance to lay off the lyricism for a while.
**Five Stars**
15. "Money Is My Bitch"
Nas raps here about how money has shaped his life and how he sees it as a his girl. I found it surprising that he saw it this way as most we realise that it is what drives people and inspires them to do things for themselves, however he puts up many nice phrases to make you question whether this is the case.
**Four Stars**
16. "Undying Love"
I found this to be a great way to end the album as it shows how strong Nas' lyrical talent is as he raps himself through a story regarding when he finds his wife cheating on him, and what he does in order to get payback for this. It is a highly emotive piece from him and is thought-provoking when you think of how you would handle such a situation (I don't approve of the method which he went with).
**Four Stars**
When you comapre this to other release from the same artist, I woudn't call this a classic, however there is a lot in it which you are bound to enjoy, and fits in with what we have always known Nas for. Nas' lyricism is put inot great, effective use once again, and with nice production from a host of big names, the beats go nicely with it.
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On his third release,I Am, Nas bolsters his reputation as one of hip-hop's leading ... more
wordsmiths. His voice has grown so strong that none of the A-list guests (they include Puff Daddy, Aaliyah, Scarface, and DMX) can upstage the 25-year-old rapper. Nas ha...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
On his third release, I Am, Nas bolsters his reputation as one of hip-hop's leading ... more
wordsmiths. His voice has grown so strong that none of the A-list guests (they include Puff Daddy, Aaliyah, Scarface, and DMX) can upstage the 25-year-old rapper. Nas h...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Intro N.Y. State Of Mind (Part II) Hate Me Now - (featuring Puff Daddy) Small World ... more
Favor For A Favor - (featuring Scarface) We Will Survive Ghetto Prisoners You Won't See Me Tonight - (featuring Aaliyah) I Want To Talk To You Dr. Kno...
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