Concert Preview: Nas
By DCist contributor W Jacarl Melton
The hip-hop industry is a cruel and fickle creature. It’s built up many an emcee based on one nice record only to devour them during their next Soundscan. Very few artists have been able to recover from missteps. However, if there’s a poster boy for career resurgence, Nas might be him.
It’s hard to find a hip-hop writer who’d ridicule Nas’ first solo album, Illmatic (this writer included). The 1994 release featured some of the most vivid rhymes ever written as he detailed life in his New York neighborhood. Tracks like “N.Y. State of Mind” and “One Love” highlighted what is arguably an all-time classic album.
Then came It Was Written, I Am…, and Nastradamus interspersed with The Firm album and a role in the film Belly. Although he was working with the likes of Lauryn Hill, P. Diddy, and Dr. Dre, the folks who were fans of Nasty Nas (such as this writer) tuned out as alter ego Nas Escobar took center stage. How could the second-coming of Rakim let us down?
Stillmatic’s release in 2001 got Nas back on track as he sparred with his then-rival Jay-Z and reestablished himself as a deft wordsmith. Two albums of new material later, 2006’s Hip Hop Is Dead surfaced. The title song sounds like a lament his own fans would’ve aired in the late-1990s when Nas was spitting Cristal while restaging a Jesus-like crucifixion in the “Hate Me Now” video with Mr. Diddy.
He’s publicly dismissed the idea that his latest album is a knock on the current crop of rappers or his own slip-ups, but it’s hard to believe Nas thinks all is good in hip-hop. Otherwise, why launch the “Hip Hop Is Dead” tour? Well, the pay is good. But the easiest conclusion is that Nas knows the game needs someone with his abilities. After going down a route populated by a litany of half-talents in shiny suits, the Queensbridge kid has seemingly turned things around to regain some of his previous shine.
Nas performs at Love, 1350 Okie Street NE, tonight at 9 p.m., $20.