NAS "Life Is Good" (Official discussion thread) Release date 07/17/12

[[Trillmatic]]

Can we please get Wheres The Love, Roses and The Black Bond on mp3 uploaded for those of us unable to get the delux version?

you can just BUY it off itunes

 

[50/50]

yo I kinda like the bonus tracks more than some of the tracks on the original version...

for me its like:

nasty>the don

black bond>queens story

roses>bye baby

these are some ill bonus tracks yo!

 

[clairvoyance]

Man im so glad NAS didnt choose that marvin gay sample for Queens Story I was wondering why it sounded so different, then I was thinking I dont remember Peter piper beat being this good I dam near broke my neck bobbing my head to QS.........i gotta check that run dmc track to catch the loop and that other sample that was thrown in there....salaam remi did his thing....

I still havnt heard L.I.G in its entirety long story short my co worker has to buy me another L.I.G album, this is what happens when you let friends borrow stuff.

 

[za'kiss]

Half of my favorite songs from Life is Good are bonus tracks (3 out of 6 to be exact: Roses, Trust, Black Bond, Cherry Wine, Stay, Loco-Motive). Not sure if this is a knock against the album or a nod in favor of it.

My question is this: What's the point of a bonus track? Why even call them "bonus" tracks? They will inevitably be judged as part of the album, so why the one-foot-in-the-door partial commitment? It's like Nas is trying to hedge his bets against the critics, "Well those are just bonus tracks." I don't get it.

 

[za'kiss]

Half of my favorite songs from Life is Good are bonus tracks (3 out of 6 to be exact: Roses, Trust, Black Bond, Cherry Wine, Stay, Loco-Motive). Not sure if this is a knock against the album or a nod in favor of it.

My question is this: What's the point of a bonus track? Why even call them "bonus" tracks? They will inevitably be judged as part of the album, so why the one-foot-in-the-door partial commitment? It's like Nas is trying to hedge his bets against the critics, "Well those are just bonus tracks." I don't get it.

to me its jus 19 songs. 1(Sos) is wack and the other average(Reach out). 17 are dope/classics.

this album is classic. Even if u dont consider bonus tracks, its stil Classic-

Cherry Wine

bye baby

stay

back when

worlds addiction

locomotive

no intro

queens story

daughters

an album wit those kinda songs is a certified classic. The only Perfect CLASSIC albums in hiphop are ILLmatic and Paid in Full.

no hiphop album in the last 7 years has had an effect on the masses like LIG. If there is one, pliz lemme know

I'm not really interested in debating Life is Good's classic status. It's been done to death and frankly I don't find it either interesting or illuminating. I'd rather just talk about the album.

As to my original point, even if the album is great without the bonus tracks (I agree with that), I still think the bonus tracks are some of the best songs on the album. So, why exclude them from the album's set if we're trying to determine its worth ? (Which it seems you're doing). And conversely, if the songs are whack, why shouldn't they be marks against the album? I think the whole idea of a "bonus track" is dubious. It's just a way, I feel, for artists to avoid the responsibility of a track they aren't sure about. But if it's included in my package, then I'm judging the whole album on the strength of those tracks as much as the so-called standard album cuts.

 

[za'kiss]

If "It Ain't Hard To Tell" were a bonus track on Illmatic, I'd still count it as part of the album's overall value.

 

[H-Rap 180]

Half of my favorite songs from Life is Good are bonus tracks (3 out of 6 to be exact: Roses, Trust, Black Bond, Cherry Wine, Stay, Loco-Motive). Not sure if this is a knock against the album or a nod in favor of it.

My question is this: What's the point of a bonus track? Why even call them "bonus" tracks? They will inevitably be judged as part of the album, so why the one-foot-in-the-door partial commitment? It's like Nas is trying to hedge his bets against the critics, "Well those are just bonus tracks." I don't get it.

to me its jus 19 songs. 1(Sos) is wack and the other average(Reach out). 17 are dope/classics.

this album is classic. Even if u dont consider bonus tracks, its stil Classic-

Cherry Wine

bye baby

stay

back when

worlds addiction

locomotive

no intro

queens story

daughters

an album wit those kinda songs is a certified classic. The only Perfect CLASSIC albums in hiphop are ILLmatic and Paid in Full.

no hiphop album in the last 7 years has had an effect on the masses like LIG. If there is one, pliz lemme know

Body bag.

Sometimes the Library of Congress places songs and movies in it's archives that have important social relevance and while LIG doesn't really explore the cultural specific topics that we have expected from Nas in the past he offered up some very relevant topics that dealt with fatherhood, marriage, and relationships....everyday issues that effect a more broad spectrum of people than the topics that are culture specific.

With that said I need the political, cultural Afrikan-centered, Black empowerment Nas on some songs along with that street shit because to me that's his strength and brilliance, he didn't give me the dose I needed in that area but he still gave me a dose that was potent enough to get my fix.

It's Classic in a sense especially if you are a Nas fan but Im still letting it marinate and when I'm done writing this review I will see if it's still a Classic, Near-Classic or whatever.

 

[MARIO_DRO]

BYE BABY AND STAY IS SOME SMOOTH ASS TRACKS!

THOSE ARE MY FAV 2....

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINK ROSS GOT HIM ON ACCIDENTAL MURDERS?

 

[H-Rap 180]

BYE BABY AND STAY IS SOME SMOOTH ASS TRACKS!

THOSE ARE MY FAV 2....

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINK ROSS GOT HIM ON ACCIDENTAL MURDERS?

I have seen more than one person say that but I refuse to share my opinion on it.

 

[za'kiss]

Body bag.

Sometimes the Library of Congress places songs and movies in it's archives that have important social relevance and while LIG doesn't really explore the cultural specific topics that we have expected from Nas in the past he offered up some very relevant topics that dealt with fatherhood, marriage, and relationships....everyday issues that effect a more broad spectrum of people than the topics that are culture specific.

With that said I need the political, cultural Afrikan-centered, Black empowerment Nas on some songs along with that street shit because to me that's his strength and brilliance, he didn't give me the dose I needed in that area but he still gave me a dose that was potent enough to get my fix.

Street shit: See Accidental Murderers, Trust, and Loco-Motive. For the political shit, see World's An Addiction. In fact, I think the latter is one of the most incisive and empathetic diagnosis of modern society Nas has put to the wax. Nas usually leans on particulars and details on his more socially conscious material, and is less deliberate in making more general conclusions, but this is the closest I've heard Nas to really trying to provide a broader grasp on contemporary mores.

This is really Nas' most balanced album since Illmatic (though I'm not necessarily saying it's his best since). It fuses the personal of God's Son with the political touches of Untitled, the musical ambition of Street's Disciple with the cinematic street symphonies of It Was Written, and rounds out the album with the back-to-basics purity and street wise intelligence of Illmatic, Stillmatic, and The Lost Tapes.

Again, I'm not saying it's his best album behind Illmatic, it's too soon for me to make that judgment, but in terms of content, it's certainly his most balanced since then.

 

[za'kiss]

BYE BABY AND STAY IS SOME SMOOTH ASS TRACKS!

THOSE ARE MY FAV 2....

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINK ROSS GOT HIM ON ACCIDENTAL MURDERS?

I sure hope so.

 

[za'kiss]

Im currently on track 8 on OB4CL. Peace to Chef and Deini. Wu is Forever.

No question. It's my favorite album of all time.

to answer yo question. I think there are alotta variables that come into play when finalizin the final tracklisting.label politics is an example. If it wuz upto Nas, we wouldnt hav had SOS.

True. I'm just curious as to how that all goes down, and what songs exactly Nas approves of and disapproves of. And, in any case, I still think Nas is responsible for whatever ends up on the album, bonus tracks and all. It all affects the status of the album's artistic value, in my view.

 

[za'kiss]

It's been a couple of weeks. I'll go ahead and list my tentative ranking of LIG in his discography:

1. Illmatic

2. It Was Written

3. Stillmatic

4. Life is Good

5. God's Son

6. Hip-Hop is Dead

7. I Am...

8. Untitled

9. Street's Disciple

10. Nastradamus

It's neck and neck with Stillmatic and God's Son. I could see these flipping places in coming months.

 

[MARIO_DRO]

THAT SONG WITH MARY J B. IS GARBAGE!

LIKE I STILL CANT MAKE IT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAM SONG.. THAT OLD 90'S REAL LOVE SHYT SHE STILL SOUNDING LIKE.

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

BYE BABY AND STAY IS SOME SMOOTH ASS TRACKS!

THOSE ARE MY FAV 2....

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINK ROSS GOT HIM ON ACCIDENTAL MURDERS?

Naw Ross never stays on the song tpoic

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

Topic

 

[moedays]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n9-S5NhGMQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
=youtube_gdata_player

This is were Nas got his science on White Genetic Annhilation from (Francess Cress Welsing) his song

"Fear of the Black mans D*ck" is based on this science.

I have Dr. Frances Cress Welsing's book. It would blow your mind.

 

[CJ]

BYE BABY AND STAY IS SOME SMOOTH ASS TRACKS!

THOSE ARE MY FAV 2....

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINK ROSS GOT HIM ON ACCIDENTAL MURDERS?

Hell nah niggga wasn't even on topic

 

[I MUST WIN]

It's been a couple of weeks. I'll go ahead and list my tentative ranking of LIG in his discography:

1. Illmatic

2. It Was Written

3. Stillmatic

4. Life is Good

5. God's Son

6. Hip-Hop is Dead

7. I Am...

8. Untitled

9. Street's Disciple

10. Nastradamus

It's neck and neck with Stillmatic and God's Son. I could see these flipping places in coming months.

just change untitled and hip hop is dead! that's my list

 

[I MUST WIN]

@MeekMill Nas new album is really on another level of rap! Shit is crazyyyy!

these rappers even know they can't fuck with nasir jones