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

[rapmastermind]

I dont recall Nas ever using Biggies bars.. EVER...I think U have him mixed up with that other great rapper from NYC...

And lol @ Nas ever using Biggie lines.yea That Nas using biggies shit aint make sense..

we gotta get somebody to post some lyrics to hold us over until the album drops..

Biggie "Lord Have Mercy Jesus Christ He's just nice/he just slice like a ginsu, Look at what I been through" 93' (4 My Peeps)

NaS: "Lord Have Mercy Jesus Christ He's Just Nice/He Just slice like a ginsu, look at the life that I been through" 02' (Last Real Nigga Alive)

Biggie "Biggie Smalls, The Millionaire, The Mansion" 94' (MSG Freestyle)

NaS: "NaS, The Millionaire, The Mansion" 06' (Can’t forget about You)

Biggie "This Rap's Alfred Hitchcock" 97' (What's Beef)

NaS "Hitchcock of Hip Hop since Big, Pac Departed" 04 (Message to the Feds)

 

[rapmastermind]

Biggie "Old School New School Need to Learn though, I burn Baby Burn like Disco Inferno" 94 (Who Shot Ya)

NaS: "I'm tryin to kick that shit you need to learn though, That Ether, that shit that make your soul burn slow" 01' (Ether) (The song also samples the gunshots in Who Shot Ya)

Biggie “Picture life as my wife, Just Think, Full Length Mink, Fat X and O Links” 95’ (Get Money)

NaS “Picture Life as my wife, Just Think, Full Length sable seven carats in your navel” 08’ (Oh Yea, Oh Yea)

Biggie “All The Planes We Flew, Bitches we ran through” 97 (Long Kiss Goodnight)

NaS “All The Planes I flew, Niggas I ran Through” 04 (Live Now)

Biggie "On the road to riches and Diamond Rings" 95 (Westcoast Freestyle)

NaS "On the road to riches and Diamond Rings" 08 (Nigger Slave and the Master)

NaS always showing he got love for Big and I'm happy he shouted him out on "Life Is Good".

 

[KBOOG2012]

Made a new username and everything just to comment. Sonically its an amazing sounding record. The best since Stillmatic IMO. It is very cohesive to the ears and "flows." Summer on Smash sounds out of place, like Hello Brooklyn did on American Gangster. Im 30 and this album is amazing to me. He really speaks on mature subject matter. A lot of the records sound like they are from the late 80s or early 90s. Songs like Reach Out, You Wouldn't Understand, Bye Baby (my favorite on the album), Cherry Wine...The hip hop/r&b infused joints are really nostalgic which is why I think the album is resonating so hard. Plus he's got the straight 90s raw joints like Nasty, The Don and Loco-Motive. Gods Son was a bit sad, after his mom had died. Untitled was cool but a little too politically themed. This album he is just rapping from a different place. He's 38, most of his long time fans like me are getting older and appreciating the subject matter. This is for old heads, straight up. Not that younger people cant appreciate it, but we are growing up just like he is. Daughters, divorce, finding a mate, etc. I mean NO ONE is making music like this. Im really happy with it and havent even heard the bonus/extra tracks yet.

 

[BobOblah]

"Nasty" is still top 3 Life Is Good tracks to me. Even with the basic beat, I love to hear Nas go in like that.

 

[rapmastermind]

I know people are saying "A Queens Story" is passable or just ok but that track is epic to me. Nas was flowing on that track. The classical strings, the funk guitar, the boom bap drums, and the dj cutting makes for a feast for the ears. Then dude blessed the finale with a Mozart piano solo.. Shit was like a movie..

"A Queens Story" was brillant. The Beat is broken in 3 Parts or 3 Acts like a real story. NaS rapping on Chopin, are you kidding. Saleem killed it. This is why I love Hip Hop, it samples from EVERYTHING so you are getting literally all forms of music. The song is so cinematic, I love it. It got an instant 5 MICS in my review. Musically it's just perfection.

 

[longbeach_turnt_up]

Aside from Nas' coontastic antics(In real life), He brought the heat in the studio..

In my personal opinion,this album is a classic..Stay,Worlds a addiction, train,trust,Wheres the love,Black bond,bye baby..

If you ain't feeling this album more than likely you ain't got no Soul..this album is littered with beautiful soul samples..Nas on the mic ain't even a question...his lyrics are supremely ill..Like for real? Who raps like this dude? Jay? Kanye? get the fuck outta here!!!

That word gets thrown around alot here but i might have to agree with u....after reading a few post hating on the album i couldnt wait until Tuesday anymore to buy it...so i downloaded it and i gotta say this a Top 5 Nas album..He finally got some good production and good hooks...

Im still buying it Tuesday...Gotta support my fav artist.

 

[O.P.E.S.]

You Wouldn't Understand is my favorite song on the album. AZ would have been perfect for that song, like some other posters have mentioned earlier. His flow is built for that smooth, laid back, summer type record. The Black Bond best sounds like some old Wu-Tang shit. Nas sounds renewed and energized on this album.

 

[H-Rap 180]

Nas the Goat.

Good to see Nas not going the JayZ & Kanye route and doing the Euro thing or making POP songs, he stayed true to the essence and dropped a Classic Soulful HipHop record.

 

[buttuh_b]

Lol ok @rapmastermind sonned us. Proceed.

 

[SunflowaSeeds]

Are people in here acting like Nas isn't going in on this album?

 

[buttuh_b]

Are people in here acting like Nas isn't going in on this album?

Yea, some are saying it's wack or underwhelming. I would say 80% positive responses and 20% negative in this thread.

 

[DarthRozay]

Made a new username and everything just to comment. Sonically its an amazing sounding record. The best since Stillmatic IMO. It is very cohesive to the ears and "flows." Summer on Smash sounds out of place, like Hello Brooklyn did on American Gangster. Im 30 and this album is amazing to me. He really speaks on mature subject matter. A lot of the records sound like they are from the late 80s or early 90s. Songs like Reach Out, You Wouldn't Understand, Bye Baby (my favorite on the album), Cherry Wine...The hip hop/r&b infused joints are really nostalgic which is why I think the album is resonating so hard. Plus he's got the straight 90s raw joints like Nasty, The Don and Loco-Motive. Gods Son was a bit sad, after his mom had died. Untitled was cool but a little too politically themed. This album he is just rapping from a different place. He's 38, most of his long time fans like me are getting older and appreciating the subject matter. This is for old heads, straight up. Not that younger people cant appreciate it, but we are growing up just like he is. Daughters, divorce, finding a mate, etc. I mean NO ONE is making music like this. Im really happy with it and havent even heard the bonus/extra tracks yet.

who are you new-yet-old poster?

 

[DarthRozay]

So I just saw on Nas' wikipedia page that Lost Tapes 2 is set to be released this year. Does anyone know the status of it?

Nah, and I wouldn't take much notice of that. Albums that people know are coming, but just haven't been given official dates or anything else like that, have their date on wiki changed every year. Like, it'll go from saying "Lost Tapes 2 (2012)" to "Lost Tapes 2 (2013)" to "Lost Tapes 2 (2014)" and so on until it gets released.

 

[SunflowaSeeds]

80/20 sounds about right when the album is really good.

20% hater is standard.

 

[buttuh_b]

Album reviews so far...

goodmusicradar: 4.5/5
http://goodmusicradar.com/nas-life-is-good-deluxe-edition-album-review/

The Independent: 4/5
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...s/album-nas-life-is-good-def-jam-7944239.html

The Guardian: 4/5
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/15/nas-life-is-good-review?newsfeed=true

Entertainment Weekly: B-
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20611066,00.html

Sputnik Music: 4.5/5
http://sputnikmusic.com/review/50808/Nas-Life-Is-Good/

Not that they really matter... Just interesting to see what the critics think. There will be a lot more coming soon from AHH, AllMusic, Pitchfork (rolls eyes nh), Source, XXL, LA Times, etcs.. Nothing under a 4 yet besides that EW bullshit.

 

[andre_1024]

Still haven't finished the album, made it to the Don..it's solid so far..production is good, Nas is spittin..just gotta finish it..

oh and World's an Addiction is just a flawless track..easily favorite song so far..

 

[H-Rap 180]

I just can't get over how crazy this album is, I been irritating the F#*k out of people playing this ish at the wrong time but Im just amazed at the level of lyricism and the vibe of the album.

I appreciate Buttah posting those reviews but I don't respect any of those publications when it comes to HipHop, I just wait till all the reviews come in and check Metacritic.

People saying Trust should have replaced You Wouldn't Understand on the Vinyl edition but I'm good with it the way it is.

 

[DNB1]

Wow....Only on track 5 and this album is already to grown for some folk posting here...

Nas is so,....oh so real on the mic...and I fucking love that shit.

Before today I seen a lot of talk about wack production.....but like I said, this is grown folk musik.

I know Daughters been out for a while, but it still a stand out track to me.....

GOAT shit...

 

[DNB1]

Nas is the realest spitter spitting.

 

[rapmastermind]

OK, as for sales, I think we are looking at 150-250k. This is about NaS's average 1st week. Some are saying 300k but NaS only had 1 single chart which was "Daughters", the other 4 singles did not chart so it's going to be hard to push those kinda of numbers without a hit single. Sure "Distant Relatives" didn't do that great in sales but it was an experimental album and it did well on the Rap and Reggae charts. But this will be NaS 5th #1 album putting him in an elite class of rap sales.