Nas is arguably the most philosophical product of hip-hop's masses. So it was fitting that his fourth album, "Nastradamus," is opened and closed by hip-hop poet Jessica Care Moore, who wowed audiences with her own powerful prose on "Showtime at the Apollo" just a few years ago. "Nastradamus" is Nas' second album of 1999, the last of the millenium -- and maybe the best. It's far better than "I Am...," the "Nastradamus" predecessor, that's for sure. Nas is the urban prophet, and his slices of ghetto life are compelling, but more important, they're spoken from a firsthand view, without the boasts of large living and narrow-mindedness of small dreams. Words of wisdom are shared on "Life We Chose" and "Some of Us Have Angels," which address the repercussions of life on the dark path. In "Big Girl," Esco abandons the female-bashing of late, instead paying tribute to the sisters in the 'hood who are doing their thing. "Do anything to please her/My ghetto Queen of Sheba," Nas proclaims. He also does some preaching on "God Love Us," which assures that The Man Upstairs stands by even America's Most Wanted. Nas joins forces with Mobb Deep on "Family," an homage to his fellow Queensbridge dwellers. "Quiet N!ggas" serves as a forum for Nas' posse, The Bravehearts, and Ginuwine and Ron Isley add vocal support on "You Owe Me" and "Project Windows," respectively. Nas has made the transformation from boy to man with an insight and storytelling prowess that puts him in a class of few. Every track on the album is a potential hit, although the NC-17 lyrics on some will prohibit airplay; you can only bleep so much." - Hartford Courant (December 9, 1999). Was it easy finding a review giving so much praise to this album? Yes, it sure was! I think even Nas would say this album was mostly a miss and he's probably never performed more than a couple of these tracks out of his whole catalog. That said, I haven't revisited it in some years, maybe it does have redeeming qualities? I remember "Come Get Me" with Premo and the bootlegged version of "Project Windows" being solid cuts. I first heard the title track as a single at an ice skating rink in Central Park, my stomach turned lol. But, it's Nas... and he is still one of the greatest lyricists/storytellers of all time, so revisit the album and see how it's aged. I will do it, too...
Full review and the VHS promo with the special glasses are below...
