It’s Been Twelve Weeks…
AUDIO By David D. on October 14, 2008 at 10:38 pm
We did this for Tha Carter III, so it’s only fair we give the other most talked about album of the year the same treatment.
So here we are, about three months out and it’s time to revisit Nas’ Untitled. First of all, who’s still listening to it? Is the album still in rotation? When was the last time you listened? Does it still hold up as a great album?
For me, the album moved quickly out of my playlist. However, this does not reflect my opinion on the lyrical accomplishment Nas achieves with Untitled. The album is similar to a great book or essay in that I can appreciate the greatness, but don’t necessarily want to sit down and digest it. Bottom line, as a thesis on the current state of race relations and social issues, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more thorough album. Unfortunately, Untitled lacks as a body of music. This problem lies on the shoulders of Nas’ shaky production choices and overall sonic choices make for an album that’s hard to enjoy. It can be argued that Nas did this on purpose – the topics he discussed are not to be enjoyed as much as analyzed.
So how do you rate an album that lacks the musical conventions we have traditionally used to rate a great Hip-Hop album? Though I don’t listen to Untitled too often, I will definitely point anyone in its direction when I’m asked what a true representation of Hip-Hop is.
Previously Posted — “America” – Review Of Nas’ Untitled | It’s Been Seven Weeks. Do You Know Where Your Copy Of Tha Carter III Is?
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Posted in AUDIO, GENERAL, MUSIC, SMOKE BREAK, STRAY SHOTS — Tags: Nas, Untitled
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Snoop and Drama Present Terrace Martin – Locke High
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P242KKX3
Nas picks beats like McCain picks VP running mates
word up, good lookin’ out on that Terrace Martin G!
I used to tend to do this: pick up an album, listen to it a couple times, put it away, then come back to it later…back when there weren’t as many choices….
now? my hard drive is constipated…just gotta find the time to load shit onto my iPod….
but co-sign David D. on his thoughts regarding Nas latest album “Untitled”. lol
My copy in on the door panel in the truck.
Terrance is gonna be a problem…eventually.
No one was talkin bout Nigger 2 weeks later let alone 3 months later
I still play it. Think that it’s the best album this year if not top 3.
I Play the Nigger track whenever one of the old heads cuts me that sly ass look or starts with that old-person rhetoric.
I’m still proud of our growth and shit,
who are ya’ll to turn on us anyways?
It ain’t nuthin new
a/U!!
Snoop_Dogg-Imagine_Bw_I_Wanna_Luv_U-Promo_VLS-2006
01 04:44 Imagine (ft Dr Dre and D’Angelo) (Clean)
02 04:44 Imagine (ft Dr Dre and D’Angelo) (Main)
03 03:42 Imagine (ft Dr Dre and D’Angelo) (Instrumental)
04 04:17 I Wanna Luv U (ft Akon) (Clean)
05 03:03 I Wanna Luv U (ft Akon) (Main)
06 04:05 I Wanna Luv U (ft Akon) (Instrumental)
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VA-DJ Ames and LA The Darkman – Grind Time Vol 23
01 la the darkman intro
02 la the darkman – notorious lad
03 la the darkman – glorious victorious lad
04 p diddy – swagger like puff
05 team blackout feat young jerz & yung wizz – swagger like us
06 grafh – bring the goons out
07 50 cent – get up
08 jersey boy – whatcha gon do
09 la the darkman speaks
10 la the darkman & willie the kid – dumping the ruger
11 attitude – man right here
12 tha bank – money walk
13 willie the kid feat trey songz, gucci mane, la the darkman, bub b & yung joc – love for money
14 moka blast – my wrisses
15 attlas – this is my show
16 flithy rich – you can find me
17 city haze – dry rain
18 wardskillz – gotta go
19 la the darkman speaks
20 kidd – hot topic
21 g playaz feat various artist – the unsigned
22 d cash – breathe (night rider)
23 la the darkman outro
24 la the darkman – i been around
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VA – Tony Touch-Hip Hop #85
01. Ill Bill – Society Is Brainwashed (feat DJ Premier)
02. Jadakiss – Who Run This (feat Jay Z)
03. Tony Yeyo – Face Off (feat Ransom)
04. Large Professor – Hardcore
05. Busta Rhymes, Show Money, Reek Da Villain – Give A Dam
06. WMA LL Cool J – Ringtone Murder (feat Grandmaster Caz)
07. Ron Brown – Pop Champagne (feat Jim Jones)
08. 50 Cent – Can You Believe It (Remix)
09. The Lox – It’s Like That
10. Big L – Big L Freestyle (95 Throwback)
11. T.I. – Swagga Like Us (feat Kanye West & Jay Z)
12. KRS – Self Respect (feat Tony Touch & More)
13. Madlib – Go (feat Guilty Simpson)
14. Joell Ortiz – Memories
15. Lil Wayne – The American Dream (feat Mike Tyson)
16. Ludacris – Wish You Would (feat T.I.)
17. Madd Rapper – Incredible
18. CNN – Follow The Dollar
19. The Game – Bulletproof Diaries (feat Raekwon)
20. The Game – Angel (feat Common)
21. 88 Keys – Stay Up (Viagra) (feat Kanye West)
22. DJ Baby – Dearly Departed (feat MOP)
23. DJ Revolution – The DJ (feat KRS)
24. Termanology – How We Rock (feat Bun B)
25. Joe Budden – Touch & Go
26. Kanye West – Love Lockdown
27. Heltah Skeltah – Art Of Disrespekinazation
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“Untitled” is in my top 3 albums of the year (so far). Does it get a whole lotta burn nowadays, not really, but it’s one of the best albums of the year, hands down.
I feel the exact same way about Untitled. God’s Son is one of my favorite albums of all time, but Untitled didn’t even make me want to finish listening to it. Nas’s beat selections for this was lack luster. Even the talked about tracks such as the intro just didn’t seem to nick the surface of what Nas is capable of. Maybe he should try the Jay-Z technique (except come back with a better album than you retired with?
I never even peeped Untitled. It’s just to much stuff coming out for me to listen to everything out there. Oh well…
I actually bought this. On CD. I don’t even buy albums on CD. I did it for the SoundScan. But do I still listen to it? Not often. Pieces and parts, sure, but on the whole, I found this album to be weak. I think the album could have benefitted from more cuts like “Fried Chicken”. I guess I was looking for something more thought provoking, after early cuts (that never made the album), and blunt sparked interviews. I wanted Nas to say something more.
I wanted it to be more like Wale’s Kramer. That song is what Nas’s album SHOULD have been like. Or, at least how he made it seem in interviews, and how he and Kelis explained it at industry award events.
this joint was boring and unfocused. are we supposed to embrace nigger? or shun it?
nas strikes out once again.
wow… those are sharp and unexpected questions. Nas is my favorite rapper and its difficult for me to say damn Nas put out some bullshit. however this album is solid. the content is a perfect backdrop to the presidential election thats been going on. i tend to burn the shit out of an album and i usually have it 3-4 weeks before it comes out so….when this dropped officially i was fully entrenched in every song and forming my defense against the “nas haters” and “jigga dickriders” i stopped listening to the entire album i’d say about 4-6 weeks ago. i basically began to make a playlist with some different shit and i couldnt have a playlist that consisted only of Nas tracks. i do consistently bump Breathe which i hated at first and the DJ Khalid produced Esco lets go which should have definitely made the final cut of the album and not sneaked on the Green Lantern tape. i agree with everyone else here and i believe that Untitled is still one of the top 3 albums of the year besides The Preface by Elzhi and Protoolsby GZA.
wow… those are sharp and unexpected questions. Nas is my favorite rapper and its difficult for me to say damn Nas put out some bullshit. however this album is solid. the content is a perfect backdrop to the presidential election thats been going on. i tend to burn the shit out of an album and i usually have it 3-4 weeks before it comes out so….when this dropped officially i was fully entrenched in every song and forming my defense against the “nas haters” and “jigga dickriders” i stopped listening to the entire album i’d say about 4-6 weeks ago. i basically began to make a playlist with some different shit and i couldnt have a playlist that consisted only of Nas tracks. i do consistently bump Breathe which i hated at first and the DJ Khalid produced Esco lets go which should have definitely made the final cut of the album and not sneaked on the Green Lantern tape. i agree with everyone else here and i believe that Untitled is still one of the top 3 albums of the year besides The Preface by Elzhi and Protoolsby GZA.
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^ DMV heads will SO love these…
the wallet? not so much…
but they shore is sick
*coughprotoolsbrickcough*
Excuse me. Coming down with a cold.
12 weeks, huh…I’ll have to listen at some point, never checked for it beyond the “singles” and the Green Lantern tape.
I’m checking for that Heavy D. I don’t expect to be impressed…this is a reggae-esque joint?
Some of the youngs don’t realize the early Uptown albums that big Dwight put down. That said, beyond the Brett Ratner directed “Nuttin But Love” video, what has Hev offered since the late 80s-early 90s gems.
^ I’m confused. I can’t tell whether you like Heavy D Or not.
MTV Jams is playin’ the video for Q-Tip’s “Get Up”
slowly but surely…..
Is anybody still listening to Sheek Louch’s “Silverback Gorilla” CD?
Mang, that shit go hard, yo. Hot fiyah. Piff to the umpteenth power
Yo, on some real ish, I was just knocking that Sheek Louch last night & I remember that one guy who was saying that “Silverback Gorilla” was one of the best albums of the year. He got clowned for it, but this joint has some heaters on it & even though I didn’t cop it, I didn’t trash it either..
Oh yeah,
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^ LOL
he got burned at the stake for exaggerating the hotness…
sometimes, it doesn’t pay to be ahead of the curve/pack when it comes to “admiration” i.e. Gotty & Plies, lol
I just have very little interest on listening to a NaS album at this point. I get geek for his albums, only to be disappointed once I listen. How many times is he going to get a pass for having wack beats? At this point, on the album tip, NaS is trash.
I’m not buying Sheek Louch with a hot album either! I can’t think of a hot 16 from dude since “Money, Power, Respect”!
@ AmpGeez a.k.a. Black Geezus
I like Heavy D. I not gonna claim stan-status or attempt to defend everything the man’s put out. I do think those early “and the Boyz” albums are solid and often overlooked/forgotten (I know, add them to the list).
I just don’t expect much from many of the heavyweights that I looked to as a younger man. Recently, Diamond, Sadat, Large Pro, and the like. I don’t go in expecting much (honestly, I have higher expectations for Jake One or Joell Ortiz). That said, in part out of respect and in part out of faith I will check for anything (no matter the past discretions ) for any artist/group that rep’d for the “golden age” of Hiphop. Sometimes it’s a “pleasant surprise” as in the case of Large Pro’s last project and much of Sadat’s. Sometimes, it’s just better left alone, like Diamond.
I just try to be a realist when it comes to the 2000s and new releases from the B.I.G. stars featured in “Word Up Magazine.”
Im roasted like ever.
harvest season bitches.
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Alchemist feat. Evidence, “Hits From The Bong ‘09″
Don’t know if yall had this already..
I’m late as hell, but I bumped Untitled Sunday night while @ the gym
Harvest season? Still a drought here. LOL!
Untitled still gets play to this day..
Don’t understand all the criticism on the beats, they aren’t extravagant, but are they “bad”? I’ve heard much worse production this year, and the lyrics are great. I don’t think there’s denying that
I just ordered my copy from yourmusic.com for $6.99 … free shipping… need it for the collection but pretty much the cd has been out of the rotation for a minute now…
I thought, lyrically, Nas is on some other shit on this album. As far as his beat choices being what they are cause he wanted you to focus on his lyrics…I think it’s a lame excuse.
I just think that even though Nas was really trying to get across some important things in his music…his biggest goal is to try and cross-over and sell a lot of records.
Concept albums that have something to say and may be incendiary don’t have to be musically wack to get the message across. Ice Cube’s Death Certificate is the best example of that.
Also, the beat choices weren’t THAT bad like someone else mentioned, but a lot of the production and hooks were corny to the point that I feel foolish bumping it with the windows rolled down in the whip.
thought it was a solid album, Lets go Esco shoulda been on the album, i listen to that joint all the time! It wasnt as good as i expected, but i think every Nas fan is always holdin out on some I hope its as good as Illmatic shit. Once you get over that this album shines.
“are we supposed to embrace nigger? or shun it?”
I’m sorry but you’re an idiot, no offense, lol. I think you should take another listen to the album.
I listen to the whole album on occassion, tracks end up in playlists all the time. I still don’t see why people are knocking his beats like they are awful or something. I still don’t see why most of you just don’t listen to instrumental albums, heh. When this first came out I said these beats were the perfect backdrop for his lyrics and they still are. Why you think he has songs like “Testify” and “Queens Get The Money”, or why he dropped an acapella track on Hip-Hop Is Dead. It’s the lyrics. He’s not a producer he’s a poet. I feel he does it cus he wants me to concentrate on what he’s saying and I do. You can argue that an album should be able to have both great lyrics and great production but maybe Nas is that arrogant and feels he doesn’t need it, I tend to agree. And No the beats aren’t as bad as you make them out to be, most of em have your head nodding anyway. Lyrically though, this album is….M-1 on that Semtex interview says it best, “Cus he definitely rubbed off on me…I’m trying to get that much sharper with that rhyme…Did you hear the precision on that?!” Seriously, I wouldn’t be mad at someone saying this is Nas’ best work as far as lyrics are concerened.
@jowhite: Pretty sure Heavy D did that “Feel It In The Air” joint off Beanie Sigel’s The B. Coming. So there.
I stopped listening to Nas about 2 and a half months ago. It’s a good album that doesn’t grab you. It’s the Shane Battier of albums. Good play, holds it together, no complaints, but nothing that stands out except defense….Well, Shane can shoot the 3, too…but I digress…..
I still like HERO as a single though. That’s a really good song. It got NO run out here though.
Drewski
http://www.myspace.com/drewskibeats
Oh, and I’m pretty sure Heavy D produced “it was all a dream” for Jay. I’m too busy to check though. I have to take my chick to court, and need to go take a shower…lol
ARon i couldn’t have said it better. It’s about to go back into my rotation this week..
I just don’t see anything “Great” on the last few NaS album. Everything has just been alright. For Nas to be considered the best dude doing it, I don’t understand why he doesn’t have “Great” material. Being quite honest, I rarely if ever like NaS’s beats. For instance, my favorite NaS album is “Lost Tapes”. To me most of the beats are trash, but he really going in on the album. IMO he really hasn’t done that since. I understand that was a compilation, but still……..
The album is hot I still listen to it. Nothing is wrong with the beats it fits with the tone of the album. If you can stomach the wack lyrics and beats of The Carter 3 then it shouldn’t be a problem with this. I guess he’s dropping too much knowledge America is dumb right now I forgot since we have a retarted president.
I bought Untitled it is one of the best albums of the year, but I haven’t listened to it in a while either.
It definitely was no American Gangster…
Bought to copies for the soundscan and it’s not being played at the moment….but I know RIGHT where it is….
Too much out/coming out to keep it in the rotation, but it’s a rather dense album, and I don’t replay it in the same vein that I don’t just up an’ pop some popcorn and sit and watch the ROOTS series at any given moment.
^ two = to
and actually it was 3 – forgot about itunes.
untitled is STILL that biz. we are about to elect the first black pres in the history of the U.S. for all my homies, i suggest you all really listen to nas’ album to maintain that mindstate that no matter what how great some black folks are, we’re still be “untitled” to a whole slew of folks.
clearly, that album gets me pumped like a mug. after hearing it, i wanna start a revolution and start looting up here on the gold coast.
AG still get’s play. Like half the tracks do, which is great.
Untitled I listen to once a week, but not the whole thing. More like 1/3 of the songs. “the Slave and The Master” I put on mixtapes a burn for folks.
C3, I listen to 2 songs still.
FTR: Heavy D produced “Guns N’ Roses”
He’s on the track’s intro.
I’m still listening to it, but so much music has come out since it dropped that I don’t get around to it as much as I’d like to.
Is it me or has “the green” gone up everywhere in America.
Hotdamn. Even Dr. Greenthumb feeling the economic slump.
An Eisenhower went up 2 bucks. 3 j’s for 9 bucks!!!
Sheesh.
Bill Simmons utilized this analogy with something else to great effect recently, but it works here too. “Untitled” is Scorcesse’s Raging Bull of rap. Impressive on the first viewing, and obviously a very important piece of work, but repeated viewings are tough to justify.
Everybody defends Nas’s lack of production, but fuck all the elitist spoken word shit…..
You’re supposed to be listening to MUSIC, not spoken word set to a soundtrack of preschoolers bangin on milk jugs.
And this is why Nas gets no repeat burns, you hear the words,you process them, but you don’t FEEL the music.
Music can convey emotion and power 1000x better than words ever can.
Go listen to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and tell me you don’t feel that
I bought Untitled sight unseen, only to be let down by “Bait and Switch Nasir” again
Hell, the mixtape was better than the album
Trippin’…shyt still in the whip, maybe not as much, but one of the best of the year. if you expected more from nas, your still stuck in the illmatic hype. grow up fam
I like it, probably my fave hip hop album of the year. It took a few listens for it to grow on me, but now it’s officially fungus.
I’m not bumping that anymore, I’m bumping that DJ Revolution “King of Decks” Album that just came out a fews back. It’s probably the most well done and thought out album I’ve heard in like 10 years. It really made me miss the art of Deejaying because a lot of the original principles of mixing, scratching and battling are incorporated into this album. After you listen to the this album, you’ll be corrupted. All other mix cds/compilations will sound like garbage…I co-sign this album bra…
I listen to the version I made all the time.
Nas Independence Day
1) I’m On
2) Hero
3) Black Repub (Verse)
4) LouisFarrkhan
5) N.I.G.G.E.R.
6) What It Is
7) Cops Keep Firing ft D.Banner
8) Breathe
9) Make The World Go Round
10) Where Y’all At
11) Shine On
12) Black President
13) War Is Necessary
14) Sly Fox
15)Money over Bullsh#t
16) The N
17) Stillmatic Intro
if this album was a wale album or
an other rookie that people wants a big shyt from him. this album will be as a classic !
people would says : that’s the fuckin’ shit !!!
but it’s Nas and people wants more and more from him. people needs ill tracks !
Still…Album of the Year.
i skipped through ‘Untitled’ and then deleted it straight off my shit.
the album was garbage. heads only say they like it bcos they think it makes them look like a thinker / they can ramble on about high-falutin wannabee intelligent college student bullshit for hours about it “…what u tryna kick knowledge..?”
“…had a spark when you started but now yr just garbage, fell from top ten to not mentioned at all…”
i listened to illmatic for the 100,000,000th time last week. also CIII.
& i made the MONSTER Boosie playlist after the new joint was posted here.
also been checkin uk rapper Giggz, he’s cold. and Slew Dem’s Chronik ‘Blaze More Dan U’