On his third release, I Am, Nas bolsters his reputation as one of hip-hop's leading wordsmiths. His voice has grown so strong that none of the A-list guests (they include Puff Daddy, Aaliyah, Scarface, and DMX) can upstage the 25-year-old rapper. Nas has acted in a movie (Belly), but his real ambition is to write them; until that happens he'll be known for highly cinematic tales of the street. Nas is a lot like a prison-yard bard: he tells crime stories full of blood and guts, but he balances them with strong messages to stop the cycle of violence. His ghetto tales, such as "Small World" and "Favor for a Favor," stress desperation as the cause of crime rather than glorify the nihilistic criminality. Except for one track, "Dr. Knockboot," which casts him as a columnist to the hip-hop lovelorn and playa wannabes, Nas is unremittingly sober on I Am. His righteousness would seem nearly sanctimonious if not underpinned by superb production from the Trackmasters and DJ Premier. The production helps make this a consistent recording throughout, rather than a smattering of hits and misses. --Martin Johnson

Customer Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed
Comment: I really don't do reviews because I feel no news is good news and if you say anything it should be in your disregard or your dissatisfaction of a certain thing. With that said, the Nas CD is great...just what I needed.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I Am..................Nas' Autobiography
Comment: I remember this album when I was in the 6th grade. I love this album so much. This album is another creative milestone in the history of hip-hop and the artist himself. Nas receives the kind of respect that true rap wordsmiths continually target for themselves and it all boils down to his lyrics. His insights and observations concerning his generation can be read from his lyrics sheet as pure prose. When backed by the sonic collages of master producers, the signature combustion is his own. this album jibes with the coast-to-coast aestetic that is emerged in the wake of the late rap stars' deaths. This album is the latest chapter in the chronicle of rap's leading visionary (in 1999).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Before the death of Hip-Hop
Comment: I don't know exactly when it happened, but one day, during this new century, I woke up and realized Hip-Hop had died. However, in 1999, everything seemed to be going great for it. I would never have guessed things would evolve into the way they are now. Where we have extremely simple and unpleasant beats with hooks of never more than two or three words in them, repetitive unoriginal topics of money, strip clubs, women, and the display of a glamorous lifestyle. There's no longer such thing as songs you can't dance too that actually sound good at the same time. The sounds being played in the clubs that every one loves now days sound absolutely horrible, and i don't understand who could find them pleasurable. What happened to the days when you actually heard instruments in your music. What happened to the days where the instrumentals of Hip-Hop songs were actually somewhat complex. What happened to the days when the hooks to Hip-Hop songs actual contained more than just a few words that are repeated over and over again. The only survivors of the wipe out of Hip-Hop are Nas, Kanye West, and The Game. They actual have something to say in their music. Their music has purpose. I can't say that about any other Hip-Hop artists--- CORRECTION: There are no other Hip-Hop artists. Lil' Wayne, Soulja Boy, Vic, and all those people are not Hip-Hop artists. They are not ARTISTS period, and the noise that they play a part in creating is NOT Hip-Hop.

I'm listening to this album right now, and all it makes me want to do, is lay down and close my eyes, and remember the days when it came out, and I first heard it. Days when I used to the record store down the street from my house which closed about five years ago, and is now U.S. Cellular. I remember how all I ever wanted or needed was music. It was my air, it was my food, it was my drug. When i finally made it home after a long day of school, it was the best refreshment in the world. Music today doesn't have the ability to give you the feeling it used to. And it's honestly, the music's fault. Not mine. There are so many qualities in older Hip-Hop music, that is completely absent in the new music today that is falsely referred to as Hip-Hop. I'm sad to say it but Hip-Hop lived it's life, and though I'm not sure of its actual death date, it's been gone for a while.

R.I.P. Hip-Hop

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Dope ALBUM!
Comment: A Dope album by one of the dopest mc's in the rap game awesome lyrics and awesome flow

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Underrated...That's an Understatement
Comment: After Nas's Two Disc I Am... was leaked onto the internet people started disregarding all the material on the two releases. I Am is a lot better than Nastradamus. The guest appearances don't distract from this well crafted CD.

A second NY State of Mind opens this CD. It's as good as the first. The controversial video Hate Me Now follows and is an enjoyable track. The nest four tracks are amazing. From then on the DMX featured track stands out, and Nas Is Like and its succeeding songs are definite masterpieces.

Highly recommended.

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