Tribute mixtape to Nas realized by Statik Selektah, who entirely manages the mixing and the production of this great tape, composed by 27 tracks for 76 minutes of material. Along with Nasir Jones, the perfomers are Lauryn Hill, AZ, Jay-Z, Kool G Rap, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Termanology, Game, Hi-Tek, Papoose, Kanye West e Common.
It opens an intro by Escobar who (re)announces that hip hop is dead, Statik scratches on his greatest hits, extraordinary jazzy boom bap. A remix of "Don't Hate Me Now" follows: fantastic boom bap jazzy-dark, essential, skeletal, extremely dark provided by Statik, Nas pretty smooth on this production, masterpiece. Third choice that derives from the genius of the producer: Statik finds a flawless rhythm here, on the beat of "Hate Me Now" he places the song of Nas feat Jay-Z and the title remains that. Great piece. The second guest of the tape is The Game in "Hustlers": very light boom bap by Dr. Dre, perfect beat, excellent verse by Nasir, then The Game. The fifth track is a solo that lowers the level of the tape on a minimal and bouncing rhythm: the flow of Nas is interrupted on this production, which provides a bridge-intro for the Bravehearts.
The song number six is a remix of "Where Yall At?": fast boom bap jazzy for this remix from "Hip Hop Is Dead", bridge near the hook, recalcitrant and heavy boom bap jazzy, Esco continues to delivers with a fine style, good track. "Hip Hop Is Dead" follows, Statik doesn't even try to touch the rhythm, then "Talk of NY": Statik's huge classic, on the beat of the eternal "Mass Appeal" of the legendary Premier, Nas flows fluid as ever on this production, the result is superb. With Roxanne Shanté on the hook? Brilliant! Bridge on the dark jazzy/soul boom bap with sax in the background and Shanté on the hook again. Third beat different for the third verse, boom bap jazzy with drum machine in evidence. We move on to the fragile hardcore boom bap of "Sucker MCs", Nas jumps on this production.
Another simple jazzy rhythm with drum machine for the tenth choice, excellent piece with Nas Escobar going away shiny, smooth, the soul background is anthology. Jadakiss drops a few bars with an excellent flow and a great delivery in the remix of "Everything I Love", a hopping hardcore production on which Nas closes. "Life's Gone Low" boasts Preemo's jazzy production, excellent beat, perfectly fit for the slow and velvet flow of Nasir Jones. Still DJ Premier in the next one, Esco starts strong and continues to delivers smoothness and determined verses on the beatmaker's very dark jazzy soundscape. Iconic. "We Still Major" is an excellent remix of Statik Selektah, a dark boom bap Mobb Deep style, Kanye on the first verse, Nas on the second in this remix of "We Major" by Kanye's "Late Registration", with a jazzy bridge of Statik towards the end of the verse of Nas Escobar and on the hook of Tony Williams.
In the belly of the tape, Papoose starts on a mafia-like, slightly gloomy jazzy boom bap, it closes Nas for the song "Across The Tracks" which anticipates "Death Anniversary", a dark beat on which the rapper is fluently fit; among the few flaws, the song has a poor hook. Statik continues to convince with "The Honeymoon Is Over", an excellent thrilling and cheerful jazzy-soul boom bap, great work by the beatmaker, Esco smoothness even in this short sort of freestyle. Following a track with Lauryn Hill, "It Wasn't You", in which Statik puts down a dark jazzy musical carpet, Hill's excellent light opening, Nasir Jones continues dropping a couple of excellent verses, props by Statik to Nas and L.E.S. "Why You Hate The Game" presents The Game's own return to a light, if somewhat gloomy, jazzy boom bap, soulful background, excellent beat. Excellent delivery of both.
Time for classics: Statik's pay homage to J Dilla, the genius who produced this timeless rhythm, dope song released by Hi-Tek on his album ("Hi-Teknology²: The Chip"), Statik Selektah places some shattered glasses at the beginning of each verse and cuts those of Nas, the same Hi-Tek and Common and must hold Marsha Ambrosious on the hook + background, iconic track. They make up an extraordinary masterpiece. A masterpiece, "Music for Life". Busta Rhymes contribute is removed from that remix, but Busta Rhymes actually arrives, for "Rough Around The Edges", a dark jazzy production, where he rattles the first verse with a dark and determined delivery, mad, energetic, hardcore, shiny, then Nas with the second verse, calm, almost light, safe, nice delivery.
The number twenty-two track is another high point of this mixtape, very fine: dark, very dark boom bap, it seems to come out from the keyboards of Havoc, AZ "Sosa", Nas "Escobar" and G Rap in this song; Nas starts, smooth, fast, sharp flow, good delivery, then G Rap to give a decisive tear to the beat, AZ picks up the mic and suddenly has to prove himself up to two legends, being at that level, he equalizes the comparison with an excellent delivery and a smoothly articulated flow. After the hook (with Foxy Brown in background?), G Rap resumes to close the matter and definitively kill the song. "One on One" follows: under a Christmas-like jazzy boom bap, Nasir delivers a couple of verses, male R&B background.
So, "The Foulness", good boom bap jazzy/soul, Nas velvety flow in this sort of freestyle. Nasty Nas continues on his own also in the following cut, on a soul-jazzy rhythm with a soul background, the rapper is flowing in this other sort of freestyle, a perfect song unlike the previous one. The penultimate track is a great classic directly from "It Was Written", the remix of "Street Dreams", original production, original lyrics. Statik only adds a few broken glasses from time to time. More broken glasses to introduce the last track of this mixtape, masterpiece by Statik Selektah, on an essential and New York sounscape sampled by "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton (1975) that you can listen to on the hook, Statik puts his protégé Termanology, immediately after the hook and Dr. Dre who's already in the track from which Statik takes the verse of Escobar. This is the unknown "Everyday Thing" by Nas, never released feat. Dr. Dre and Nature, one of the alleged tracks discarded by the Firm album.
Mandatory choices: "Intro", "Don't Hate Me Now", "Talk of NY", "Life's Gone Low", "Premo Shit", "Music for Life", "Livin' Thug", "Everyday".
Highlights: "Black Republicans", "Where Yall At?", "Blood Diamonds Are Forever", "We Still Major", "Across the Tracks", "The Honeymoon Is Over", "It Wasn't You", "Why You Hate The Game", "Rough Around The Edges", "Street Dreams Pt. 2".
Rating: 7.3/10.
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