In the title of his new album as well as in his hit single of the same name, Nas asserts that hip-hop is dead. The sheer thought of the man behind the classic album Illmatic declaring hip-hop dead sent shockwaves through the industry with artists ranging from Big Boi to new labelmates Ludacris and Young Jeezy expressing disdain at Nas's remarks. With Hip Hop Is Dead, Nas has made one of his better albums, one that proves that hip-hop has life in it yet.
A few themes pop up throughout Hip Hop Is Dead. The first theme is a feeling of nostalgia for older days and earlier generations of hip-hop. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the song “Where Are They Now.” Driven by a James Brown sample, “Where Are They Now” name checks virtually every notable rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He bemoans the fact that many of these artists have been forgotten by newer generations: “Rap is like a ghost town / Real mystic / Like these folks never existed...” He also gives them praise, calling them “the reason that rap became addictive” and any artists he doesn't mention in the verses, he shouts out at the end of the song.
Producer Will.I.Am uses Nat King Cole's “Unforgettable” as the backdrop for “Can't Forget About You,” another song that continues the theme of nostalgia. Nas reminisces about the past (“Can't forget when the first rap Grammy went to Jazzy”) and looks forward a future with a “Straw hat / On the porch.” Also present on this song is the next theme prevalent throughout Hip Hop Is Dead: a frustration with the current state of hip-hop. Nas says bitterly that “Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines.”
The theme of disappointment with some of the current generation of hip-hop appears more prominently on “Carry On Tradition.” The song is all about continuing the traditions of previous generations and Nas uses the opportunity to talk about the way some newer artists (who remain nameless) don't do that. He chides them on their ignorance of early hip-hop (“Let's see who can quote a Daddy Kane line the fastest?”) and the way they use acclaim for their “bricks” to hate on bigger, more established names.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Sterfish, great review. You are correct -- this album helped to refresh my interest in the modern hip hop scene.
2 - Connie Phillips
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3 - 4real
well hip hop might be dead in america - but here in canada it is not--
4 - WEBZ
I Aint the biggest fan of nas,but judging by the reactions of the plastic puppet "rappers" that are hoaring themselves,Hip Hop and the rest of the black people on this planet,Nas has struck a nerve,so top fuckin marks to Nas for that! - I Hope that all the corparations that promote these phoney,talentless scumbags,stop signing these idiots,move on to something else,and leave the people all around the world who really love Hip Hop and Breakbeat culture alone,then maybe we can have a REAL dialogue between people all over the world, - Just Like Bam and the Zulu Nation Planned...We can only Hope!!!
5 - sharkeater
long live nas. he is all hip hop has left. but that man is an anchor. amen nas