Hip Hop is Dead
| Nas
Hip Hop is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 19, 2006 on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def Jam. The album's title was inspired by Nas's view of the music industry and the state of hip hop music at the time. The album features appearances from Nas’ then wife Kelis, Kanye West, Jay-Z, will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, The Game and Chrisette Michele, among others. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
No, it's not Illmatic, but here Nasir Jones is again telling stories, attacking the mic, and displaying his virtuosity.
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Sputnik Music
Nas attempts to conceptually present his audience with a reason of why "hip hop is dead", but fails.
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Rolling Stone
Nas never solves the crime, but his point is implicit — few MCs are taking the artistic chances he does. Still, he ends on an optimistic note: As hip-hop is dying, with a sack of money on her back, her last words are “If you really love me, I’ll come back alive.”
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The New York Times
But this grumpy, lovable album definitively answers a much smaller question. Has old-fashioned hip-hop saved Nas? Definitely. And not for the first time. Maybe not the last either.
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Focus Hiphop
I don’t know what happened. It’s just not good. These songs… They aren’t good. It’s not a bad album. I just don’t think it’s very good. It’s decent tho. I got a handful of dope songs outta this album. I just think Nas could’ve done better.
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Rap Reviews
That’s why even though he’s holding a black rose on the album cover, it’s not a funeral you’re attending on “Hip Hop is Dead,” it’s a wake. Nas has made a passionate album to reawaken your love of the art and if your heart isn’t thumping in your chest by the end then it’s not hip-hop that’s dead, it’s you.
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Prefix Mag
Hip-Hop Is Dead is an ambitious record of another kind: a record asking you to reconsider your conceptions of its artist and its genre. Inevitably, the record is far from perfect, but music doesn’t have to find everything in its right place. At times, it even demands conflict, and considering the state of his career and the industry that spawned him, Nas is right on schedule.
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Ezine Articles
Globally speaking Hip Hop Is Dead is a masterpiece of work. Often underrated, Nas is one of those artists who won't compromise their souls for the money. Nas' vibrant final prayer is the testimony of his passion for his music.
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The Varsity
Hip-Hop Is Dead is an excellent album from front to back, with the Snoop-assisted “Play On Playa” being the only forgettable song on what is easily one of the best albums of year. Nas’s latest offering is irony at its best, because let’s face it: Hip-Hop Is Dead marks the awakening of hip-hop with a standout effort from arguably the most consistent lyricist of our era.
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The Austin Chronicle
With Dr. Dre, Kanye West, and even Jay-Z on its guest list, Hip Hop Is Dead makes for an ample, yet ultimately morbid, party.
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BBC
But in the meantime, just behave as you did when hip hop was alive. And listen to this track. It really is sumpin good.
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Byron Crawford
There aren't any teh ghey-ass pop records or any other really bad ideas. You do kinda wish they'd taken more chances on the production though. This is traditional to the point of being kinda boring at points.
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Genius
Don´t understand how it isn´t in the conversation of being a classic, considering its big impact and quality.
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Hiphop DX
The title may be an obituary, but the album proves that Hip Hop is alive and well when it’s in the right hands. So here is Nas – never on schedule, but always on time.
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Pop Matters
"Live, hip-hop, live". Hip-hop is dead? Fuck it. Nas isn't. And he's done it again.
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The Guardian
From a more self-righteous MC, all the nostalgia and finger-pointing might grate, but Nas, as conflicted as he is gifted, embodies better than anyone the angel perched on one of hip-hop's shoulders and the devil on the other.
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IGN
A hit and miss manifesto cum homage to rap music and the culture that spawned it.
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Exclaim
So, while Dylans Modern Times may not measure up to The Freewheelin, just as Hip Hop Is Dead doesnt to Illmatic, half the appeal is that its not trying to and its still dope as fuck. (Def Jam)
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AV Club
Hip Hop is unsparing in its diagnosis of rap's ills, but ultimately, it's hopeful. It contains a smart, tight, cohesive analysis of where rap went astray, but also the seeds of the genre's rebirth and renewal.
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Mic
Now an avid hip-hop consumer, who has listened to all of Nas' albums both before and after Hip-Hop Is Dead, I can say this was not an anomaly, but a characteristic reminiscent of each of his works.
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Nappy Afro
Nas Comes back with one of the hottest albums of 2006, and stays on track with the hits and misses with his albums. I guess next up for Nas is an average to whack album.
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