It seems like it was just yesterday when Nas and Jay-Z were involved in the what some may call the greatest Hip-Hop battle of all time. But since then times have changed; people have squashed beef on stage, deals have been sign, and it seems that Jay-Z and Nas have put all of that behind them. Earlier this month when a tracklist for Hova’s The Blueprint 3 was released, fans were excited to see yet another track, “Empire State Of Mind”, with both God’s Son and Jigga featured. Fast forward to earlier this week, and we see that on the “official” tracklist, Nas has been replaced with Alicia Keys. Now, we all love Miss Keys. But you know the real Hip-Hop heads would have preferred Kelis’ baby daddy on the track. But hey, who knows? It could still change. But until we get a final word, let’s look at past Jay-Z and Nas collaborations.

Nas feat. Jay-Z – “Black Republicans”
Album: Hip Hop Is Dead [2006]; Produced by L.E.S. & Wyldfyer
We had already been teased when it was rumored that Jay-Z would jump on the Kanye West/Nas track “We Major”, but the highly anticipated collaboration finally took place on Nas’ Def Jam debut Hip Hop Is Dead. At first listen, I was a little underwhelmed. But what had I expected? The speaker to explode and the world to cease as we know it? Once you get past the impossible expectations, the track more than lives up to the potential (And is one of my all time favorites). Both rappers got one verse each over an epic beat. Plus, that hook was hard.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “Huddlin’ over the oven, we was like brothers then (What?)/Though you was nothin’ other than a son of my mother’s friend/We had governin’, who would of thought the love would end”

*Notable Nas Line: “Just like an acrobat ready to hurl myself though the hoops of fire/Sippin’ 80 proof, bulletproof under my attire”

Jay-Z feat. Nas – “Success”
Album: American Gangster [2007]; Produced by No I.D. & Jermaine Dupri
I guess this was the trade off for “Black Republicans”. Nas returns the favor and does a guest spot on Hov’s 2007 American Gangster. This song also has the distinction of Nas maybe taking a jab at Hov (“Worst enemies want to be my best friends”). I personally think Jay-Z went hard the whole song, but even the biggest Jigga stan will admit that Nas’ Google Earth line killed it. Jay-Z had three verses (Or one long one) and Nas went last. “Let that bitch breath!”

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “Broad daylight I off ya on switch/Ya not too bright, goodnight, long kiss,/Bye-bye, my reply, blah-blah/Blast burner then pass burner, to TyTy/Finish my breakfast, why?/I got an appetite for destruction and you’re a small fry/Now where was I”

*Notable Nas Line: “Old cribs I sold, yall drive by like monuments/Google Earth Nas, I got flats in other continents/Worst enemies want to be my best friends/Best friends want to be enemies, like that’s what’s in/But I don’t give a fuck walk inside the lion’s den”

Ludacris feat. Nas & Jay-Z – “I Do It For Hip Hop”
Album: Theater Of The Mind [2008]; Produced by Wyldfyer
Let me first state that I thought Luda had the best verse but the actually song looks better on paper. It was good to have Jay, Nas, & Ludacris on the same track, but the end results did produce a classic track (Jay’s performance was so-so and this is me saying that). The song still has a great message though.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “The past of time when I was gettin’ it in/Just so happens I’m so illegal with the pen/They ain’t want me to do anything illegal again”

*Notable Nas Line: “That’s who you are so when the cash and cars is gone/The day after tomorrow/Don’t be asking to borrow, ski mask ang it hard/Like the way you rap in your bars”

Young Jeezy feat. Nas & Jay-Z – “My Presdent (remix)”
Album: The Recession [2008]; Produced by Tha Bizness
Okay, so this wasn’t exactly a Nas and Jay-Z collaboration since Hov jumped on the remix version. But it’s still technically a track featuring both rappers. The remix came at the height of the 2008 election and Jay-Z on the remix pushed it over the top (It already was the “hood” Obama them song). I still wished Nas would have redid his verse for the remix.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “My president is black in fact he’s half white/So even in a racist mind he’s half right/If you got a racist mind you’ll be aight/My president is black but his house is all white”

*Notable Nas Line: “For years there’s been surprise horses in this stable/Just two albums in, I’m the realest nigga on this label”

Shaquille O’Neal feat. Jay-Z, Lord Tariq, & Nas – “No Love Lost/Analyze This”
Album: You Can’t Stop The Reign [1996]; Produced by Tone & Poke
Do some of you youngsters even remember when Shaq used to rap? If not you didn’t miss much. But it was on one of Diseil’s album that we actually saw the first Jay-Z and Nas track. Well, almost. It gets confusing here. The original version of the song only had Shaq, Jay, and Lord Tariq (“Uptown baby!”), but somewhere along the line a new Nas verse was added and Shaqillie’s verse was taken off. Even through all that, I think it’s important to see what may have been the first Jay and Nas track together…13 years ago.

*Notable Jay-Z Line: “I got mine, your little bit of money couldn’t stop mine/Your block time, too hot, too many hands in your pie/Seventy thirty, the nigga you work for work for me”

*Notable Nas Line: “I flip my loot twice a week/On my most trifest streets/”You got no right to eat/By the laws of life you keep”

Download: A Collection Of Jay-Z & Nas Collabos

A few weeks ago me and the rest of the team were trying to put together a project that had all the best Nas cameos. I say “were” because that piece is now scrapped; there were just too many too name. I wanted to do it because recently Nasir Jones is in the news way more for paying $55,000 a month to Kelis, than his rhymes (Isn’t he dropping an album with Damian Marley later this year?). Let’s not forget this guy still should be in everyone’s Top 5. Which brings me to today’s pick Song of the Week. It’s not a track from Illmaic or God’s Son, but from Nas’ Def Jam debut Hip Hop Is Dead. “Where Y’all At” was the buzz single for the album and for me, it did just that. On top of a Salaam Remi production, Nasty Nas goes in:

“Eat with my elbows top of the table/Street etiquette with speech impediments/And still see presidents, no matter who paid/Cause you ain’t take the last dollar made/Long as they keep printing it, there’s chances of getting it/Money’s my bitch, and we stay intimate/Ask about Nashwan, could ask about Jung/Ask about Bravehearts, and ask where I’m from/Q Boro, specifically The Bridge/Don’t ask no more question, ya know what it is”.

And that why it’s one of my many Nas favorites. Enjoy.

Download: Nas – “Where Y’all At”

I remember when Nas used be called possibly the greatest MC of all time: Illmatic was classic, It Was Written was classic, Stillmatic was classic, and God’s Son was nearly there. Then he dropped Hip Hop Is Dead and that debate STILL goes on 2 years after the fact. I’m not going to lie, Nas has messed up several times in his career: he dropped Nastradamus, failed to make Ill Will stand out as a record label, and who could forget that song “Who Killed it” off Hip Hop Is Dead? However, no matter what, you still liked Nas because of all he had done in the game and more importantly how real he was.

Now, it seems like Nas’ album Untitled has stalled in sales, and didn’t even go Gold, making it his least selling album to date, even though it’s one of his best without any doubt. Now, the QB veteran himself has released the second single from the album, “Make the World Go Round”. Though B-Easy said that this was probably the weakest track off the album, I gotta say I’m liking it. Should be a hot single, so watch out for it on your airwaves.

Below this post is the music video for it; Nas is pretty much chillin’ in the background while rapping; pretty ill video. Game’s verse is hot, and Chris Breezy’s singing is pretty infectious. I’m also really feeling the beat; it’s something I feel like I could just chill to. What do you think? Check it out, and don’t forget you got this video straight from The Stoop!

Damn, it’s kinda quiet on the Hip-Hop front huh? No review going up today, so I guess it’s as good as time as any to do another iPod Hustle. This is where I pick some songs off my ever present iPod and explain to you what I’m currently listening to. Sometimes it’s new stuff; sometimes it’s old stuff, but all the time its good stuff. In this edition I‘m going all Nas. Yep, in anticipation of the “official” release of Untitled/Nigger, I looking at the Nas songs on my iPod I’m currently listening to. Not saying that these are the best or even the hottest Nas songs, just a few that I currently playing (That’s not on the new album).

Download: Nas – “Nigger Hatred” (2008)

I’m sure you’ve seen this one online (It was also played in the intro of “Be A Nigger Too” music video). But since all the links seem to be taken down, why not put it here. While “Queens Get The Money” is a worthy intro, I still hope this ends up on the official album (It may be a bonus track). It’s just piano and Nas spitting some revolutionary shit; “This is the genesis/I don’t even see a worthy arch nemesis/I get loose like the Jena 6/They put a noose on Pac/Now I’m defending Vick/And free that nigga Tip”.

Download: Diddy feat. Nas & Cee-Lo – “Everything I Love” (2006)

A lot of people hate on Diddy (including me) and I admit he does some cornball ass stuff. But that last album, Press Play, wasn’t half bad. One track that was a standout was the Cee-Lo/Nas featured and Kanye produced “Everything I Love”. Of course Nas outshines Diddy; “Think fast before I blast holes/Like grassy knolls/Went from scraggly old clothes to the illest fashion/The realest rappin’”(There’s also a remix featuring Jadakiss, but this isn’t about Jada).

Download: Nas – “Where Y’all At” (2006)

I’m still mad that this song wasn’t on the original album (Best Buy bonus tracks don’t count). It was this song that that initially got me hyped for Hip Hop Is Dead. I remember even the self proclaimed “Kufi Smacker” Jim Jones even said that the song was hot and good for New York. Nas channels his former ’94 self over Salaam Remi production; “Eat with my elbows top of the table/Street etiquette with speech impediments/And still see presidents, no matter who paid/Cause you ain’t take the last dollar made/Long as they keep printing it, there’s chances of getting it/Money’s my bitch, and we stay intimate”.

Nas & Green Lantern are preparing to drop a mixtape called The Nigger Tape. Well, the artwork for the mixtape is out. What do you think? Hell, I guess Nas figures that he’s gonna drop something with “nigger” in it. All jokes aside, it took a while for me to get excited about the actual Nigger album (Now titled just Nas), but after seeing rumored tracklists and hearing Nas in some recent interviews, I’m actually looking forward to it. Even though he may sometimes not be acknowledged, Nas is still one of the best MC’s ever to rhyme. I’ve always been a big Nas fan but at first I thought he was just trying to starts some controversy, which I think he should be above (Remember the arguments Hip Hop Is Dead caused?). What do I think? Me? I’m all for shit like this that makes you think and remember. Here’s the full shot:

Is Hip-Hop dead? Nas says, from a creativity standpoint, Hip-Hop is deceased. I don’t know if the purpose of this album is to resurrect Hip-Hop or if Nas is trying to regain his spot among rap’s elite. Nasir is one the least consistent superstars in rap. To be an all-time great, Nas throws up a brick just about every other album: Illmatic-Classic, It Was Written-above average, The Firm-Horrible, I am-Average, Nastradamus-Horrible. With that said, I’m anxious to see what Nas has in store being that his last album Street Disciple was uhmmm……… not very good. I’m guessing that this one will be a classic; or at least above-average.

MONEY OVER BULLSHIT
Nas jumps straight in on the track and kills it. classic Nas Track that sets up the album perfectly.

YOU CAN’T KILL ME
After the first two tracks Nas shows that his beat selection for this album won’t mirror that of Street Disciple, which is a good thing!

CARRY ON TRADITION
Nas talks about the ignorance of most rap artist; the track is hot and the story that Nas tells is blazing.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Most of the artist that Nas raps about on this track are the faces that are gracing the milk cartons in the XXL.

HIP HOP IS DEAD (feat. will.i.am)
Nas recycles the beat from “Thief’s Theme” and murders it again. He gives an explanation of the title Hip Hop is Dead.

WHO KILLED IT?
What the fuck? Nas definitely misses with this one. He tells a story that is almost impossible to listen to because of the annoying voice that Nas uses as the narrator of the story.

BLACK REPUBLICAN (feat. Jay-Z)
CLASSIC!! They tell why their hoods made them who they are.

NOT GOING BACK (feat. Kelis)
Nas explains why he wouldn’t move back to the hood and how the hood lives in him. Overall the track, vocals, and the hook just doesn’t blend well.

STILL DREAMING (feat. Kanye West & Chrisette Michele)
Kanye lays a hot track and he improves with each rhyme. Nas is at the top of his game on this one.

HOLD DOWN THE BLOCK
Everything about this track is simply average. Beat + Concept + Lyrics = Average

BLUNT ASHES
A tale of different rumors that surrounded a number of different historic/famous celebrities. The track is different and Nas uses a different style on this track.

LET THERE BE LIGHT (feat. Tre Williams)
More murder on wax. The track is superb and the rhymes meet the track perfectly. Nas tries to enlighten on this one.

PLAY ON PLAYA (feat Snoop Dogg)
A West Coast track that doesn’t fit Nas at all. Snoop kills it though.

CAN’T FORGET ABOUT YOU (feat. Chrisette Michele)
Nas reflects on some memorable moments for him. He missed on this one too.

HUSTLERS (feat. The Game & Marsha Ambrosius)
Nas finds a west coast track that fits his style courtesy of Dr. Dre. He shines on this track with hot line after hot line.

HOPE (Accapella)
Just hot rhymes, no beat.

Bottom Line:
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.

nappy Picks: “Money Over Bullshit”, “Let There Be Light”, and of course: “Black Republican”. Nas made a great album but, I couldn’t recommend purchasing it unless you are a Nas fan or if you really just wanted something different from the music that is being put out.

Welcome to first edition (1 of 3) of The Greatest. It is here where we will list the top…anything. It could music videos, sports teams, rappers, or even video girls. This is the way it works: everyone here at nappyafro makes a list, we combine it and add it based on numbers (if you ranked number 10 you get 1 point, 9 gets 2, 8 gets 3, 7 gets 4, and so forth. So with out further delay…

7. (Tie) Release Therapy by Ludacris/Separate But Equal by DJ Drama & Little Brother

7. Release Therapy by Ludacris

B-Easy: Chris Bridges uses his fifth album to aim for the top spot and be taken more seriously, might need use a better first single than “Money Maker” next time. But overall, with songs like “Mouths To Feed” & “Slap” that shows artistic growth, this IS his most serious album. That album cover still is trash though.

7. Separate But Equal by DJ Drama & Little Brother

King Jerm: This is probably overall one of the best offerings in the Gangsta Grillz series. This album makes you wonder why they didn’t put some of this heat on their debut to the masses.

6. Doctor’s Advocate by The Game

B-Easy: A Game album without a Dr. Dre beat? Say it ain’t so! But The Game still delivers a solid album and jumps the sophomore slump. Yea, he still name drops, but you can’t deny the skill. Game brings back the all-star producers (Kanye, Just Blaze, Storch, Hi-Tek, Swizz, etc.), so as always, his beats are bangin’. Check out stand-out tracks: “Compton”, “Remedy”, & “Wouldn’t Get Far” feat. Kanye West.

5. Like Father, Like Son by Birdman & Lil’ Wayne

Blood: I was torn between making Rick Ross #5 and giving Baby & Weezy honorable mention, but because of the number of just bangin’ ass tracks on Like Father, Like Son, I gave the N.O. duo the nod. With Wayne at the apex of his game, he came through with some of the most memorable bars of the 4th quarter of 2006.
“Army Gunz” – “and around here you are gonna need a chooper/And I’m a need a lawyer, and you gone need a doctor”

4. Dedication 2 by DJ Drama & Lil’ Wayne

B-Easy: How slow is 2006 when we have to resort to putting mixtapes on the list? The iPod King gets with Weezy a second time to make clearly best mixtape of 2006. Lil’ Wayne rides everyone beats from T.I., 2Pac, & Dem Franchise Boyz while giving the fans bangers such as “Dedication 2″ & “Cannon (AMG remix)”. Dedication 2 is what started Weezy’s stellar year in proving himself one of the best lyricists to date.

3. The Inspiration by Young Jeezy

Blood: And yes the top album of 2006 came from the “Snowman”. Song for song it was hard to deny Jeezy from the top slot. Some say that he can’t rap BUT Jeezy makes Street Anthems that are some of the best SONGS being made today.

2. Hip Hop Is Dead by Nas

King Jerm: “Retro” Nas on this album. It seems as if he is trying to take it back to the essence again. Nas gives his fans some of his best music. Well, not his best, but best in a while.

1. (Tie) Kingdom Come by Jay-Z/King by T.I.

1. Kingdom Come by Jay-Z

King Jerm: Jay-Hova comes back with his third out of retirement album. This one aimed more at the older crowd that has grown up with him. He isn’t going for the clubs with this one, just the grown and sexy. Might be a little hard for the youngsters to digest.
Blood: It was hard to make S. Carter #2, but when I compared Kingdome Come with the album that I selected as the best from 2006, there were fewer tracks that I skip on the #1 offering of 2006. Jay being the “Pinnacle of Lyricism” made placing him in the silver medal spot a tough decision, but with a couple of tracks that I personally didn’t feel I had to make the “Best Rapper Alive” #2. Sure to become classic tracks: “Lost One”, “Do U Wanna Ride”, “Kingdome Come”, & “Beach Chair”

1. King by T.I.

B-Easy: If you lead the league for the most of the year, you should always win the award, and this album did just that. I always felt King got shorted because when the talk of Hip Hop sucking this year came up, the only thing people said about this album, is that it was the only one to go platinum in ’06. But in actuality T.I. proves why he truly is the “King Of The South” by showing his versatility. The street (“I’m Talkin’ To You), the lyrical (“You Know Who”), the commercial (“Why You Wanna”), & the ugly (“Stand Up Guy”). T.I.’s King IS arguably the best Hip-Hop album of the year.
Blood: On his 4th album, T.I. proved that he was really just getting started. King proved to be the best yet from the “King of the South” (some might argue for Trap Muzik). On King, T.I. evolved from a lyrical heavy weight to being one of the best song writers in Hip-Hop. Album featured Chart toppers: “What You Know”, “Why You Wanna”, “Live In The Sky”, & “Top Back”