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This album was released on July 15th in 2008. The reason it’s untitled is because it was originally going to be called “Nigger.” He ended up changing it for obvious reasons. I don’t really know how to feel about that yet. I think it’s fucked up that it would’ve forced different races to say the N word, and it also kinda seemed like he was trying desperately to be edgy and deep. I really hope I’m wrong tho. Hopefully there’s actually a respectable purpose behind the original title. If he’s doing that shit where he’s “trying to take power out of the word,” then he can go fuck himself tbh. I hate when people say that shit. Don’t sugar coat that shit; you know exactly what the word means. You know people still use it as a racial slur. I’m hoping he was just gonna use it as a way to expose how messed up things were and still are. I feel like that’d be too good to be true tho. I’m really not sure how this one’s gonna turn out. I know there are at least two songs on here that I really love, but I heard one—can’t remember what it was called—that made me want to fill my ears with hot lava.

Track 1: Queens Get The Money (Prod. Jay Electronica)

This is one of the tracks I’ve heard before, and it’s fucking fantastic. Jay Electronica… WOOO! This beat is fucking amazing. I love Jay Electronica’s production style. Just like with Act I, this song lacks any percussion. More rappers need to rap over pianos like this. This is one of my favorite beats that Nas has ever rapped on. And boi, Nas RAPPED on this one. That part where he was talking about how he’d be the father of kids who don’t have one already was so fucking awesome. “Pregnant teens give birth to intelligent gangsters; their daddy’s faceless / Play this by your stomach / Let my words massage it and rub it / I’ll be his daddy if there’s nobody there to love it.” He threw a diss towards 50 Cent in there. I’m not really sure what the issue between them was about. Honestly I didn’t even know there was a problem until I heard this track. Wait a minute… That song Milkshake… Kelis made that song? Why did I think it was by some Reggaetón artist? “I’m Huey P in Louis V at the eulogy throwing Molotovs for Emmett.” Damn, son. Got DAMN. Lmao. Nas fuckin’ slaughtered this shit. “I’m the shaky hand that touched George Foreman in Zaire / The same hand that punched down devils that brought down the towers.” I fuckin’ love this song. This shit is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 2: You Can’t Stop Us Now Feat. Eban Thomas & The Last Poets (Prod. Salaam Remi)

…Wait… So… Did he get ALL of The Last Poets on this track? That’s… That’s fucking awesome. It’s starting now. Oh lord… This beat is fucking fantastic. The first verse was great. “Know your hunger kid; I know they hung your dad / Burnt your mama crib, I know that hurt you bad / Minstrel shows, from gold to shackles and back to gold / We act like we home—matter of fact, we are home.” Eban Thomas just quoted James Baldwin. That’s all he does on this track. Daaamn… This hook is smooth as hell. I think The Last Poets are the ones singing it. They’re all harmonizing, and it sounds REALLY fuckin’ good. Them old ass motherfuckers was singin’ they goddamn asses off. Nas is goin’ on about how animals are overrated on this second verse. Well, that’s not really what he’s saying. “Ask PETA, whoever; which animal makes suede? / If not for suede, would you have survived the Dark Ages?” I think he was trying to say that people value the lives of animals more than the lives of human beings, but he framed it with the Michael Vick case. I get that it’s kinda messed up that he had to spend almost 2 years in jail, but… I mean… It’s not like he was innocent. Dog fighting is still pretty fucked up. I’m not mad at this verse tho; I understand what he was going for. I really fuck with this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 3: Breathe (Prod. Dustin Moore & J. Myers)

Oh God. This beat is so fuckin’ smooth. This shit is great. Okay, this album is really fuckin’ good so far. The hook is cool. The first verse was really dope. The second verse was dope af. “I’m fresh out of city housing, and have too many options / Pennies on a pension or penitentiary bounded / Plenty henny in me; envy was simply they trend, see / My enemy was every hater that was bigger than me.” I don’t have any problems with this track. The beat’s dope, the verses are nice, the hook is cool, and the structure is pretty straightforward. I fuck with this track. This is dope. 4/5

Track 4: Make The World Go Round Feat. Chris Brown & The Game (Prod. Cool & Dre & The Game)

Oh boy. I have a bad feeling about this track… It’s starting now. Hmm… This beat is kinda strange. I like it a lot tho. Damn. Nas is talkin’ so much shit on this first verse lmao. “Laced and Macy’s don’t have it; a hatred addict / I need faces mad with frowns when I’m around, or I’m wastin’ fabric / I don’t feel greater ’til my plush pieces cause you to suck your teeth / So mean-muggin’ on my clean thuggin’ means nothin’.” TALK THAT TALK, NAS. This hook with Chris Brown is actually pretty dope. Wow. This song is a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. Thank Gawd. The Game’s flow on this second verse is really nice. Goddamn. He killed this shit. “No [homo], just Romo / You tryna shine, I put the nine on your jersey for promo / Jessica Simpson that’s so-so / Nick want his baby back, but that’s Loso.” I’m kinda shocked by how much I like this song. I even liked the bridge from Chris Brown, and I fuckin’ hate Chris Brown. For real, does anyone really get excited when they see a feature from Chris Brown on a tracklist? I know I sure as fuck don’t. The final verse from Nas was good. Although I could’ve done without that line in which he compares himself and Chris Brown to Prince & Michael Jackson respectively. That’s disrespectful. Chris Brown is absolute dogshit compared to Michael Jackson. Nas & Prince are both legends, but that comparison still seems pretty implausible. Anyway, I really enjoyed this track. It was a pleasant surprise. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 5: Hero Feat. Keri Hilson (Prod. Polow Da Don)

Does Keri Hilson still make music? I haven’t seen her name in forever. This song is starting now. Oh shitfuck. This beat is dope af. Goddamn. Polow Da Don put his ass in this shit. The hook is great too. Wow, this is great. I love Nas’ aggressive flow on this track. The first verse was pretty short, but it was really good. Keri Hilson thankfully just contributes some background vocals. She doesn’t have too much of a presence. Oh LORD. The horns that come in during the second verse are awesome. Jesus. Polow Da Don produced the fuck outta this beat. This shit sounds like it should be played in a stadium. It just sounds huge. He killed that second verse. “Every time I close my lids / I can still see the borough, I can still see the bridge / I can still see the dreams that my niggas ain’t never lived to see / Tell them angels open the door for me.” I think this is definitely one of Nas’ most accessible singles. I could see this doing really well with a mainstream audience. I’m not really sure if it did well tho. Holy fuck. THIS MOTHERFUCKER WAS SPITTIN’ FLAMES ON THAT FINAL VERSE. He just gave the most badass defense for the title of this album. “Untitled it is, I never change nothing, but people remember this / If Nas can’t say it, think about these talented kids / With new ideas being told what they can and can’t spit / I can’t sit and watch it, so shit, Ima drop it.” I definitely fuck with this track. This shit is dope af. 5/5

Track 6: America (Prod. Stargate)

This beat is dope as fuck. Man… Honestly, this seems like one of Nas’ best produced albums so far. Hopefully I don’t feel differently by the time I’m done with this review. The first verse was awesome. “How could I not be dead? / This old german said I was a thug with a knotty head / Looked at my Benz and called that a nazi sled / With a face like he wonder where I got my bread.” This hook is actually really dope too. The uncredited female vocals sound great. God. This album is REALLY fuckin’ good so far. Gotdamn. Nas is fuckin’ preachin’ the truth right now. HELL YEAH, NAS, YOU BETTER SPIT THAT SHIT, BOI. “Too many rappers, athletes, and actors / But not enough niggas in NASA / Who give you the latest dances, trends, and fashion? / But when it comes to residuals they look past us.” This is fucking awesome. Holy fucking shit. This dude is incredible. That final verse was insane. “Assassinations, diplomatic relations / Killed indigenous people built a new nation / Involuntary labor took a knife split a woman naval / Took her premature baby, let her man see you rape her.” That “involuntary labor” double entendre was perfect. His flow is so fucking awesome on this shit too. Good fucking lord. This song is so fucking amazing. I LIVE FOR THIS SHIT. This is absolutely dope af. I definitely fuck with this shit. 5/5

Track 7: Sly Fox (Prod. stic.man)

Man, I’m loving this album so far. This might end up being one of my favorite Nas albums. This beat is really fuckin’ dope. Holy fuck… Is this what I think it is? God, I fucking love Nas. Lmao. This song is a diss to Fox News. “They monopolizing news, your views, and the channel you choose / Propaganda; visual cancer.” This is awesome. I actually like the electric guitar that comes in during the hook. Man, this beat is fucking awesome. I feel like I’ve been listening to a lot of songs with Nu Metal influences recently. I’ve enjoyed most of them, which is the weird part. “Watch what you’re watching / Fox keeps feeding us toxins / Stop sleeping, start thinking outside of the box.” The way he compared Fox News to Big Brother from 1984 was so fucking cool. The hook is dope af. GODDAMN. NAS IS COMIN’ FOR FUCK ASS BILL O’REILLY’S THROAT ON THIS SECOND VERSE. “The Fear Factor got you all riled up / O’Reilly? Oh really? No rally needed, I’ll tie you up / . . . / They’re going to try to censor my next verse / Throw ’em off the roof neck first.” This shit is bananas. Good lord. The final verse was fucking phenomenal. “Fuck if you care of how I write a poem / Only fox that I loved was the Red one / Only black man that Fox love is in jail or a dead one / Red rum, political bedlam / Don’t let the hype into your eyes and ear drum.” HOLY FUCKIN’ SHIT.

This shit is fucking bonkers. The way that little interlude towards the end was incorporated was really cool. The way the percussion came back after it was finished was so fucking hard. I definitely fuck with this track. This is another amazing song. This shit is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 8: Testify (Prod. Mark Batson)

This beat is awesome. It’s really fuckin’ smooth. The production on this album is fantastic so far. Man… Nas is spitting some of the realest shit I’ve ever heard. “I just burnt my American flag / And sent three cracker Nazis to hell and I’m sad / I’m loading tefs in my mag / To send these redneck bigots some death in a bag.” Before I started this album, I was worried that Nas was just using the N word to drum up false controversy for more buzz, but he’s legitimately saying some controversial shit that I’m sure a lot of Americans wish they could say. Nas was brave as hell for this shit to be honest. The hook is cool. Is that Nas singing? I think it is. It’s not amazing, but it’s WAY better than you’d think. This motherfucker was really harmonizing on this shit. I really never thought I’d hear that. It actually sounds pretty good tho. The second verse was cool. I fuck with this song. I really liked it lyrically, but I wish the verses were a little longer. It’s still dope tho. 4/5

Track 9: N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave & The Master) [Prod. DJ Toomp]

This is the other song that I’ve heard from this album before that I really love. The beat from DJ Toomp is fantastic, and the hook is catchy as hell too. This shit is really anthemic. That bassline from JMac is so fucking good. The first verse was dope. He killed that second verse. “Toast to government cameras peepin’ us / Every week I must have my cars, homes, and phones squeaked for bugs / But this is what I was dreamin’ of / Between cuttin’ hard coke with new razors slicin’ my fingers up.” The final verse was fucking awesome too. “Anytime we mention our condition, our history, or existence / They callin’ it reverse racism / Still to this day the streets torn / My brother Jung’—I’ll always have a seat for him / Not behind me, beside me / You’ll always know where to find me.” I fucking love this song. The production from DJ Toomp is dope as hell—although that primary loop is a little repetitive and can get annoying after a while—and Nas killed each verse. This shit is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 10: Untitled (Prod. stic.man)

Oh fuuuuuck. This beat is fucking incredible. Bruh. This album, man… I’m fuckin’ lovin’ this shit. OOH fuuuuuuuuck. Lmao. Nas’ flow on this first verse is fucking awesome. “No revolutionary gets old, or so I’m told / You’re left full of bullet holes when you tell the people go free / Oh, it’s a matter of days before they try to take me / I heard gun shots rang; his bullet’s got my name / I ain’t see ’em take aim, I dreamt this day came.” He’s rapping about how people are attempting to assassinate him for speakin’ the truth. Man, the sample he used for this hook is so fucking dope. “They did not have the power to stop Louis Farrakhan.” This is awesome. This honestly might end up being my favorite track. I love the beat, and Nas is gettin’ busy on this shit. The second verse was great. I love how he repeated the first few lines of the first verse as the outro. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 11: Fried Chicken Feat. Busta Rhymes (Prod. Mark Ronson)

Lmao. Okay, this should be obvious, but just in case some of you guys don’t know, I made that cover for this song as a joke. Anyway, I’m gonna be pretty pissed if Busta Rhymes doesn’t get a verse on this bitch. I was disappointed when he didn’t rap on Street’s Disciple. It’s starting now. This beat is dope. What the fuck… Lmao. Nas is using fried chicken as a metaphor for his girl. Or maybe he’s personifying the fried chicken as his girl. It goes both ways. “When we done I need rest / Don’t know what part of you I love best / Your legs or your breast / Mrs. Fried Chicken, you gonna be a nigga death.” This is weird as hell. I mean, I guess he’s doing a good job with the concept, but the concept itself is just bizarre. Oh shit. Busta just came in right behind Nas. This is so fucking weird lmao. It’s dope tho. “Baby it’s like you at the spa the way you gently lay in the pan / While enjoying your butter milk treatment / I sit and watch the grease sizzle bubbling on your skin / Despite the funny fragrance still I lick my finger frequent.” What the fuck… Could this be stretched as Pornocore? I feel like it could… This is probably the weirdest song I’ve ever heard from Nas. What are some other weird songs from him? Let’s see… We got Who Killed It?, Big Girl… Uh… Those tracks where he pretended to be a female rapper named Scarlet… I can’t think of any more right now. Anyway, I enjoyed Busta’s verse. I like the song, but it’s just… It’s so odd. “I prepare it the best, specialize in cooking swine as a chef / You gonna be a nigga death / Who cares if the swine is mixed with rat, cat and dog combined? / Yes, Ima eat the shit to death.” This is my least favorite track so far, but it’s not bad. I enjoyed it. I guess. Well… Actually, you know what? I don’t think I’m gonna be coming back to this. It’s kinda cool, but I’m not gonna pretend that I wanna hear this shit again. It’s decent. 3/5

Track 12: Project Roach Feat. The Last Poets (Prod. Eric Hudson)

This beat is nice. I’m not sure which member of The Last Poets that was on the intro. He was speakin’ the truth tho. Actually, I think it was Abiodun Oyewole. I’m not completely sure tho. Oh wow. Nas is literally rapping from the perspective of a cockroach in the projects. “I love it when the light’s off, eatin from same knives, forks / From any man’s dinner, see my antennas / You can’t win, you can’t stand the crunchy sound I make if you squash me / Learn to live with me.” What the hell? The song just ended. Uh… I mean, I guess he did a good job pretending to be a cockroach. At the end Abiodun says “niggas are like roaches; they’re never gonna go away.” I guess that’s what he was trying to say. I don’t really see how the metaphor works tho. I mean, aside from them never going away, none of the shit Nas actually said can be seen as a good analogy for what “niggas” do. I think I like this track even less than the previous one. I liked the production, and Nas did a good job with the concept, but, again, the concept itself is just strange. 3/5

Track 13: Y’all My Niggas (Prod. J. Myers)

This beat is dope. “Controversy surrounds who could say it and when / Some niggas are full time, some play & pretend / So fuck that, no apologies on the issue / If it offends you it’s meant to, it’s that simple.” I’m not really sure what the overall message of this song is supposed to be. I’m sure I’ll get it by the end of the song tho. The first verse wasn’t bad. He raps from the perspective of the N word during the hook, which is cool. Okay, the second verse was dope. “Everybody bleeding, the cops are the demons / Courtrooms full of goons, jail buses leanin’ / Handcuffs squeezed too tight on youth life / If you fight they just give in, people used to do sit-ins.” I think I see where he’s goin’ with this track, but I’m not completely sure yet. The final verse was cool. “It’s quite amazing / The use of ghetto terms developed our own language / No matter where it came from / It’s celebrated, now people are mad if they ain’t one.” Okay, I fuck with this track. I think he’s basically trying to say that the N word is never gonna go away, so black people’s best option is to take ownership of it, and make sure it’s used in a way that benefits us. This is dope to me. I fuck with this. 4/5

Track 14: We’re Not Alone Feat. Mykel (Prod. stic.man)

I’m not familiar with this Mykel guy, but he sang his ass off on that hook. This beat is dope af. Nas’ flow on this first verse is great. “My house in Malibu probably tapped / ‘Cause living next door to Demi Moore, plus I’m black / Plus I want vengeance for the poor who’s attacked daily / PATRIOT Act never scared me.” This is awesome. This Mykel guy sounds really good. This is gonna sound kinda dumb, but uh… Well, Nas is rapping about how aliens are for real. I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant by “we’re not alone.” He’s not talking about the African race, but rather the entire human race. The second verse was short, but it was pretty good. The way he ended it was smooth as hell. “Visitors probably live with us, they can mimic us / It’s sort of what we’re seeing in the cinemas.” This is another track that has kind of a strange concept. Well, I guess it’s not that strange. I just don’t really believe in aliens or anything like that, so this song doesn’t really speak to me. I’m not completely against the idea of aliens tho. I’m agnostic, so I don’t pretend to have answers to shit I know nothing about. I’m skeptical tho. If I had to bet, I’d say there are no aliens. The final verse was cool. I enjoyed this song, but… Well, you know. I’m not in love with it. The subject matter was strange. It’s fine tho. I fuck with this. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 15: Black President (Prod. DJ Green Lantern)

This hook is dope af. I love the way they incorporated that Tupac sample. This beat is dope as fuck too. “They forgot us on the block, got us in the box / Solitary confinement; how violent are these cops? / They need a early retirement / How many rallies will I watch? I ain’t got it in me to march.” This is great. Nas’ flow is fucking awesome on this first verse. I feel like he’s more technical on this album than he has been in the past. His flows are more impressive here in my opinion. The first verse was fantastic. I don’t know who that is singing on the hook, but he did a damn good job. Goddamn… This motherfucker Nas was sayin’ the realest shit ever on that second verse. “I think Obama provides hope and challenges minds / Of all races and colors to erase the hate / And try to love one another; so many political snakes / We in need of a break / I’m thinking I can trust this brother, but will he keep it way real? / Every innocent nigga in jail gets out on appeal / When he wins, will he really care still?” Nas was asking all the right questions. I’m glad he wasn’t one of those dumbasses who thought racism ended when Obama got elected. And I’m also glad he didn’t just assume Obama was doing a great job, and actually held him accountable. The final verse was great. Okay, yeah. This is dope af. I wish I heard this song back in 2008. It would’ve made me so excited about my president. I’m not completely satisfied with what Obama did, but it was at least a huge step up from what we had before, and what we have now. This song is dope af to me. 5/5

Final Thoughts:

This album is fucking great. This is easily one of my favorite albums from Nas. I think it contains some of the best beats Nas has ever rapped over, as well as some of the best subject matter Nas has ever touched on in his music. Some of the tracks were a little weird like when he was rambling about cockroaches and fried chicken. Those songs were very strange, but they weren’t necessarily bad. They just kinda left me scratching my head. I think this album contains some very important messages. Oh by the way, that song that I mentioned in the preamble to this review that I fucking despised? Yeah, apparently it was just a promotional single for this album, and it was called Be A Nigger Too. Not only did he gratuitously use the N word in that song, but he also repeated the slurs, “kike,” “spic,” “guinea,” & “chink.” That might honestly be the worst song I’ve ever heard from Nas. It’s definitely the stupidest shit he’s ever said. He was doing that dumbass shit where he was trying to “take the power out of” those words. That’s so fucking stupid. I’m honestly really disappointed in him for that song. Smh… He thankfully left it off the album tho, so everything’s good. Anyway, I fucking love this album. This is his best album since The Lost Tapes in my opinion. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings on it, but I really don’t get why. I think these are some of the best beats Nas has ever rapped on. I really don’t think there are any consistent flaws with it, unless you just disagree with everything he said. Honestly tho, if you have a problem with most of what he said, you’re probably kinda racist. I’m not even joking right now. You should really try to figure that out… Anyway, this album is really great. I fuck with this shit. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Untitled

Least Favorite Song: Project Roach

Verdict:

88%

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