On this outing, Nas has gathered a variety of producers ranging from The Alchemist to Alicia Keys to ride shotgun on this journey. As always, Nas stays true to his old school roots with nostalgic throwbacks like "Get Down" and his blazing first single "Made You Look". "Book of Rhymes", is a tight concept track that features Nas cracking open an old rhyme book, and spitting his unused rhymes at random. The track proves to be quite entertaining as Nas stops mid-rhyme at times because the rhyme he's kicking is lower than his standards. On the Eminem produced, "The Cross", Nas delivers crisp lyricism while touching on topics ranging from enemies praying on his downfall to family disputes with his brother Jungle.
Nas has also used this album as a vessel to release several introspective and emotionally charged tracks that will captivate listeners. On "Warriors Song", Nas describes how harsh experiences he has faced in life have made him a stronger and better man. "Dance", which was inspired by the passing of his mother, finds a soft spoken Nas taking time to reflect on his mother and what she meant to him. On what may be the albums finest highlight, "The Last Real Nigga Alive" describes the untold tales of hip-hop rivalries between Biggie, Wu-Tang Clan, Jay Z, and himself. Nas hints at the possible rap wars that never quite came into fruition between Bad Boy and Wu Tang Clan and breaks down his beef with Jay Z and how it all came about in descriptive, poetical detail. It is tracks like these that provide the foundation for this album.
With "God's Son", Nas has dropped another great album that stands as a companion piece to past classics such as "Illmatic", and "Stillmatic". While the album may not pack the powerful impact of those two albums, it is nevertheless a high quality release featuring top notch lyricism and emotional driven tracks that we have come to expect from Mr. Jones. With this album, Nas continues to grow in maturity and touch on topics that have more substance and meaning. In taking this approach he has released one of his most personal album to date. While already earning his stripes as one of hip-hop's most elite lyricists, his superb ability to convey emotion, passion and descriptive imagery on this album continue to set him apart from the rest. No longer feeling the need to only prove his skill to the world, "God's Son" features Nas giving the listener a closer look at what drives the man behind the mic.
You can't be mad at that.
2. The Cross 3:47
3. Made You Look 3:23
4. Last Real Nigga Alive 5:04
5. Zone Out 3:48
6. Hey Nas 4:05
7. I Can 4:13
8. Book of Rhymes 3:54
9. Thugz Mansion (N.Y.) 4:07 10. Mastermind 4:07
11. Warrior Song 4:42
12. Revolutionary Warfare 3:29
13. Dance 3:34
14. Heaven 4:41