You know with all this Jay-Z new album-out of retirement-touring the world making it a better place hoopla [which of course I am excited about]I forgot that another highly skilled MC is coming back with a new disc this holiday season: Nas. Hip-Hop is Dead is set to drop December 19th and like Jay-Z's new joint we can all come to expect tons of leaked tracks and heavy promotion. [or not, Jay is head of Def Jam and I could so see his album getting more pushing than Nasir's] So what do we have here you ask? A leaked Nas track, Hip Hop is Dead produced by hip-hop's budding "superstar" producer Will.i.am. So you know what that means? Yep, you guessed it, his vocals make an appearance here and there. Luckliy it's not a guest rap, instead he gets to sneak in and sing the hook, which surprisingly nods to Curtis Mayfield and soul vocals of that era and do an aight job. Nas waxes poetic, almost as if he is just speaking his mind to a beat Will had on in the background. Oh and did I mention the Iron Butterfly sample. Yes, Iron Butterfly. Not too shaby Will. And is that a sample of The Roots' Thought @ Work at the end? [I guess I was pretty apt with my Nas waxing poetic and speaking his mind. Check me out.]I also get a sense of some of the vibe and flava Mos Def bought on last year's highly underrated The New Danger. Yes, the track is good. Cee-Lo did it better with the subject matter, delivery, and vibe on his Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine, another great hip-hop gem of this short decade. I must say, it is nice to have good hip-hop back. I have been listening to so much pop and dance music, not giving a fuck about hip-hop too much due to albums with all filler and no killer. My bad hip-hop. That shit ain't right. Oh, and welcome back.
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