GIF album review: Nas’ new album ‘Nasir’

Not For Radio

Cops Shot the Kid

White Label

Bonjour

everything

Adam and Eve

Simple Things

Amara’s Take: “NASIR” is defintely a wake-up call and divergence from the bubble-gum rap music we’ve been subjected to over the past few months. The album encompasses many different moods which is most likely a result of Kanye’s unique producing skills. Overall, the album is raw, dope and deserves our respect.

DeWayne’s Take: I’ll have to respectfully disagree on Amara’s take. While it’s true that Nas’s lyrical dexterity runs laps around most artists, this was perhaps the most bored I’ve ever been listening to a Nas album. While Nas typically prides himself on having laser-like focus on a single theme throughout his albums, Nasir feels haphazard and jointed. Nas also missed a huge opportunity to address the domestic abuse allegations swirling around him, which makes this album feel more like a faux reality than the portrait of stunning realism we’ve grown accustomed to receiving anytime he drops an album. I’m not sure if I’ll listen to Nasir again after this week.

Amara’s grade: A-

DeWayne’s grade: C

Listen to Nas’s new album Nasir below: