Nas - Nasty [song + review]

Shout out to Funkmaster Flex, who debuted the song last night. He dropped bombs on this track for TWENTY MINUTES because it's pure fire.

NO ONE wants it with Nas. If this is ANY indication how his next album, Life is Good, is shaping up... we've got a stillmatic banger on our hands. The beat is produced by a seemingly refreshed and re-energized Salaam Remi, who I feel was giving Nasir some drowsy sounds for a few years. The release of this single takes me back to Junior High School when my homies and I would call each other and play the latest Nas track over the phone to each other.

The song is hookless, with the beat pounding as a 4-8 bar transition between verses. The point? A focus on lyricism. The "Nasty Nas" persona is in full control on this 3 minute display of verbal dexderity and wit, alternating between biblilcal references and bottle popping during the first few bars:

Ayo, late night candlelight fiend with diesel in his needle
Queensbridge leader no equal, I come from the will of Ezekiel
to pop thousand-dollar bottles of scotch smoke pot and heal the people
any rebuttal to what I utter get box cutter...

On the 2nd verse, Nas eviscerates criticism that he's too old to be in the rap game, stating "I am not in the winters of my life or the beginning stage, I am the dragon." Indeed, on this song Nas IS a fire breathing beast, who utters rewind worthy syllable after rewind worthy syllable. Who else would say "I'm so high, I never land like Mike Jackson's crib/vest off, 45 still crack your ribs/sacrilege to talk trash about the NaSty kid". Nas proves within a few breaths of this track, his first solo single since Distant Relatives, why he is legend by all accounts. In a verse that begins by displaying that he is still "nasty" lyrically, and reinforces that he is in his prime, Nasir also discusses his growth:

past Nasty...
I'm still skinney but I'm too big for a Bentley
you are your car, what could represent me?
too godly to be a Bugatti, you must honestly
design me something Tommy Mottana had before the 90's
drug dealer car, rush to the bar, move niggas,
we don't give a fuck who you are...

The kicker is that after the 2nd verse, the wordless chorus ensues with a slight beat changes, incorporating scratches, Nas's adlibs saying "nasty kid", and Dave Chappelle's sampled voice repeating the word "Nasty" on beat. Warning: this song may cause you to kick air or punch your walls yelling "that was DOPE!" The 3rd verse... just press play already. Nas' flow is brolic on it, and he bodies wack emcees effortlessly.

make room for the king

After almost 20 years in the game, Nasir Jones remains a contender for the title of G.O.A.T.. During his early years as the golden child of hip-hop, he was often considered the second coming of Rakim. "Nasty" is a 2011 "Microphone Fiend", all bars, no hooks, impressive quotable words and energetic delivery. Although the likes of the original God Emcee and Kool G Rap may have heavily influenced Nas, his prominance has surpassed that of his predecessors.

Make no quetions about it, Nasty Nas is back. His hunger shines through on this song, and hopefully, will permeate his album. Life is Good, indeed.

Rating: Nasty Kid! Corporate B-Boy FRESH!!!!!

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