Nas – Street’s Disciple

Why a double album loads with boring fillers instead of one solid LP? Street’s Disciple contains enough songs for one disk but not two. Nas needs to drop half dozens of the boring tracks that serve nothing but interrupt the experience. In contrast, why didn’t “Serious” featuring AZ make it to the album? It’s a beautiful teamwork joint.

Nas is undoubtedly a talented lyricist. His rhymes are as sharp as always. On “A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People,” the beat hits hard, Nas spits harder, especially when he switches up his flow on the second verse. “Nazareth” and “American Way” continue to bring the noise with his lyrical skills. On “These Are Our Heroes” and “Disciple,” he flow fearlessly on the beats. “Sekou Story” has a cool funk vibe that blends in with Nas’s smooth delivery; however, I would prefer AZ instead of Scarlett on Nas’s collaboration. Speaking of joint effort, Nas and his pop (Olu Dara) surely are “Bridging the Gap” between blue and hip-hop. “Street’s Disciple” is another beautiful work between father and son. Nas has done a clever job of telling Rakim’s life/rap story on “U.R.B.” Can’t wait to hear the unauthorized biography of KRS-1. “War” is another fine flow and literal lyrics from Nas. The descriptive lyrical content on “Thief’s Theme” establishes his incisive mind.

With a handful of hot tracks, Nas proves to have something that everyone still wants to hear even he has been in the game for more than 10 years. Street’s Disciple, once again, demonstrates his highly literate street aesthetics. Although the double album wastes some spaces, it is still worth purchasing.