Review:
Life is Good marks NaS’s tenth studio album (and sixth number one album). It has
a classic hip hop feel to it, harkening back to the sound of the late 1990s and
early 2000s. NaS is one of the great storytellers in hip hop, and this is very
evident on this album. Musically and lyrically, this album has a very nostalgic
feel to it, as NaS often speaks about the past looking back fondly. From Illmatic
to Life is Good, it is clear that NaS still has the flow and the lyrics to be
considered among hip hop’s elite MCs. However, NaS seems to still have trouble
picking beats that both fit his style and push him forward. I like a lot of the
production from No I.D. and Salaam Remi, but some of it seems like variations
on stuff he has done before, while other tracks just do not work for NaS (thinking
specifically of the Swizz Beatz produced song Summer on Smash and the
collaboration between Salaam Remi, Darkchild and DJ Hot Day Reach Out). I also feel
like there are too many ‘filler’ tracks that weaken the great stuff that is on
this. Life is Good will please NaS fans, as it is a good album but it is far
from a classic or the album that puts NaS back on top. 3/5
Essential Tracks:
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