Nas – The Lost Tapes 2

Description

The premise of the original The Lost Tapes, released in 2002, is that it was an unearthing of songs never officially releasedthey’d only been available in low-quality versions via mixtapes and leaked audio files since at least the time of 1999s I Am…. As labels would become better at protecting music (Nas switched from Columbia to Def Jam and then to his very own Mass Appeal in the time after), the majority of the songs on The Lost Tapes 2 are new at first listen to even the most dedicated Gods Son disciples.
The recordings herein originate from the sessions that gave us Hip Hop Is Dead (2006), Untitled (2008), Life Is Good (2012), and the Kanye West-produced Nasir (2018). The production lineupwhich features Kanye, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, and The Alchemist, among othersis not unlike one Nas might choose if he were creating an entirely new album from scratch. Though working with familiar collaborators, hes clearly pushed himself artistically across these selections, rapping over kaleidoscopic synths on the DJ Toomp-produced Queens Wolf,” keeping pace with a fluttering jazz melody on Eddie Coles Jarreau of Rap, and addressing his historically contentious relationship with the mother of his daughter and the infamous JAY-Z beef on the No I.D.-helmed Beautiful Life. For all of the experimentation, though, hes made sure to include plenty of the original recipe: The Queensbridge hero bars up over modern-day boom bap on Lost Freestyle, The Art of It, and Highly Favored, produced by Statik Selektah, Pete Rock, and RZA, respectively.

TRACKLIST
No Bad Energy
Vernon Family
Jarreau Of Rap (Skatt Attack)
Lost Freestyle
Tanasia
Royalty
Who Are You
Adult Film
War Against Love
The Art Of It
Highly Favored
Queens Wolf
It Never Ends
You Mean The World To Me
Queensbridge Politics
Beautiful Life