>I can't really remember what my original expectations were for
>the album but to me that's Nas' best record since at least
>Stillmatic (partly due to it being a different lane for him
>but a cohesive project due to it being on Junior Gong's aural
>turf & fitting the concept of the 'Distant Relatives'
>themes).

I could agree with the Stillmatic comment. I have liked all his albums SINCE Stillmatic but I think this one was the most complete. I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how well he fit into the overall sound of the album considering, like you said, how different a lane it was for him. He (and they) executed flawlessly.