****

Okay, don’t think that this is revenge for this album receiving a half a mic more than my album in ''the hip-hop bible'' The Source. I’m fully aware that stating my opinion of my peer’s work in public view could very much well put me in a Prince Bee/KRS-ONE situation, but y’all wouldn’t respect me as much if I played the P.C. card. So, if I happened to get rushed in a club or meet some untimely demise for my opinions then know that I did this for you (okay, this is the part in which y’all say ''Awwwwwww''…..)

A lot of people want to pinpoint the exact moment of hip-hop’s sudden ''demise''. I’m not referring to hip-hop’s overexposure in the media and the like, I’m referring to the creative slags that it’s been taking on as of late (I sound like a politician, don’t I?).

Some ''purists'' say that the beginning of the ''end'' was Hammer’s brief rise to the top. Some say Vanilla Ice; some people quote MTV’s exploitation of The Chronic period; others think it was when Puff and Company took over the reigns with Ready to Die. Nope, these are all wrong answers.

The correct answer sadly lies in a certain record release in July of 1996. Let me state for the record that I am not against any certain type of hip-hop, there’s room for all of us. However, I think people get upset when ''the powers that be'' only allow a certain type of hip-hop to get exposed to the public. Of course, we know this type of hip-hop as ''pop-rap''. Pop-rap comes in various forms. Yeah, it’s definitely the sugary, easy to swallow pop rap that comes to mind whenever you hear the name of Will Smith, Tone Loc., or Salt n Pepa. Pop rap also comes in other forms: ''Money Cash Hoes'' is a hardcore song, but there are elements of that song that make it pop-rap, such as a chorus that is said as much as any of the verses, also the patches (the sound choices on keyboards and drum machines) that are chosen to make ''daytime radio hits''. In other words, the ''Distortion to Static'' drums are too abrasive and loud for daytime radio, but ''4,3,2,1'' by LL has drums and instruments that are syncopated and rhythmic, yet compressed and secondary. So thus, once given a listen-to by the program director of a radio station, you can talk ‘bout murdering your mom with a switchblade army knife, as long as the music that’s accompanying your song fits a certain sonic structure. Lost? Thought so.

Let’s go back to July of '97. (he meant ''96'' - 'stress)

There are several reasons why It WasWritten is my choice for the pinpoint moment of hip-hop’s turnaround. For starters, it was the natural anticipation for a follow-up to a record that was larger than life (if you doubt me, try and enjoy Star Wars this month without thinking of the first three films….see?). Secondly, and most importantly, the one key ingredient that made Illmatic a distinctive album was missing. That was one of the rare albums in which production and performance were at their creative zenith. If you look throughout the history of most classic records, sometimes one will outdo the other (there were definitely some filler cuts on Eric B and Rakim products as there were some beats that overexceeded the rhymes on various Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth records. Illmatic is an album that balanced both perfectly.)


I can’t fault Nas for making the change that he did: I actually think I personally eye witnessed the change from Nasty to Escobar. I sat two rows behind Nas at the dreaded Second Annual Source Awards (a day that most will note was probably the most pivotal in hip-hop history…more on that in December when I give you hip-hop’s ten most crucial moments of the past twenty years…plug plug plug.) I actually watched his sad body cringe in embarrassment as Brooklyn’s finest took all of the awards for Ready to Die. Most notably, when the nominations were read for best lyricist, I could see happy anticipation from the gesture of his shoulders and the many backpats that he received from Mobb Deep and Wu-Tangers who were surrounding him and letting him know that this award had Nasty’s name stamped all over it. I knew better, as Biggie, just moments before, had miraculously taken the award for Best Live Performance from us and KRS-ONE!!! (imagine that).

Anyway, I don’t wanna blame a pivotal moment in Nas’ career on someone who is not here right now but, when they read Big’s name as the winner, it had to have been the moment that Clark Nasty was fiending for a phone booth to transform into Super Escobar. In other words, right now the objective was to now beat ‘em at their own game as ''they'' eloquently did to the Chronic (as many will acknowledge that Ready to Die is the East Coast Chronic). So, this is where the problem lies. A man is now faced with a major dilemma: Either bask in the embarrassment of watchin’ someone pull a coup on your hard work or forever suffer the wrath of die-hard followers. That’s where the crossroads comes in.

I also had to face this crossroads when watching the Fugees run to the finish line unscathed and in good health as The Roots somehow couldn’t figure out who the hell put crazy glue on their brand new Nike trainers. And yeah, trust me, out of these 160 songs that I talk about in interviews, that at least 50 of them motherfuckers are songs that are totally out of our element. We’ve done cover songs, we’ve done jiggafied dance floor songs, we’ve done it all. But, at the end of the day, I ask myself what’s gonna make me more proud fifty years from now when they are writing the history books. I know that’s a long road to take, but when I’m dead and gone I want every last thing that I was involved in to shine. Others opt for the shine of the moment. I believe this was the thought process that was behind the making of It WasWritten (and for what it’s worth, I Am).

I actually debated Steve Stoute (Nas’ manager) on the whole matter while we were recording ''The Spark'' at The Hit Factory. I think I got him to admit that indeed Illmatic was the better work, but, he said that most importantly, It Was Written, was the more accessible. True, but does that make it right? I don’t know. I don’t have children, so I don’t have the need or the urgency to get a hit (by the way, ''You Got Me'' is a pop song), so that’s why I’m not as judgmental as most heads are when it comes to criticizing this new brand of hip-hop on our shoulders.

My manager told me that it’s one thing for a non-credible mc to make certain adjustments to fit the taste of the masses whose knowledge of music is severely limited (when not on the record, I call these people ''the idiot factor'' – but this is my column and I can do what I want)…..but, it’s a whole ‘nother thing when a credible m.c. makes an adjustment for the same audience and the blow is twice as hard when said m.c. has already demonstrated pristine, limitless talent. So, where does the 3.5 fit in? Nas is without question, God. Period. As demonstrated on ''Undying Love'' in which he effortlessly tells a story of Ben Huresque proportions in under four minutes. Do you know how hard it is to give narrative and detail (in painstaking form, mind you) in such a quick manner (hell, I can’t even state my opinion in one paragraph. Robert Christue of The Village Voice could take all these paragraphs and sum up my feelings to the ''tee'' in a hundred words or less. Damn, I envy that.) Here, Nas gives details on everything from the beer bottles to the class diamond that he was going to propose to his cheating fiancŽe with. It’s moments like this that frustrate me cause often when I buy a record in which the emcee is lacking, I can channel him out and listen to the beats, but with this album, I often find myself trying to do the opposite and I always say ''Whew, damn, what if Primo did this one?'' or ''Organized Noise woulda tore this one up.'' No Dice. Also, it’s kinda hard to ignore the premises of ''We Will Survive'' after listening to Makaveli, and knowing what happened at the MTV Awards in the fall of 96. And, from what I know, I don’t think shit was all that cool with him and Big either (''got a copy of Ready To Die/Niggas studied shit…'' and I don’t think ''The Message''’s ''one life, one love so there can only be one king'' was directed to Guiliani. Go figure. Read between the lines.) So, either this is the most mature, vulnerable moment in hip-hop history or this was a result of a brainstorm on how to quiet us pesky heads that keep screaming Illmatic’s name in our sleep (''Yo, why don’t you do, like, a ‘One Love’ jawn?''). Now, before Tone and Poke kill me, let me also say that their usage of my favorite song from the fourth grade (Kenny Loggin’s ''This is It'' – not Michael McDonald, he just happened to be singing background) got me wide open. But, for every ''NY State of Mind Part II'' there’s a ''Money’s My Bitch'' which drags the obvious metaphor rhyme style in the ground (in case you’re wondering why he didn’t score a four, his singing the hooks plain and simple, sucks. I now advocate the usage of R&B cats in the chorus. Long live Montell and R. Kelly! Because if not? Imagine me singing our joints next).

I doubt if I get a beatdown for this one cause I doubt that any of you will get this far. I think I’ve said enough for it is practically 2 hours later than when I started this piece and all some poor kid wanted to know is do I like the new Nas album. The answer is...................