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Nas website Source: Official Site
Vince Score – The Vince score consists of scoring based on the topics below.
Total points attainable: (100 pts)
- What’s the genre – The genre, put simply is hip-hop.
- Are the arrangements interesting? – As much as I like the album, several of the beats could be stronger. There are some strong beats but most of the album isn’t exactly something you’d turn your radios up to max with the windows rolled down. That being said, after several listens the album has grown on me significantly. (17/20)
- Is the lyrical content compelling? – Absolutely, Nas is an incredible lyricist and it’s certainly on display here. The stories and messages told in songs such as “Car 85″ are vivid and artistic. But, the prominent usage of b**** in some of the songs is unnecessary and a little strange when there are also several songs that heavily emphasize the respect of women. (19/20)
- Vocal performance? – Nas’s style is unmistakable, and most of the album is very strong. However, I’m not a huge fan of Lil Durk’s feature in New Music Mondays. Though it has a sort of interesting character about it, I personally am not a huge fan of his style of singing/rapping, and some of his lyrics are very weak. (18/20)
- Musicality? – As I said earlier, some of the compositions fall flat on a first listen. It takes a few listens to really get into the music, and the music on the chorus of “Blue Benz” is nice, but somewhat distracting from Nas’s lyrics. It’s also important to mention that most of the music is sampled from other songs. While I am a fan of sampling I almost always prefer original compositions. (16/20)
- Standout tracks? – Car 85, Ultra Black, All Bad
- Memphis High School Hoops Breakdowns | 1A High School Hoops? – Replace Me is a good song but it’s somewhat skipable. Full Circle is as well but both songs are still good enough that you can find yourself listening to the whole animal almost by accident. (17/20)
- Bonus – Would I add it to my playlist? Yes, there are some songs on the album that have already found their way into my playlist, and the rest of the album is growing on me quickly.
Additional notes – I wasn’t a huge fan of the first 3 tracks on the album at first but I also found myself continuously coming back and listening all the way through the album again. It’s strangely captivating after several listens. “Black Lives Matter, For real, it really do matter.” seriously.
Vince Score: 87
