So I’m sure most of you already know that earlier this month Nas released his most recent album entitled “Life Is Good“, but what you may not know is that this is one of the best albums I’ve heard. Those that know me well know that I am very selective of what I give my overall seal of approval too. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy songs with solely commercial appeal, but you won’t see me say you should go and get the entire album when only its singles are interesting. That goes for any artist of any music in any genre.

I truly believe for any album to earn this seal of approval it must contain a few things. A few examples of these things are #1: Good music, meaning it must have good lyricism, melodies, rhythms, compositions, and compilations to name a few things. #2: A purpose and/or theme to the album as a whole. #3: Thought-provoking. It should make the listener think about things, whether it’s relevant to the song, theme, message, lyrics, or their own personal experience. #4: Mostly (if not entirely) “unskippable” (not a real word…I know). The album should possess such good quality that it makes you not want to nor need to skip a song when listening. #5: Insightful. The artist gives you a pass to see what’s going on within their world, fact or fiction, whether it’s pleasant or painful.

This album possesses all of these things and more. I could go on at length about what I think is important and why you should listen to it, but I will just say a few things relevant to the above. It seems that on this album Nas is letting listeners into the things truly affecting him. He has songs about his divorce from singer Kelis, his daughter and her posting of a box of condoms on Instagram, and his thoughts about people taking “credit” or “getting recognition” for things they didn’t intentionally want to do. He also has songs where he is just delivering true lyricism, but not to overtop for those who may not be familiar with his usual content and delivery. Some artists that are featured on the album are Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, Amy Winehouse, Miguel, Large Professor, Rick Ross, & Swiss Beats and also has producers No ID, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Heavy D, and 40 (producer of many of Drake’s songs). Bottom line, it’s a classic album and if you are a fan of hip-hop then I’m sure you will agree once you listen to it.

Below are 3 songs off the album that I think offers much of the things previously mentioned. Check them out if your interest has been peaked. Thanks for reading and come visit us again here at theintellution.com.

- Supreme Soul

Cherry Wine feat. Amy Winehouse

Daughters (produced by No ID)

Nasty