Nas — Hip Hop Is Dead

Nobody knows nostalgia like Nas. Dude is like the ghetto's Kevin Arnold, meaning he's the perfect person to eulogize hip-hop, name-dropping Kool Herc, Kool Moe Dee, Kool G Rap and any other influential artist whose career lies embalmed in its Sunday best. In paying tribute, Nas also calls in the genre's living legends. Kanye West, oblivious to the fact that Nas notoriously has no taste in beats, provides his best production in months and The Game, after recently releasing a Dre-less Dre tribute record, gets his Stan on over an actual Dre beat, one that eschews the ivory-tickling Sarah McLachlan vibes the producer flirted with on Snoop and Jay-Z's recent releases. And yep, both those rappers make cameos too. Foe-turned-friend-turned-boss Jay may have fucked Nas, Jeezy and Ghostface by dropping his own much-hyped comeback album into the already super-saturated fourth-quarter market, but Nas gets even by prevailing on their collaboration. His vivid storytelling and smart social criticism also dominate on the album and, possibly, the entire holiday rap race.