The Lost Tapes

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Nas's 1994 debut, Illmatic, set a standard by which most rap albums are now measured. Since then, he's struggled to duplicate Illmatic's artistry. Jay-Z was less diplomatic when he rapped, ". . . had a spark when you started, but now you're just garbage." However, those fearing that this collection of 1998-2001 outtakes is a hastily whipped-together attempt to cash in on his celebrity can put their doubts to rest. The Lost Tapes is vintage Nas, the prolific ghetto raconteur. On "Drunk by Myself" he goes into the dark recesses of a burdened alcoholic's brain. "Poppa Was a Playa" pays an honest and compelling homage to his father, trumpeter (and womanizer) Olu Dara. On "Black Zombie," an Afrocentric manifesto, and "Purple" you get large glimpses of the introspective, socially aware Nas who hip-hop heads had anointed as one of the greatest emcees of all time. The modish piano loop and jazz inflections of "Doo Rags," and the slow, rolling bass lines on "U Gotta Love It," help make this compilation shockingly better than all of Nas's post-Illmatic commercial releases. Why the suits at Columbia/Sony decided to wait until 2002 to let Nasty Nas loose is anyone's guess. --Dalton Higgins