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Nas: It Was Written Columbia
As evidenced by last year's fine Ill-Matic, and followed up nicely on the new It Was Written, Nas has an extraordinary knack for street-literate
verse and tasteful pop instrumentation. His perspective on the flagging rap genre is risky, compelling, and, most importantly, musical--for evidence, just check out "The Message," with its delicately plucked acoustic guitar and aggressive bass, or the harpsichord-backed "Affirmative Action." But though he approaches his instrumentation with finesse, Nas, like his counterparts Dre , Dogg , and Coolio, comes at his subjects with a lyrical toughness. "The snakes put a smile on their face/ Hoping and praying I'm stuck/ Scoping, they lay in the cut" he sings
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