Nas, Hip-Hop Is Dead

A dozen years since Illmatic established Nas as rap's most compelling angry young man, he's now officially a grumpy old one, pronouncing his beloved genre DOA. Alleged cause of death: myopia, greed and not buying enough Nas records. You don't have to agree with the prognosis (even Nas has a change of heart by the end) to relish the furious eloquence with which it's delivered. The surly Queensbridge MC is on formidable form here, whether outshining his former nemesis Jay-Z on the dramatic Black Republican, jump-starting ancient block-party samples on the title track or dismissing newcomers on the Kanye West-produced Let There Be Light. "When you four years in the game, we can have a conversation," he harrumphs. From a more self-righteous MC, all the nostalgia and finger-pointing might grate, but Nas, as conflicted as he is gifted, embodies better than anyone the angel perched on one of hip-hop's shoulders and the devil on the other.