64 THRASHER
Yo, whatever happened to
Rakim? Outta here.
What about Kool G Rap?
Gone. Outta here.
Eric Sermon, Run DMC, or
Slick Rick? Fell off, history,
and locked up.
What happened to the
stronghold New York once
held on the rap scene? All
the kids that kept mad tapes
flying have suddenly disap-
peared. Perhaps it's like that
old saying, "For every day
there's a season, for every
season there's a time."
Although a number of rap-
pers from back in the day
have recently tried to come
off with a fat jam, for whatev-
er reason, they never quite
make it. Either their rhyme's
not hittin', or the ever
demanding rap audience has
grown bored with them.
However, it looks as if the
tables are about to turn for
those outta the birthplace of
rap and hip hop culture.
There's a new breed of kids
coming up. Rappers like Jeru
The Damaja, Akinyele, and
the most anticipated-Nas
All outta East New York. All
representing true hip hop.
Nas first caught the atten-
tion of the underground on
Main Source's "Live At The
BBQ," off the Breaking
Atoms joint, a few years
back. Although there were
people down with Nas,
claiming they were going to
hook him up, help put him on
wax, they slept. It wasn't until
he ran up on Serch (formerly
of 3rd Bass) that his luck
changed, "I'm like I don't
give a fuck, just get me on
wax and all respect due, and
good lookin' out," says Nas.
"He pulled a couple of
strings and put a nigga on."
Nas later displayed his skills
on the classic hip hop track
"Half Time" from the Zebra-
head soundtrack which was
coincidentally produced by
Serch. A Queensbridge
native, Nas grew up
entrenched in the culture.
From the days he used to tag
trains in the yards, to break
dancing in the park where he
specialized in "poppin","
going by the name Kid Wave
it's been a long time coming.
Finally, Nas has served up a
debut that's so strong, one
would be hard-pressed to
liken it to any other freshman
effort ever released on the
underground. And why
shouldn't it be the debut to
end all debuts? The produc-
tion credits read like a who's
who of rap: Pete Rock, Large
Professor, DJ Premiere, Q-
Tip. How did this twenty-
year-old manage to get so
much raw talent to support
him on his first time out? Is it
a case of established rap
artists bringing up a new kid,
or do they have so much
respect for the purity of Nas
skills that they just wanted to
be down with him?
Nas is on the real. His style
is simple yet pointed. His
rhymes are about everyday
things. He says, "I write the
shit that I'm going through
and what I see niggas go
through. Just what's in me.
It's rap... Young Africans and
Latinos, trapped in a cell of
hell, screaming, telling some-
body we still surviving out
here, and I'm doing my thing,
and nobody's stopping me,
but I'm gonna tell you what's
in my way."
The album, entitled
Mmatic, is hardcore. From
the hypnotic beat of "New
York State of Mind," to the
flow on "One Love," which is
about a brother who's in jail
and the frustration his friend
experiences over not being
able to chill with him or do
simple things people take for
granted. Although Nas is on
the positive, check out
"Represent," and you'll see
how he relates to kids that
resort to a life of crime.
While Nas talks about what's
happening in the world
around him, he's not above
trying to kick some knowl
edge and much needed
inspiration to those flipping
his tape, as evidenced on the
song "The World Is Yours."
Nas is ill
-Rap Lady G
ILL:
COMMUNICATION
BEASTIE BOYS
Featuring "Get It Together," "Sabotage"
and "Sure Shot"
On Tour Now
Grand
Regal
Produced by Beastie Boys & Mario Caldato, J
Opel
©1994 Capitol Records, Inc.