Hip Hop Is Dead

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Hip Hop Is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead cover
Studio album by Nas
Released December 18, 2006(UK)
December 19, 2006 (U.S.)
Genre Hardcore hip hop, East Coast hip hop, Alternative hip hop
Length 60:24
Label Def Jam/Columbia/The Jones Experience
Producer Nasir Jones, L.E.S., Wyldfyer, Scott Storch, Will.i.am, Salaam Remi, Kanye West, Stargate, Dr. Dre, Mark Batson, Chris Webber, Devo Springsteen, Paul Cho
Professional reviews
Nas chronology
Street's Disciple
(2004)		 Hip Hop Is Dead
(2006)		 Greatest Hits
(2007)
Singles from Hip Hop Is Dead
  1. "Hip Hop Is Dead"
    Released: November 2006
  2. "Can't Forget About You"
    Released: January 23, 2007
For the song from this album, see Hip Hop Is Dead (song).

Hip Hop Is Dead is a 2006 album by American hip-hop artist Nas that was released on December 19, 2006. The LP is Nas' eighth album of all-original material, and his first album for Def Jam Recordings. Nas' previous label, Columbia Records, co-financed the album with Def Jam (which was once distributed by Columbia). It was Nas' third album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 355,880 copies in its first week.[1] The album was nominated for Best Rap Album for the 50th Grammy Awards.

Contents

[edit] Title

Nas announced the albums title after a performance on May 18, 2006 [2][3] In a late September interview on English DJ Tim Westwood's Radio show, Nas said, "Hip-hop is dead because we as artists no longer have the power." He went on to say, "Could you imagine what 50 Cent could be doing, Nas, Jay, Eminem, if we were the Jimmy Iovines. Could you imagine the power we'd have? I think that's where we're headed." He has described the album as a mixture of "street" records, "political" records and collaborations.[4] In another interview Nas said,

“ ...basically America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead. Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done. That's where we are as a country.[5] ”

[edit] Controversy

The title has had a major impact in the hip hop world, especially for Southern hip hop, whose artists have been blamed for cheapening the quality of hip-hop with crunk and snap music. Southern rapper Young Jeezy had made statements against the title of Nas' album, and also furthered his comments by questioning Nas' street credibility. They have since reconciled.[6] Many other Southern rappers such as Ludacris, Trick Daddy, and Big Boi (whose fellow Outkast member, Andre 3000, declared hip hop was dying shortly after the release of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below) have also attacked Nas' album title claiming that it is targeted at Southern hip hop.[7] Nas also has a fair share of supporters such as New York rappers KRS-One, DMX and Ghostface Killah, another rapper who blames hip hop's death on Snap music is prominent rapper Lil Wayne who blames its death on the artist's laziness. By contrast, Nas's former partner, AZ has praised the state of hip-hop, saying it has "grown." He confirmed this in a Rap City interview.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Sales

Selling 355,880 copies in its first week, Hip Hop Is Dead joined It Was Written (1996) and I Am… (1999) as another Nas albums to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album has sold over 800,000 nationally and over 1 million in sales world wide to date, and is Nas' only album to have not been certified Platinum thus far.[8]

[edit] Critical

Overall, the album was received very well by critics, both rap and otherwise[citation needed]. Many critics belonging to many magazines and other popular media of criticism have labeled Hip Hop Is Dead as one of the best of 2006[citation needed]. Nas is hip-hop's "grumpiest man", according to Jody Rosen for Entertainment Weekly, and the album "is a lot like Nas himself: impossible not to admire, but hard to love".[9]

[edit] Track listing

# Title Songwriter(s) Producer(s) Featured guest(s) Sample(s) & Instrumentation(s) Length
1 "Money Over Bullshit" Jones, N.
Lewis, L.
Coleman, W.		 L.E.S.
Wyldfyer
  • All Instruments: L.E.S. & Wyldfyer
 4:16
2 "You Can't Kill Me" Nasir Jones
Lewis, L.
West, A.		 L.E.S.
Al West		 3:13
3 "Carry on Tradition" Jones, N.
Storch, S.		 Scott Storch
  • All Instruments: Scott Storch
 3:49
4 "Where Are They Now" Jones, N.
Salaam Gibbs
Brown, J.
Byrd, B.
Lehnhoff, R.		 Nas
Salaam Remi		 2:44
5 "Hip Hop Is Dead" Jones, N.
Adams, Jr., W.
Lordan, J.
Ingle, D.		 will.i.am will.i.am 3:45
6 "Who Killed It?" Jones, N.
Gibbs, S.
Adams, W.
Coppin, L.
Deller, M.
Guy, D.
Mann, B.
Matthews, D.
Michels, L.		 Salaam Remi
will.i.am		 3:10
7 "Black Republican" Jones, N.
Carter, S.
Lewis, L.
Coleman, W.
Coppola, C.		 L.E.S.
Wyldfyer		 Jay-Z
  • "Marcia Religiosa" by City of Prague Philharmonic
 3:45
8 "Not Going Back" Jones, N.
Hermansen, T.
Ericksen, M.
Rogers-Jones, K.		 Stargate Kelis
  • "Alone" by Heart
 4:09
9 "Still Dreaming" Jones, N.
West, K.
Payne, C.
Webb, J.		 Kanye West Kanye West, Chrisette Michele
  • Contains interpolation from the composition "The Interim" by Jimmy Webb
 3:38
10 "Hold Down the Block" Jones, N.
Batson, M.		 Mark Batson Mark B. Mayfield
  • Drums, Bass & Keyboards: Mark Batson
  • Saxophone: Leroi Moore
 3:58
11 "Blunt Ashes" Jones, N.
Webber III, M.		 Chris Webber
  • All Instruments: Chris Webber
 4:03
12 "Let There Be Light" Jones, N.
West, K.
Williams, T.
Harris, D.
Cho, P.		 Kanye West
Devo Springsteen (additional production)		 Tre Williams
  • Drums: Mark Biondi
  • Keyboards: Paul Cho
 4:28
13 "Play on Playa" Jones, N.
Storch, S.
Broadus, Jr., C.
Gaye, M.
Ware, L.
Ross, A.		 Scott Storch Snoop Dogg 3:33
14 "Can't Forget about You" Jones, N.
Adams, W.
Payne, C. Gordon, I.		 will.i.am Chrisette Michele 4:34
15 "Hustlers" Jones, N.
Taylor, J.
Ambrosius, M.
Young, A.
Elizondo, M.		 Dr. Dre The Game, Marsha Ambrosius
  • Keyboards: Mike Elizondo
  • Keyboard Bass: Liomnel "LJ" Holoman
 4:06
16 "Hope" Jones, N.
Lewis, L.		 Nas
L.E.S.
Alexander "Spanador" Mosely (additional production)		 Chrisette Michele 3:05
* "Shine On"
(iTunes pre-order bonus track)		 Jones, N.
Gibbs, S.		 Salaam Remi 2:35
* "The N (Don't Hate Me Now)"
(United Kingdom bonus track)		 Jones, N.
Gibbs, S.		 Salaam Remi 2:48
* "Where Y'all At"
(Best Buy bonus track)		 Jones, N.
Gibbs, S.		 Salaam Remi
  • "Made You Look" by Nas
  • "Rainy Day In Centreville" by Minnie Riperton
 4:09

An asterisk (*) indicates a bonus track.

[edit] Album singles

The title track "Hip Hop Is Dead" (produced by will.i.am), which contains samples from "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly, and "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, and Billy Squier's "The Big Beat". It is the first single of the album. It received airplay on radio stations in Australia (Triple J), the UK, and in United States, notably on Hot 97. [10][3] It recently reached #48 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart[11] and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single from the album Hip Hop Is Dead is "Can't Forget About You" (Featuring Chrisette Michele). It contains a sample from Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable".

Single information
"Hip Hop Is Dead"
  • Released: November 2006
"Can't Forget About You"
  • Released: January 2007
  • B-side: "Hustlers"

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Album

Chart (2007) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 1
Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1
United World Chart 1

[edit] Singles Chart Positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles
2006 "Hip Hop Is Dead" #41 #48 #25
2007 "Black Republican" #124 #102 -
2007 "Cant Forget About You" - #46 #6

[edit] Personnel

  • Executive producer: Nasir Jones
  • A&R: Jay Brown
  • A&R for Ill Will Music Group: Mike Brinkley
  • A&R Administration: Terese Joseph
  • A&R Coordination: Fabienne Leys
  • Marketing: Tracey Waples
  • Marketing coordination: Shari Bryant
  • Management: Michael "Blue" Williams for Family Tree Entertainment
  • Mastering: Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC
  • Photography: Afshin Shahidi
  • Creative direction: Andy West
  • Cover design: Tavon Sampson
  • Wardrobe: Mike Bogard for The B Lynn Group
  • Photo and art coordination: Nichell Delavaille
  • Package production: Doug Joswick
  • Legal representation: Kenny Meiselas, Esq. and Paul Rothenberg, Esq.
  • Sample clearance agent: Deborah Mannis-Gardner for DMG Clearances, Inc.
  • Business Affairs: Michael Seltzer, Antoinette Trotman, Ian Allen

[edit] Unreleased or unused songs

The following songs failed to make the final track listing, either to time constraints or sample clearances. Prior to the release of this album, many of the listed songs could be found on various mixtapes and receiving some amounts of radio airplay especially in New York, namely Hot 97 and Power 105. "Where Y'all At", was leaked and released to radio during the early parts in the Summer of 2006 only to create a buzz and serve as a street single for Hip Hop Is Dead. It has since been released as the B-Side for the single "Hip Hop Is Dead". "The N" is another record that was leaked strictly for promotional purposes and not intended for the final release.

  • "Hope (Original Version)" (Produced by Wyldfyer)
  • "Life's Gone Low"
  • "I Already Know" (Produced by Tim & Bob)
  • "New York Stomp" (Produced by Just Blaze)[12]
  • "White Man's Paper" (featuring Damian Marley) (Produced by Afrykan)
  • "You Mean the World to Me" (Produced by Kanye West)
  • "The Whole World Is Ghetto" (Produced by will.i.am.) (As confirmed by will.i.am in a 2007 issue of Scratch Magazine)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hasty, Katie. Nas Scores Third No. 1 Album With 'Hip-Hop Is Dead' Billboard. December 27, 2006.
  2. ^ Bolden Janeé Nas Drops New LP In September, Declares Hip-Hop Dead Sohh.com. Retrieved on June 19, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Latest News: Mariah, Billy Corgan, Wu-Tang and More Rolling Stone. Retrieved on July 30, 2006
  4. ^ Mixtape Monday: Nas Wants To Join Jay-Z In Africa; Snoop, Dre Reunite. MTV News. Retrieved on October 9, 2006.
  5. ^ Nas: Hip Hop Is Dead!!!. RWDmag.com. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
  6. ^ Shake. Young Jeezy Says Nas Has No Street Credibility. Hiphopdx.com. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
  7. ^ Mixtape Monday: Is Hip-Hop Dead? Luda, Big Boi Disagree With Nas. MTV.com. Retrieved on December 29, 2006
  8. ^ Nas Selects N-Word For New Album Title. billboard. Accessed October 13, 2007.
  9. ^ Rosen, Jody. Music Review: Hip Hop Is Dead Entertainment Weekly. December 8, 2006.
  10. ^ Bolden, Janeé. Nas Drops New LP In September, Declares Hip-Hop Dead. Sohh.com. Retrieved on July 19, 2006.
  11. ^ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
  12. ^ http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/mixtape_monday/100206/

[edit] External links

[edit] Single reviews

Preceded by
The Inspiration by Young Jeezy		 Billboard 200 number-one album
January 6 - January 12, 2007		 Succeeded by
21 by Omarion
v • d • e
Nas
Studio albums
Compilations
Collaborations
Singles
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