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Street's Disciple

 
Album Review: Street's Disciple
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Street's Disciple

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  • Artist: Nas
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: November 30, 2004
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Enhanced CD-ROM
  • Genre: Rap

Review

Ten years deep in the rap game, Nas unveiled Street's Disciple, an indulgent album that sprawls across two discs, freewheeling through a dizzying array of ace productions and thoughtful raps. The album is very much a continuation of its predecessor, God's Son: both helmed primarily by producers Salaam Remi and Chucky Thompson, both uncompromising personal statements that make few concessions to the pop market, and both undoubtedly fascinating, if overindulgent. The difference is, Street's Disciple goes a step further, indulging all the more in the creative whims of Nas. And, with the exception of some first-disc throwaways, the result is nothing short of astounding, especially if you've followed Nas over the course of his first decade. Catchy hooks are few and far between here, granted, with most of the songs crafted as if they were freestyle raps. This works, though, because Nas benefits from outstanding productions, a peerless rap style, and an interesting back-story. The 25 productions here are all courtesy of longtime Nas collaborators Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, and L.E.S., with only a couple exceptions (Nas produces a couple himself). These guys know Nas better than anyone, and they deliver the goods: hardcore beats for the streets, usually laced with an inventive sample for a hook effect. These riffs offer Nas ample room to let loose, and he does precisely that on one track after another, often touching upon a specific theme yet doing so in a loose, free-associative manner that highlights his talent for wordplay and storytelling. Within his raps, Nas often mines his own past, present, and future: for instance, he touches upon his heritage ("Bridging the Gap"), his impending marriage ("Getting Married"), his eventual death ("Live Now"), his influences ("U.B.R."), his most memorable female conquests ("Remember the Times"). All of this amounts to a lavish album sure to dazzle true hip-hop heads, who will find much to admire and study here, from the especially deep and twisted raps to the sample-rich productions. On the other hand, all of this also amounts to an album that might prove somewhat impenetrable to those who aren't already attuned to the legacy of Nas. Either way, Street's Disciple is another key album in that ongoing legacy, further evidence that Nas is back on track after falling off during the late '90s with I Am and Nastradamus. It's not a perfect album -- it's far too indulgent for that -- and would have been stronger as a single disc, but its ambitious sprawl makes for a powerful statement that Nas disciples will surely savor. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Intro Nas (1:50)
A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (2:15)
Nazareth Savage (Lyrics) Nas, B. White Nas (2:40)
American Way (Lyrics) Nas, G. Clinton, Jr. Nas, Kelis (4:09)
These Are Our Heroes (Lyrics) Nas Nas (4:22)
Disciple (Lyrics) Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (3:00)
Sekou Story (Lyrics) Kool & the Gang, Lightnin' Rod, Nas, J. Brown Nas (2:56)
Live Now (Lyrics) Nas Nas (4:30)
Rest of My Life (Lyrics) Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (3:50)
Just a Moment (Lyrics) Nas, B.H. Edwards, L. David Lewis Nas, Quan (4:23)
Reason (Lyrics) Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (4:47)
You Know My Style [*] Nas, J.K. Simmons Nas (2:54)


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Suicide Bounce (Lyrics) Nas, A. Baker Nas, Busta Rhymes (3:57)
Street's Disciple Nas Olu Dara, Nas (3:57)
U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim) Nas Nas (3:38)
Virgo (Lyrics) Nas Nas, Doug E. Fresh, Ludacris (3:26)
Remember the Times (Intro) Nas (0:51)
Remember the Times Nas, R. Stone, L. David Lewis Nas (3:23)
The Makings of a Perfect B**** Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (3:15)
Getting Married (Lyrics) Nas Nas (3:46)
No One Else in the Room (Lyrics) Nas Nas, Maxwell (5:08)
Bridging the Gap (Lyrics) Olu Dara, Nasir "Nas" Jones Olu Dara, Nas (3:56)
War (Lyrics) Nas Nas, Keon Bryce (4:17)
Me & You (Dedicated to Destiny) Nas, L. David Lewis Nas (3:26)
Thief's Theme [*] Nas Nas (2:59)

Credits

Vincent Henry (Clarinet), Vincent Henry (Flute), Vincent Henry (Guitar), Vincent Henry (Harmonica), Vincent Henry (Strings), Vincent Henry (Sax (Alto)), Vincent Henry (Sax (Baritone)), Vincent Henry (Sax (Tenor)), Bruce Purse (Trumpet), Bruce Purse (Flugelhorn), DJ Chuck Chillout (Supervisor), Olu Dara (Guitar), Olu Dara (Harmonica), Olu Dara (Trumpet), Olu Dara (Vocals), Olu Dara (Hook), Nas (Producer), Nas (Main Performer), Nas (Instrumentation), Doug E. Fresh (Beat Box), Chris Gehringer (Mastering), Herb Middleton (Bass), Herb Middleton (Keyboards), Herb Middleton (Producer), Mimi (Assistant Engineer), Q-Tip (Producer), Salaam Remi (Organ), Salaam Remi (Synthesizer), Salaam Remi (Bass), Salaam Remi (Guitar), Salaam Remi (Piano), Salaam Remi (Strings), Salaam Remi (Drums), Salaam Remi (Producer), Salaam Remi (Executive Producer), Salaam Remi (Fender Rhodes), Salaam Remi (Horn Arrangements), Salaam Remi (Mixing), Salaam Remi (Vocal Producer), Salaam Remi (Instrumentation), Gary Noble (Engineer), Nut (Keyboards), Nut (Producer), Colin Miller (Assistant Engineer), Kevin Crouse (Engineer), Kevin Crouse (Mixing), Chucky Thompson (Bass), Chucky Thompson (Guitar), Chucky Thompson (Percussion), Chucky Thompson (Piano), Chucky Thompson (Drums), Chucky Thompson (Producer), Chucky Thompson (Shaker), Chucky Thompson (Associate Producer), Chucky Thompson (Instrumentation), Chucky Thompson (Hi Hat), Carlton Lynn (Engineer), Eddie OLoughlin (Producer), Danny Clinch (Photography), L.E.S. (Drums), L.E.S. (Programming), L.E.S. (Producer), L.E.S. (Executive Producer), L.E.S. (Mixing), L.E.S. (Instrumentation), Ryan Evans (Assistant Engineer), Nikki Martin (Coordination), John Adams (Strings), John Adams (Fender Rhodes), Buckwild (Producer), Amerie (Vocals (Background)), Chris Feldmann (Art Direction), Chris Feldmann (Design), Alex Ndione (Assistant Engineer), Patrick Cahalan (Graphic Design), Mike "The Razor" Brinkley (Associate Producer), Mike "The Razor" Brinkley (A&R), Tiffany Hasbourne (Stylist), Justin Cohen (Imaging), Nasir "Nas" Jones (Executive Producer), Makeba Riddick (Vocals (Background)), Ben Kane (Assistant Engineer), Timothy "Gov" Ballard (A&R), Katherine Bostic (Vocals), DJ No Request (Scratching), David Downing (Cello), Debora Francis (Prop Stylist), Jesse Gladstone (Assistant Engineer), Bernardo "Nardo" Williams (Producer), Jaye Wynn (Assistant Engineer), Quan (Performer), Mark Rinaldi (Assistant Engineer), Mark Rinaldi (Mixing Assistant)
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Wikipedia: Street's Disciple
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Street's Disciple
Studio album by Nas
Released November 30, 2004
Recorded 2004
Genre Hip hop
Length 87:50
Label Ill Will/Columbia
Producer Nas, Chucky Thompson, Salaam Remi, L.E.S., Q-Tip, Buckwild, Bernardo "Nardo" Williams, Nut, T. Black, Herb Middleton
Professional reviews
Nas chronology
God's Son
(2002)		 Street's Disciple
(2004)		 Hip Hop Is Dead
(2006)
Singles from Street's Disciple
  1. "Thief's Theme"
    Released: June 29, 2004
  2. "Bridging the Gap"
    Released: October 5, 2004
  3. "Just a Moment"
    Released: February 22, 2005

Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American hip hop rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records in the United States. A double album, its title taken from Nas's first verse of "Live at the Barbeque", the Main Source song, which served as his debut appearance. The album's cover art is a digitally created image with photos of Nas to create an adaptation of The Last Supper.

The album debuted at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 232,000 copies in its first week. On November 18, 2005, Street's Disciple was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, making it Nas's seventh consecutive platinum album in the U.S. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 80/100 from Metacritic.

Contents

Production

The lion's share of the album's production was handled between Salaam Remi, L.E.S. and Chucky Thompson of Sean Combs' production team The Hitmen. Remi contributed production on eleven tracks, L.E.S. produced on eight and Chucky Thompson helped on six. Salaam Remi (who collaborated with Nas on his previous LPs Stillmatic and God's Son) led all with nine solo productions. L.E.S. only produced three solo outings, but one included the single "Just a Moment". Thompson, on the other hand, had one solo production credit ("Getting Married").

Other notable producers from the album include legendary A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip (who had last worked with Nas on Illmatic's "One Love") and D.I.T.C. producer Buckwild ("The Are Our Heroes"). Nas himself produced "Suicide Bounce" and "U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)", both from the second disc. L.E.S. also brought on baggage for his productions. T. Black and Nut assisted the legendary producer on "The Makings of a Perfect Bitch" and Herb Middleton helped with the beat on "Me &You (Dedicated to Destiny)". Chucky Thompson, too, brought in extra help for "Live Now" (Barnardo "Nardo" Williams). Rapper Ill Bill made a song similar to "U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography Of Rakim)" titled "U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer)" on his album The Hour of Reprisal (2008).

Music

The album marks the first collaboration between Nas and his father Olu Dara on a Nas album since Dara's appearance on "Dance" from 2002's God's Son. Olu Dara is featured on the title track "Street's Disciple" and lead single "Bridging the Gap".[11] Aside from Ludacris ("Virgo") and Quan ("Just a Moment") no other MC's actually deliver a verse on Street's Disciple. Busta Rhymes plays hypeman to "Suicide Bounce" and Doug E. Fresh beatboxes on "Virgo". Kelis (Nas' ex-wife) helps sing the chorus along with the bridge on "American Way". The album does feature many singers though, including: Amerie ("Rest of My Life"), Emily ("Reason"), Maxwell ("No One Else in the Room") and Keon Bryce ("War"). Nas also uses a voice synthesizer to make his voice high-pitched for his female alter-ego Scarlett, who appears on "Sekou Story" and "Live Now".

Street's Disciple features multiple socio-conscious and political songs, such as "A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People", "American Way" and "These Are Our Heroes". The latter (originally titled "Coon's Picnic") contained attacks directed toward multiple black celebrites including: O.J. Simpson and NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. Another topic addressed by Nas were important women in his life or females in general. "Getting Married" is dedicated to his then-newlywed wife Kelis Rogers-Jones, "Me & You (Dedicated to Destiny)" is, aptly titled, directed toward Nas' daughter and "Makings of a Perfect Bitch" describes most men's idea of the ideal woman. Death and appreciating life are the subject to several songs as well such as "Live Now", "Rest of My Life" and "Just a Moment".

Reception

Street's Disciple debuted at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 232,000 copies in its first week.[12] It also peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[13] By January 2005, the album had sold 500,000 copies in the United States.[14] On November 18, 2005, Street's Disciple was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of 1 million copies.[14] It serves as Nas's seventh consecutive platinum album in the United States.[15] The album's singles achieved modest chart success, with "Bridging the Gap" serving as the only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[16]

Street's Disciple received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 80/100 from Metacritic.[17] Chicago Sun-Times writer Jeff Vrabel gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars and called it "sprawling and ambitious where 'Illmatic' was quick and gritty".[18] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called it a "persuasive double album".[19] NME gave it a rating of 9/10 and called it groundbreaking.[20] Giving it an A- rating, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice described the album as "double-CD sprawl is ambitious not hubristic, imposing not indigestible--squeezes onto a C-90" and commended Nas for his lyrical maturity, writing that he "finally seems comfortable with his (black) humanity. He's responsible, thoughtful, and compassionate, never mealymouthed".[2] Rolling Stone's Jon Caramnica gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and described it as "the rare instance of hip-hop old and wise enough to look backward without forgetting what it was like to look ahead with awe and wonder".[7]

Track listing

Disc 1
# Title Producer(s) Samples and notes Time
1 Intro
  • "Good Ole Music" by Funkadelic
  • "Battle Cry" by Rocker's Revenge
 1:50
2 "A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People" Chucky Thompson, Salaam Remi, L.E.S.
  • "Good Ole Music" by Funkadelic
  • "Battle Cry" by Rocker's Revenge
  • Bass: Chucky Thompson & Salaam Remi
  • Piano: Chucky Thompson
  • Guitar: Chucky Thompson & Salaam Remi
  • Drums: Chucky Thompson & L.E.S.
  • Organs: Salaam Remi
 2:15
3 "Nazareth Savage" Salaam Remi
  • "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Babe" by Jimmy Smith
  • Bass, Rhodes, Drums & Guitar: Salaam Remi
  • Trumpet & Flugelhorn: Bruce Purse
  • Tenor and Alto Saxophones, Clarinet & Flute: Vincent Henry
  • Drums: Chucky Thompson & L.E.S.
  • Organs: Salaam Remi
 2:40
4 "American Way" (feat. Kelis) Q-Tip 4:09
5 "These Are Our Heroes" Buckwild 4:21
6 "Disciple" L.E.S. 3:00
7 "Sekou Story"(feat. Scarlett) Salaam Remi
  • "Take Me Just As I Am" by Lyn Collins
  • "Sport" by Lightnin' Rod
  • Overseer: DJ Chuck Chillout!!
  • All Instruments: Salaam Remi
  • Scratches: DJ No Request
 2:56
8 "Live Now"(feat. Scarlett) Chucky Thompson, Barnardo "Nardo" Williams 4:29
9 "Rest of My Life" (feat. Amerie) Chucky Thompson, L.E.S.
  • Vocal Production: Salaam Remi
  • Drums & Programming: L.E.S.
  • Bass & Hi-Hat: Chucky Thompson
 3:50
10 "Just a Moment" (feat. Quan) L.E.S.
  • "Will You Cry" by Chic
  • All Instruments: L.E.S.
  • Keyboards: Nut
 4:23
11 "Reason" (feat. Emily) Chucky Thompson, L.E.S. 4:47
12 "You Know My Style" Salaam Remi
  • "Jam Master Jay" by Run-D.M.C.
  • All Instruments: Salaam Remi
 2:52
Disc 2
# Title Producer(s) Samples and notes Time
1 "Suicide Bounce" (feat. Busta Rhymes) Nas
  • "Dead President's Theme" by Danny Elfman
  • All Instruments: Salaam Remi
  • Opera Vocal: Katherine Bosic
  • Outro background vocal: Quan
 3:57
2 "Street's Disciple" (feat. Olu Dara) Salaam Remi 3:57
3 "U.B.R." (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim) Nas
  • All Instruments: Nas
 3:38
4 "Virgo" (feat. Ludacris, Doug E. Fresh) Salaam Remi 3:26
5 "Remember the Times" (Intro) 0:51
6 "Remember the Times" L.E.S. 3:23
7 "The Makings of a Perfect Bitch" L.E.S., T. Black, Nut 3:15
8 "Getting Married" Chucky Thompson
  • "Ike's Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes
  • "I'm glad you're mine" by Al Green
  • All Instruments: Chucky Thompson
 3:46
9 "No One Else in the Room" (feat. Maxwell) Chucky Thompson, Salaam Remi
  • Bass, Rhodes, Strings, Synths: Salaam Remi
  • Drums, Guitar & Percussion: Chucky Thompson
  • Trumpet & Flugelhorn: Bruce Purse
  • Tenor and Alto Saxophones, Clarinet & Flute: Vincent Henry
 5:07
10 "Bridging the Gap" (feat. Olu Dara) Salaam Remi
  • "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters
  • Bass & Drums: Salaam Remi
  • Trumpet & Mouth Harmonica: Olu Dara
  • Strings & Baritone Saxophone: Vincent Henry
  • Guitar: Salaam Remi, Olu Dara & Vincent Henry
  • Harmonica: Olu Dara & Vincent Henry
 3:56
11 "War" (feat. Keon Bryce) Salaam Remi 4:17
12 "Me & You" (Dedicated to Destiny) L.E.S., Herb "Staff" Middleton
  • "If This World Were Mine" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
  • Bass and Keyboards: Herb Middleton
  • Shakers: Chucky Thompson
  • Background Vocals: Makeeba Riddick
 3:26
13 "Thief's Theme" Salaam Remi 2:59
14* "Thief's Theme" (Remix) 4:16

Leftover material

  1. "Good Morning" (Contains sample of The Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You Pts. 1 & 2")1
  2. "Serious" (featuring AZ)1
  3. "Anybody Test"1
  4. "I Am Somebody" (featuring Diddy)2
  5. "Get Up" 2
  6. "Something Foul"1 (Produced By DJ Scratch)
  7. "Talk of New York"1
  • 1: Indicates song has leaked
  • 2: Indicates song has not leaked

Personnel

  • Executive Producers: Nasir Jones, Salaam Remi, L.E.S.
  • Associate Producers: Nasir Jones, Chucky Thompson, Mike Brinkley
  • Mastering: Chris Gehringer
  • A&R Direction: Mike Brinkley, Timothy "Gov" Ballard
  • Album Coordination for Sony Urban Music: Nikki Martin
  • Marketing: David Belgrave
  • Management: Sara Newkirk
  • Legal Representation: Peter Paterno ESQ, Michelle Jubelirer
  • Art Direction & Design: Chris Feldmann
  • Photography: Danny Clinch
  • Imaging: Justin Cohen
  • Graphic Artist: Patrick Cahalan
  • Prop Stylist: Debora Francis
  • Stylist: Tiffany Hassbourne

References

  1. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. Review: Street's Disciple. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Street's Disciple". The Village Voice: January 4, 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-11-24.
  3. ^ Drumming, Neil. Review: Street's Disciple. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  4. ^ Gill, Andy. Review: Street's Disciple. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  5. ^ Sylvester, Neil. Review: Street's Disciple. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  6. ^ Hamilton, Pierre. Review: Street's Disciple. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  7. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon. Review: Street's Disciple. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  8. ^ Jones, Steve. Review: Street's Disciple. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  9. ^ Callahan-Bever, Noah. "Review: Street's Disciple". Vibe: 183–184. October 2004.
  10. ^ Tate, Greg. Review: Street's Disciple. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  11. ^ Abramovich, Alex. Hip-Hop Family Values. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  12. ^ Sisario, Ben. Pop Charts: Jay-Z and Linkin Park Over U2. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  13. ^ Billboard Albums: Street's Disciple. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  14. ^ a b Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  15. ^ Nas Declares 'Hip Hop Is Dead'. Billboard. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  16. ^ Billboard Singles: Street's Disciple. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  17. ^ Street's Disciple (2004): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  18. ^ Vrabel, Jeff. "Review: Street's Disciple". Chicago Sun-Times: 61. December 1, 2004.
  19. ^ Lynskey, Dorian. Review: Street's Disciple. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-11-24.
  20. ^ Columnist. "Review: Street's Disciple". NME: December 11, 2004.

External links

v • d • e
Nas
Studio albums
Illmatic · It Was Written · I Am… · Nastradamus · Stillmatic · God's Son · Street's Disciple · Hip Hop Is Dead · Untitled
Compilations
Collaborations
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Learn More
Street's Disciple [Clean] (2004 Album by Nas)
Street's Disciple [DualDisc] (2005 Album by Nas)
Nas Greatest Hits (2007 Album by Nas)

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