God's Son (album)

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God's Son
conscious hip hop
  • alternative rap
    • Length57:06
    Label
    Producer
    Nas chronology
    The Lost Tapes
    (2002)     		God's Son
    (2002)     		Street's Disciple
    (2004)
    Singles from God's Son
    1. "Made You Look"
      Released: September 10, 2002
    2. "I Can"
      Released: February 11, 2003
    3. "Get Down"
      Released: July 8, 2003

    God's Son is the sixth

    rapper Nas. It was released on December 13, 2002, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Production took place during 2001 to 2002, and was handled by several producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist
    . Partly inspired by the death of his mother in early 2002, God's Son covers lyrical themes such as religion, violence, and his own emotional experiences. It has been recognized by critics as some of Nas' most personal work.

    The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in its first week of sales. It produced three singles that achieved Billboard chart success, and received critical acclaim, with critics praising Nas' lyricism and viewing it as progression from his previous work. On January 14, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales surpassing one million copies..

    Background

    Nas's debut album,

    The Blueprint 2 release.[3]

    After the release of Stillmatic, Nas spent time tending to his ill mother, Ann Jones, until she died of breast cancer in April 2002. Nas has described Jay-Z's disses during this time period as "sneak attack[s]" because Nas did not want to record music while his mother was sick.[4] Nas' mother died in his arms,[2] and later served as inspiration for various songs on God's Son. At the time, Nas was nearing the end of his feud with Jay-Z, which also inspired the album's emotional and personal material.[5] During 2002, fans and critics speculated that Nas was still willing to make commercial music as he started associating himself with artists from Murder Inc., a label distributing mainstream hip hop/rap. Irv Gotti claimed that Nas might sign with him, and he said: "I will definitely be affiliated [with Nas] and I'll definitely be a part of [his projects], me and my brother Ja Rule."[6] Nas soon appeared on "The Pledge (Remix)," a song by Ja Rule in which Nas hints at signing with the hip hop label.[7]

    By October, God's Son was expected to be released on December 17, with production from

    Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)," a song of which an alternative version was later released on God's Son, featuring two verses from Nas and one from 2Pac. On December 4, Nas decided to push up the release date for God's Son by a few days in order to prevent bootlegging. Commenting on this, he said, "God's Son is my most personal album and I poured my heart and spirit into it[.] It's important to me that the fans hear my album the way I intended. When you buy a bootleg or pirate a download off the Net, you don't get the real thing. The sound sucks, the sequencing is wrong, you're probably missing some tracks, and you don't even get the artwork and CD bonuses."[9]

    Composition

    Production

    God's Son featured production from various producers, including

    Hootie and the Blowfish album."[11]
    Berliner summed up the album's diverse productions, stating:

    In some places, like "I Can" and the Eminem track "The Cross", the production is chilling and haunting, but in others, like the generic "radio" track "Hey Nas", it is flat and uninspiring. However, to his credit, Nas tries do something different with many of the remaining tracks. "Get Down", the introduction, is unique because it seems to contain many influences, from funk, Soul and Pop to Jazz and Reggae. "Thugz Mansion (NY)", featuring a posthumous verse from 2Pac, is much stronger than its West Coast version on 2Pac's new album, Better Dayz, strengthened by an acoustic guitar ... Finally, "Heaven" appears to have a drum 'n bass influence that accentuates Nas' odd vision of what heaven is to him.[11]

    Although there is no actual musical band or ensemble for God's Son, various musicians play instruments on it; Mercedes Abal plays the flute, Jeff Bass plays the keyboards, Olu Dara plays the horns and Michael Herring plays the guitar.[12]

    Lyrical themes

    Although guest appearances are made by

    biblical references to describe himself on "The Cross". Even with similar themes, each track is distinct from the rest providing God's Son with a "narrative sense".[5] One noteworthy concept track is "Book of Rhymes" where Nas raps songs that he had written in his rhyme book years ago. At times, he stops rapping, and starts commenting on how bad some of his lyrics are amongst other things. According to one writer, "The self-examination that inevitably accompanies the death of a loved one has also provoked a renewed sense of socio-political consciousness in Nas."[15]

    Singles

    Nas in 2003

    "

    New York Magazine, says it to be "extraordinarily powerful."[16] It was the second most successful single for God's Son reaching at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.[17] It reached at number 16 and number 47 in "Singles of the Year" lists from Blender magazine[citation needed] and Pitchfork,[citation needed] respectively. Q magazine also ranked it as the 903rd best song ever in 2003,[citation needed] and Blender followed suit, ranking it as the 185th best song from the 1980s to the 2000s in 2005.[citation needed
    ]

    The second and most successful single, "

    Rhythmic Top 40 charts.[17]

    The third and final single, "

    Crenshaw with his cousin, and later kills 3 people. The stories are linked together by a speech from Salaam Remi that implies that black people will never "get up" if they "get down" in crime. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone considers "Get Down" to be the best song on God's Son,[18] as does columnist Serena Kim of Vibe.[1] The single was not a significant commercial success, and it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[17]

    Critical reception

    Professional ratings
    Aggregate scores
    SourceRating
    Metacritic81/100[19]
    Review scores
    SourceRating
    AllMusic[5]
    Blender[20]
    Entertainment WeeklyB[21]
    Los Angeles Times[22]
    NME[23]
    Pitchfork8.6/10[15]
    Q[19]
    Rolling Stone[18]
    Spin6/10[24]
    Stylus MagazineB+[11]

    God's Son was released to acclaim from music critics. At

    average score of 81, based on 18 reviews.[19] AllMusic and IGN place it below Illmatic and Stillmatic.[5][10] Despite calling the production "lukewarm", Pitchfork's Sam Chennault lauded Nas' verbal ability, describing him as "technically stunning" as an emcee, as well as "rhythmically versatile and intellectually astute."[15] Chennault also compared God's Son to Nas' debut album, writing that the former has more emotional depth than Illmatic, and stating "In many ways, God's Son is lyrically superior to Illmatic. Nas has created an album that is at once mournful and resilient, street-savvy and academic."[15] Serena Kim of Vibe gave the album a 4 out of 5 disc-rating and stated "He's disarmingly self-deprecating here, and gives us a rare look into his artistic process".[1] Ethan Brown of New York
    praised Nas' lyricism and found its musically significant, stating:

    Here, Nas is so fierce, so plainspoken, so lean with words, that he demolishes not just the oeuvre of our ruling rappers and recalls the music's lyrical champs like

    Rumble in the Jungle" era ... Like pathbreaking projects past, God's Son is not simply a great album, it's a reminder of what we've been missing ... Nas brings hip-Hop back to the basics with a rough break-beat and a well-told story. This is the essence of punk; let's see if Nas's stripped-down rap starts a revolution.[16]

    In a mixed review, Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Village Voice criticized Nas for abandoning his role as "rap's foremost observer" for "the ballad of the learned thug" and stated, "Nas has rendered himself mediocre. At his worst, he becomes a Tupac clone content to contemplate hackneyed hip-hop maxims, like whether there is a heaven for gangsters (see 'Thugz Mansion N.Y.'). A more apt question is whether there is a heaven for a cliché, because several cuts on God's Son are begging for funerals."[25] Spin commented that "Nas' heart is in the right place, but his mind is somewhere else entirely", adding that God's Son follows what "we were really waiting for", The Lost Tapes.[24] Stylus Magazine editor Brett Berliner stated, "Honestly, if Nas had chosen to drop about 4 tracks and cut it down to Illmatic's 10, it would be in the class of Stillmatic, and we’d be talking about it as Nas’ 4th classic."[11] However, Berliner viewed that Nas' performance makes up for the album's flaws, commenting that "Nas stays poignant, clever and intelligent, and, in doing so, adds an extra incentive to purchase his album: simply put, he's the best lyricist in Rap today, maybe all time. Specifically, his consistency is such that he has the ability to save poorly produced songs with his rhymes alone."[11]

    In his consumer guide for

    About.com cited God's Son in retrospect as the one album where Nas shows "growth and maturity".[33]

    Commercial performance

    God's Son debuted at #18 on the

    Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.[17] The success of its singles allowed God's Son to obtain Platinum RIAA status.[37]

    Impact

    After the releases of "Ether" and Stillmatic, Nas gained renewed respect and acclaim as the best rapper in New York, also known as the "King of New York". God's Son was a chance for Nas to either reassure his prolific status or prove to be an inconsistent artist.[13] In a review of God's Son, Joseph Jones of PopMatters stated:

    God's Son is monumental in terms of the current power struggle in hip hop. Whether you like it or not, "Ether" did this. With God's Son, Nas has the opportunity to cement his status as the King of N.Y., at least for another 3-4 year term, or he could prove that he is not the savior that hip-hop fans should be pinning their hopes on.[13]

    On God's Son, Nas referenced his feud with Jay-Z on various tracks. Most notably, Nas references Jay-Z's attacks on Nas "Last Real Nigga Alive" as "sneak attack[s]" while he was caring for his mother.[4] This track also revealed roots of his feud with Jay-Z including his feud with The Notorious B.I.G. In fact, Nas ends the first verse of "Last Real Nigga Alive" by saying, "There's more shit than wanting to be this King of New York shit." Similarly, on "Mastermind," Nas says: "This King Of New York shit only last 15 minutes."[38] Additionally, on "The Cross", Nas explained how he was the old king of New York Rap, and soon reinvented himself to reign again as New York's king.[39] Amy Linden of Yahoo! Music found it to be an album "worthy of [Nas'] landmark 1994 debut" Illmatic and elaborated on God's Son's significance at the time, stating "If this is the last round with Jay, as the surprisingly civil tone and anti-battle messages imply, then God's Son is going out on top."[40]

    Track listing

    Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[41]

    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    1."Get Down"
    		4:04
    2."The Cross"
    		Eminem3:49
    3."Made You Look"
    		Salaam Remi3:21
    4."Last Real Nigga Alive"
    		Ron Browz5:05
    5."Zone Out" (featuring Bravehearts)
    		Salaam Remi3:48
    6."Hey Nas" (featuring Kelis and Claudette Ortiz)
    		Salaam Remi4:05
    7."I Can"
    		Salaam Remi4:13
    8."Book of Rhymes"
    		The Alchemist3:54
    9."Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)" (featuring 2Pac and J. Phoenix)
    • Claudio Cueni
    • Michael Herring
    		4:07
    10."Mastermind"
    • N. Jones
    • Maman
    		The Alchemist4:07
    11."Warrior Song" (featuring Alicia Keys)
    		Alicia Keys4:42
    12."Revolutionary Warfare" (featuring Lake)
    • N. Jones
    • Maman
    • Patrick Adams
    • Terry Phillips
    • Leroy Jackson
    		The Alchemist3:29
    13."Dance"
    		Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen3:34
    14."Heaven" (featuring Jully Black)
    		4:41
    Total length:56:58
    Bonus disc
    No.TitleProducer(s)Length
    1."Thugz Mirror Freestyle"The Alchemist1:50
    2."Pussy Killz"Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen4:38
    3."The G.O.D."Swizz Beatz2:39
    Total length:9:07

    Sample credits

    Personnel

    Musicians

    Production

    • The Alchemist – producer (tracks: 8, 10, 12, 15)
    • Eminem – producer (track 2)
    • Ron Browz – producer (track 4)
    • Claudio Cueni – co-producer (track 9)
    • Michael Herring – producer (track 9)
    • Chucky Thompson – producer (track 13)
    • Agile – co-producer (track 14)
    • Saukrates – producer (track co-produced 14)
    • Chris Gehringer –
      mastering engineer
    • Steve Stoute – executive producer
    • David Belgrave – marketing
    • Chris a.k.a. "Brother Feldmann" – art direction, design
    • James Hunter – graphic artist
    • Jarrett Demartino – illustration
    • Jonathan Mannion – photography

    Charts

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    Canada (Music Canada)[59] Gold 50,000^
    United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 100,000*
    United States (RIAA)[61] Platinum 1,000,000^

    * Sales figures based on certification alone.
    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e Kim, Serena (February 2003). "Revolutions: Nas – God's Son". Vibe. pp. 135–136. Archived from the original on May 4, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
    2. ^ a b c "Driven: Nas – About the Episode at VH1.com". Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
    3. ^ Oh, Minya. "Nas Sets Release For God's Son, Pooh-Poohs Jay-Z's Challenge at VH1.com". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
    4. ^ a b ""Last Real Nigga Alive" lyrics at ohhla.com". Retrieved February 10, 2007.
    5. ^ a b c d e f Birchmeier, Jason. Review: God's Son. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-10-28.
    6. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Irv Gotti Says Nas May Sign With Murder Inc. at VH1.com". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
    7. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Nas Kills The Speculation: 'It's Murder!' at VH1.com". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
    8. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Nas Goes To The Streets, Shoots Guerilla-Style Video at VH1.com". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
    9. ^ Moss, Corey. "Nas To Release God's Son Earlier Than Planned at VH1.com". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
    10. ^ a b c d Robinson, Jon. "God's Son review at IGN". Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    11. ^ a b c d e Berliner, Brett. "God's Son review from Stylus Magazine". Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
    12. ^ "God's Son (Clean – Bonus CD) Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
    13. ^ a b c Jones, Joseph. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos | PopMatters". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    14. ^ Batey, Angus. "God's Son review from DotMusic". Retrieved February 17, 2007.
    15. ^ a b c d Chennault, Sam. "Nas: God's Son Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    16. ^ a b Brown, Ethan. "Review: God's Son". New York. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    17. ^ a b c d e "Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at AllMusic". Retrieved January 17, 2007.
    18. ^ a b c d Hoard, Christian (December 30, 2002). "God's Son". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    19. ^ a b c "God's Son". Metacritic. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    20. ^ "God's Son". Blender (13). Alpha Media Group: 95. January–February 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-08-18.
    21. ^ Drumming, Neil. God's Son: Electric Circus. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2022-08-24.
    22. ^ Baker, Soren. Review: God's Son. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-28.
    23. ^ God's Son. NME. Retrieved on 2009-10-28.
    24. ^ a b "The Breakdown". Spin. 19 (3). New York: Vibe/Spin Ventures: 119. March 2003. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
    25. ^ Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Review: God's Son. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-28.
    26. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Nas: God's Son". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
    27. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
    28. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 4, 2003). "The Prelude". The Village Voice. New York: Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
    29. ^ "Spin Magazine (USA) End Of Year Lists..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    30. ^ "Village Voice (Pazz & Jop) Lists 2002..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    31. ^ "The Best of 2002". Kludge. Archived from the original on July 22, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
    32. ^ "Best Music and Albums for 2002". Metacritic. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    33. ^ Adaso, Henry. "Nas' Discography - All Nas Albums". ThoughtCo. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    34. ^ "Holiday Sales Keep Shania 'Up' On Top". Billboard. December 18, 2002. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    35. ^ "Nas' Billboard albums chart positions at AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
    36. ^ Baker, Soren (January 12, 2003). "Nas' 'Son' shines with soul-baring rap". ChicagoTribune. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
    37. ^ a b "Gold and Platinum searchable database at RIAA.com". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
    38. ^ ""Mastermind" lyrics at ohhla.com". Retrieved February 22, 2007.
    39. ^ ""The Cross" lyrics at ohhla.com". Retrieved March 25, 2007.
    40. ^ Linden, Amy (December 9, 2002). "Nas Reviews". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
    41. ^ God's Son (booklet). Ill Will, Columbia. 2002.
    42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Rap Sample FAQ". www.the-breaks.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012.
    43. ^ "Nas - God's Son". Discogs. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
    44. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 199.
    45. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. January 16, 2003. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
    46. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. January 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 2, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
    47. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nas – God's Son" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
    48. ^ "Lescharts.com – Nas – God's Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
    49. GfK Entertainment Charts
      . Retrieved November 12, 2013.
    50. ^ Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
    51. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nas – God's Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
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    53. ^ "Nas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
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    55. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
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    58. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
    59. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Nas – God's Son". Music Canada.
    60. ^ "British album certifications – Nas – God's Son". British Phonographic Industry.
    61. ^ "American album certifications – Nas – God's Son". Recording Industry Association of America.

    External links

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