Untitled Nas album

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Make the World Go Round
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Untitled
Stargate
  • stic.man
    • Nas chronology
    Hip Hop Is Dead
    (2006)     		Untitled
    (2008)     		Distant Relatives
    (2010)
    Singles from Untitled
    1. "Hero"
      Released: June 23, 2008
    2. "Make the World Go Round"
      Released: October 9, 2008

    The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas, commonly referred to eponymously as Nas, or simply Untitled, was released on July 15, 2008 by The Jones Experience, Columbia Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group. Its original title Nigger was omitted due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet. The album is distinguished for its political content, diverse sources of production, and provocative subject matter. The album features guest appearances from Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Busta Rhymes, and The Game, among others.

    The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Nas' fifth to do so, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 500,000 copies in the United States.[1] Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from critics.

    Background

    Title controversy

    The original title of the album, Nigger, was mentioned by Nas several times, as well as on an October 12, 2007, performance at the

    self-titled), stating that "the people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it."[4] The cover of the album depicts the back of a shirtless Nas with flagellation scars forming the shape of the letter N, a reference to the racial slur and how slaves were tortured in the United States. Fort Greene, Brooklyn assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries requested New York's Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to withdraw $84 million from the state pension fund that has been invested into Universal and its parent company, Vivendi, if the album's title was not changed.[5]

    NAACP.[6][10]

    Production

    Production credits for the album include

    The Hitmen were contributing tracks, but their tracks failed to make the final cut for the album. DJ Premier stated in a 2009 interview with HipHopDX that he sent in a beat for Nas that Nas did not end up using on this album.[11]

    Guest artists featured on the album are

    Chris Brown,[12] The Last Poets
    , Eban Thomas, Mulatto and Mykel. Although Jay Electronica produced the introductory track, he does not have a verse on the album, as previously stated by Nas.

    Release and promotion

    Nas released a mixtape with

    Fila will be providing financial support for the album's marketing for one year. In exchange, Nas will wear Fila sneakers at his shows.[14]

    Singles

    Prior to the release of the untitled album, Nas released a music video for "

    Billboard magazine that "Be a Nigger Too" would not even be on the album because of sample clearance issues.[15] During the same week, Nas released "Hero", the album's first official single.[16] The song features a chorus sung by Keri Hilson, a beat produced by Polow da Don and lyrics about the music industry's stranglehold on artistry. The Game announced on BET's 106 & Park that "Make the World Go Round" is the next single of the album, which was debuted in November 2008.[17][18] Nas has also released videos for "Sly Fox" and "Y'all My Niggas",[19]
    however he does not appear in either of them.

    Critical reception

    Professional ratings
    Aggregate scores
    SourceRating
    Pitchfork Media
    		3.8/10[26]
    Rolling Stone[27]
    Slant Magazine[28]
    HipHopDX[29]
    The Village Voicefavorable[30]

    Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 71/100 from

    Public Enemy and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy".[23] In contrast, Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss gave the album 2 out of 4 stars and wrote unfavorably of Nas's lyrics, perceiving his themes as hypocritical and inconsistent.[33]

    Despite calling its production "sporadically successful and widely uneven", Slant Magazine's Jimmy Newlin gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and commended Nas's lyricism, calling its lyrics "all terrific".[28] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and called it a "sprawling, furious, deeply ambivalent theme album about institutional racism, the failures of black leadership and the pathologies and promise of early-21st-century African-American life".[27] USA Today's Elysa Gardner gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote "Nas reconfirms his status as one of rap’s most deft, thoughtful rhymers and his knack for trenchant, defiant commentary".[34] On December 3, it was announced that the album had been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, but it ended up losing to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (2008).[35]

    Commercial performance

    The album debuted at number one on the

    gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.[37]

    Track listing

    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    1."Queens Get the Money"
    		DJ Green Lantern4:29
    Total length:54:04
    United Kingdom iTunes Store bonus track
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    16."Like Me"
    • Jones
    • D'Agostino
    		DJ Green Lantern3:47
    Total length:57:51
    iTunes Store pre-order bonus track
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    17."Proclamation"
    • Jones
    		Nas0:59
    Total length:58:50

    Samples

    Personnel

    • Nasir Jones – executive producer
    • Antonio "L.A." Reid – executive producer
    • A. Saleh – executive producer, A&R, management
    • Chris Gehringer – mastering
    • Terese Joseph – A&R administration
    • Leesa D. Brunson – A&R coordination
    • Shakir Stewart – A&R for Def Jam
    • Shari Bryant – marketing
    • N. Jones – management
    • Kenny Meiselas ESQ – legal representation
    • Paul Rothenberg ESQ – legal representation
    • Tavon Sampson – art direction and design
    • Mieeno Peluce – cover photography
    • Tavon Sampson – cover illustration and design
    • Eric Altenburger – cover illustration and design
    • Carol Corless – package production
    • Deborah Mannis-Gardner for
      DMG Clearances, Inc
      – sample clearance agent
    • Michael Seltzer – business affairs
    • Antoinette Trotman – business affairs
    • Ian Allen – business affairs
    • Corbis – booklet images
    • Getty Images – booklet images

    Charts

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    United States (RIAA)[47] Gold 500,000^

    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

    Release history

    Region Date
    Germany July 11, 2008
    Ireland
    France July 14, 2008
    United Kingdom
    United States July 15, 2008

    References

    1. ^ Gold & Platinum. RIAA. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
    2. ^ Shaheem Reid (October 13, 2007). Nas Reveals Controversial Title Of New LP At NYC Gig MTV News. Retrieved October 15, 2007.
    3. ^ Hillary Crosley (October 15, 2007). Nas Selects N-Word For New Album Title Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2007.
    4. ^ "Nas Issues Statement Regarding 'N****r' Name Change". Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
    5. ^ Black widow (October 5, 2007). Update: Universal Told To Change The Title Of Nas' 'N-Word' Album Or Lose $84 Million Archived 2009-02-17 at the Wayback Machine Six Shot. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
    6. ^ a b Shaheem Reid (October 22, 2007). L.A. Reid Stands 'Firmly Behind' Nas Over LP Title MTV News. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
    7. ^ Mixtape Monday: Nas Drops Exclusive New Lyrics; Snoop Dogg Insists He Can Out-Sing Diddy
    8. YouTube
    9. ^ Shaheem Reid (November 1, 2007). Nas' Album Title Gets Support From Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Bishop Lamont, LL Cool J, GZA, Reverend Run, David Banner MTV News. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
    10. ^ Shaheem Reid (October 18, 2007). Nas Explains Controversial Album Title, Denies Reports Of Label Opposition MTV. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
    11. ^ Edwin Ortiz (2009-12-27). "DJ Premier Talks Rejected Beats, Recreating Illmatic Line-Up | Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News, & Rap Music News". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
    12. ^ Shaheem Reid (May 14, 2008). Nas Previews Controversial Album For MTV News: 'I'm Here To Rap About What I Feel' MTV News. Accessed May 15, 2008.
    13. ^ DJ Green Lantern & Nas – The Nigger Tape. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
    14. ^ Fila Provide Financial Support For Nas' "Untitled" "Nas has signed a one year endorsement deal with South Korea’s largest sportswear manufacturing company, Fila." Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Urban Lookout. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
    15. ^ Crosley, Hillary (2008-06-27). "Tough issues go beyond words for rapper Nas". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-05.[dead link]
    16. ^ "Nas' Defjam Page For "Hero"". Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
    17. ^ "The Game Announces Next Single Of "untiled"".
    18. YouTube
    19. ^ "Nas — Y'all My Niggas (Official Video)". YouTube. 2008-11-25. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
    20. ^ "Untitled by Nas". Metacritic. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
    21. Allmusic
      . Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    22. ^ a b Greenwald, Andy. Review: Untitled Nas album. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    23. ^ a b Gill, Andy. Review: Untitled Nas album. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    24. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Untitled Nas album". MSN Music: August 2008. Archived from the original Archived 2009-11-26 at the Wayback Machine on 2009-10-27.
    25. ^ Caramanica, Jon. Review: Untitled Nas album. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    26. Pitchfork Media
      . Retrieved on 2023-03-08.
    27. ^ a b Rosen, Jody. Review: Untitled Nas album. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    28. ^ a b Newlin, Jimmy. Review: Untitled Nas album. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-05-22.
    29. ^ Ahale (July 14, 2008). "NAS - UNTITLED". HipHopDX. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
    30. ^ Hintz, Katie. Review: Untitled Nas album. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    31. ^ Untitled Nas album (2008): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    32. The Source
      : August 2008.
    33. ^ Weiss, Jeff. Review: Untitled Nas album. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    34. ^ Gardner, Elysa. Review: Untitled Nas album. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-10-27.
    35. ^ "Grammy nominations announced! | PopWatch Blog". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
    36. ^ Aliya Ewing (July 23, 2008). Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 7/20/08 Archived 2012-09-05 at the Wayback Machine HipHopDX. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
    37. ^ "RIAA Certifications - Nas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
    38. ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 961 (Week Commencing 28 July 2008)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
    39. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nas – NAS (UNTITLED)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
    40. ^ a b c d e f g "Nas > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
    41. ^ "Lescharts.com – Nas – NAS (UNTITLED)". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
    42. ^ a b Nas – Untitled – Music Charts αCharts. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
    43. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: {{{date}}}" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
    44. ^ "無題 | Nas".
    45. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nas – NAS (UNTITLED)". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
    46. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nas – NAS (UNTITLED)". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
    47. ^ "American album certifications – Nas – Nas". Recording Industry Association of America.

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    External links

    1. ^ "Hip Hop Music Download ". Hipcoded. September 29, 2023. "South Africa Music Download ". Litemusic. March 27, 2024. "HipHop Songs Download ". HipHopTune NG. March 27, 2024. "Nigeria Music Download ". Invomusic. March 27, 2024. "Music Download ". SimpleTune. March 27, 2024. "Foreign Music Download ". Ibloaded. March 27, 2024. "Naija Songs Download ". Vitalmp3. March 27, 2024.
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