Jay-Z kept The Blueprint incredibly tight, focusing
on a single sound and letting nothing interfere with some of the best raps
of his career. The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse is a radically
different record, with the most respected rapper in the business trying on
a range of 
styles,
collaborating with a lot of guests (from Rakim to Lenny Kravitz to Scarface
to Beyoncé Knowles), and working with an army of producers (Neptunes,
Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Heavy D, Kanye West). No one else in hip-hop possesses
enough power of personality to carry a 110-minute double album, and if Jay-Z
can't quite manage it either, he certainly delivers some solid material in
the process
The discs are split into "The Gift" and "The Curse," though there's no concept in view, just a loose collection of tracks ranging from unapologetically sexed-up party joints to theatrical epics and even taking in a Dirty South feature for Outkast's Big Boi. It's clear Jay-Z's in control even here, and though his raps can't compete with the concentrated burst on The Blueprint, there's at least as many great tracks on tap, if only listeners have enough time to find them. Good choices for highlights include the Neptunes' bounce track "Excuse Me Miss," the horn-driven blast of "The Watcher 2" produced by Dr. Dre (featuring Truth Hurts), and "I Did It My Way," which balances the trad-pop singalong of "Hard Knock Life" with the digital drumrolls of "The Takeover."
1. A Dream performed by Jay Z / Faith Evans / Notorious
B.I.G. - 4:12
2. Hovi Baby (Carter/Edmonds/Smith) - 4:21
3. The Watcher 2 performed by Jay Z / Dr. Dre / Rakim / Truth Hurts - 5:57
4. '03 Bonnie & Clyde performed by Jay Z / Beyonce Knowles - 3:25
5. Excuse Me Miss (Carter/Hugo/Willaims) - 4:41
6. What They Gonna Do performed by Jay Z / Sean Paul - 4:53
7. All Around the World performed by Jay Z / LaToiya Williams - 3:52
8. Poppin' Tags performed by Jay Z / Big Boi / Killer Mike / Twista - 6:00
9. F**k All Nite (Carter/Hugo/Williams) - 4:19
10. The Bounce (Carter/Mosley) - 4:18
11. I Did It My Way (Anka/Carter/Francois/Kendrix/Revaud/STanton/Thibaut)
- 3:42
12. Diamond Is Forever (Carter/Feemster/Stanton) - 3:55
13. Guns & Roses performed by Jay Z / Lenny Kravitz - 4:25
14. U Don't Know [Remix] performed by Jay Z / M.O.P. - 4:27
15. Meet the Parents (Carter/Smith) - 4:58
16. Some How Some Way performed by Jay Z / Beanie Sigel / SCarface - 5:37
17. Some People Hate (Carter/Russell/Russell/West) - 4:31
18. Blueprint² (Carter/Charlamane/Morricone) - 4:49
19. N***a Please performed by Jay Z / Young Chris - 4:37
20. 2 Many Hoes (Carter/Mosley) - 3:34
21. As One performed by Jay Z / Memphis Bleek / Freeway / Young Guns - 3:48
22. A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier (Carter/Hugo/Williams) - 4:41
23. Show You How [*] (Carter/Smith) - 2:58
24. B*****s & Sisters [*] (Carter/Hayes/Porter/Smith) - 2:38
25. What They Gonna Do, Pt. II [*] (Branch/Carter) - 3:46
God's Son is an emotional album, imbued with recent
experiences in Nas' personal life, particularly his recent bout with Jay-Z
and the unfortunate death of his mother, Ann Jones. These experiences had
challenged the self-reappointed King of New York, attacking both his street
status and his heart, and he in turn looked within, embracing both his craft
and his spirit. Brazenly declaring himself God's Son, in tribute partly to
his mother's legacy as well as his own increasingly Jesus-like one, Nas emerged
from his experiences wiser, stronger, and holier than ever, less engaged by
the material world than the inner one, less interested in flossing than teaching,
and less obsessed with his riches than his soul. And his soul he bares nakedly;
profusely personal, Nas' lyrical divulgence is sometimes even startling: "Last
Real Nigga Alive" namedrops Biggie, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, and other '90s-era
rappers; "Hey Nas" reflects on recent failed relationships with
wome
n;
"Dance" is an ode to his mother; and "Heaven" questions
spirituality. As usual, there's a street-rallying leadoff single here, "Made
You Look," that announces Nas' periodic return with fury and bombast.
Salaam Remi produces the Marley Marl-fashioned track and lays down similarly
inventive beats on four others. He's joined by many of the other producers
who had worked on Stillmatic a year earlier: Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and
the Alchemist, all of whom deliver harsh tracks without pop gimmickry. In
addition, God's Son includes three noteworthy collaborations: Nas and 2Pac
trade gentle verses on "Thugz Mansion," Alicia Keys contributes
the production and hook to "Warrior Song," and Eminem produces "The
Cross."
Throughout it all, God's Son plays like an album. The playing time is reasonable, clocking under an hour, the song selection is diverse, no two tracks resembling one another, and the themes are interwoven, giving the album a narrative sense. God's Son isn't quite the masterpiece is could be — mostly because Nas is so self-involved, sometimes seemingly intoxicated by his kingliness — but it's surely one of the most remarkable albums of the Queensbridge rapper's highlight-filled career, just a notch or so below Illmatic and Stillmatic. — Jason Birchmeier
1. Get Down - 4:04
2. The Cross - 3:47
3. Made You Look - 3:22
4. Last Real Nigga Alive - 5:04
5. Zone Out performed by Nas / Bravehearts - 3:48
6. Hey Nas performed by Nas / Kelis / Claudette Ortiz - 4:06
7. I Can - 4:14
8. Book of Rhymes - 3:54
9. Thugz Mansion (N.Y.) performed by Nas / 2Pac / J. Phoenix - 4:07
10. Mastermind - 4:07
11. Warrior Song performed by Nas / Alicia Keys - 4:42
12. Revolutionary Warfare performed by Nas / Lake - 3:29
13. Dance - 3:34
14. Heaven performed by Nas / Jully Black - 4:42
