GOD'S SON

'''God's Son''' is the sixth studio album of new material by East Coast hip hop artist Nas. It was released in December of 2002 by Columbia and Ill Will Records. It was a commercial success reaching #12 on the Billboard 200,^[1] and obtaining a platinum certification from the RIAA a month after it was released.^[2] Additionally, all three singles--"Made You Look," "I Can" and "Get Down"--charted. The three singles display the diversity of ''God's Son''. While "Made You Look" is a free-associative party rap and "Get Down" is a narrative of various street stories, "I Can" is a guide to the youth encouraging a clean life. It is a socially conscious and positive song, which paired with a sample of Beethoven's "Für Elise" allowed it to reach #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[3]
The album was affected by Nas' mother, Ann Jones, who died of breast cancer in early 2002. Multiple songs such as "Warrior Song" reference Ann Jones, but the song "Dance" is a direct tribute to her. In addition, Nas was nearing the end of his feud with Jay-Z at the time of the album, which also inspired its emotional and personal feel.^[4] Because of personal content, ''God's Son'' is also considered to be a leap of maturity and spirituality for Nas; Jason Birchmeier of All Music Guide said, "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."^[4] Like many publications, All Music Guide gave ''God's Son'' a solid rating of four stars.

Contents

Background

Music

Lyrical content

Production

Singles

Music videos

Reception

Critical

Commercial

Feud with Jay-Z

Track listing

Bonus CD

Chart positions

Album

Singles

References

Background

Nas' 1994 debut album, ''Illmatic'' received much acclaim, but his next few releases were considered to be watered down and commercialized.^[6][7] Fellow New York rapper Jay-Z dissed Nas on "Takeover" from his 2001 album, ''The Blueprint''. In less than a year, Nas soon responded with "Ether," a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover," elevating a heated feud (see Nas vs. Jay-Z). "Ether" was released on 2001's ''Stillmatic'', an acclaimed album that signaled Nas' return to "hip hop prominence."^[6] Jay-Z later challenged Nas to a pay-per-view rap battle, but Nas rejected, and said: "Pay-per-view is for wrestlers and boxers. I make records. If Jay-Z wants to battle, he should drop his album the same day I do and let the people decide" referring to his ''God' Son'' release and Jay's '' release.^[9]
After the release of ''Stillmatic'', Nas spent time tending to his ill mother, Ann Jones, until she died of breast cancer in April of 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.^[10] Nas' mom died in his arms,^[6] and later served as inspiration for various songs on ''God's Son''.
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 pop rap distributing label. Irv Gotti, the head of Murder Inc. 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."^[12] Nas soon appeared on "The Pledge (Remix)," a song by Ja Rule in which Nas hints at signing with the pop rap label.^[13] In October of 2002, ''God's Son'' expected to be released on December 17 with production from Salaam Remi, Large Professor and The Alchemist, as well as songs recorded alongside Ja Rule in Miami.^[14] Around the same time, a music video for Nas' new single, "Made You Look," was being shot. In December, Nas appeared in the video for a 2Pac single, "Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)," a song that was later released on ''God's Son''. 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,

Music

Lyrical content

Although guest appearances are made by Tupac Shakur, Kelis and Alicia Keys, ''God's Son'' is considered to be a personal album.^[4] The personal lyrics are a result of Nas' mother dying less than a year before the album's release. He dedicates "Dance" to his mother, and references her in "Warrior Song" and "Last Real Nigga Alive." "Dance" is considered to be one of Nas' most introspective tracks,^[16] and has been described as a "a requiem for Nas' mother" that "is touching rather than mawkish."^[17] Nas' lyrics also deal with religion as the album's title curtails. He ponders the concept of heaven on "Heaven," and makes various biblical references to describe himself on "The Cross." Even with similar themes, each track is different from the rest providing ''God's Son'' with a "narrative sense."^[4] 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.
Its not just concept songs that make critics praise this album's lyrical content, it is the album's consistency. Brett Berliner, a ''Stylus Magazine'' writer explains Nas' consistency on ''God's Son'':

Production

''God's Son'' was produced by various producers including Salaam Remi, Eminem and Alchemist. Remi produced five tracks while all other producers work on two or less tracks. Serena Kim of ''VIBE'' supports Nas' use of a variety of commercially "risk[y]" producers saying, "The risks he takes with the production are a big part of the allure of ''God's Son''. In a time when a Neptunes beat is as essential as a savvy marketing plan, Nas goes in the other direction, giving producer Salaam Remi plenty of room."^[7] This diversity also allows for a wide array of sounds. "Get Down" is a funky rework of "The Boss" and "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, while "Last Real Nigga Alive" contains a simplistic beat dominated by eerie keys that seem to be made by a Casio keyboard.^[20] Additionally, the wide array of producers allow for a different use of samples. Remi samples many genres of music from classical (Beethoven's "Für Elise" in "I Can") to deep funk (Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache" in "Made You Look") while other producers do not rely on samples at all. "Dance," a Chucky Thompson production, contains a simple beat consisting of a bass guitar riff and faint drums, neither of which are sampled. Another track that is notable for its sample lacking production is "Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)." Produced by Claudio Cueni and Michael Herring, it contains a beat consisting solely of an acoustic guitar riff. These diverse productions are summed up by Brett Berliner of ''Stylus Magazine'':
Although there is no determined band for ''God's Son'', various musicians play instruments on it; Mercedes Abal plays the flute, Jeff Bass plays the keyboards, Nas' father Olu Dara plays the horns and Michael Herring plays the guitar.^[21]

Singles

"Made You Look," the first single on ''God's Son'' was released on February 12, 2003. It features production by Salaam Remi that samples "Apache" as performed by Incredible Bongo Band. Jason Birchmeier of All Music Guide claims that the first single on ''God's Son'' "announces Nas' periodic return with fury and bombast" and is a "Marley Marl-fashioned track."^[4] Jon Robinson of IGN.com claims that "Made You Look" shows Nas' "lyrical genius."^[20] Additionally, Ethan Brown of ''New York Magazine'', says it to be "extraordinarily powerful."^[24] It was the second most successful single on ''God's Son'' reaching #32 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[3] It reached #16 and #47 in "Singles of the Year" lists from ''Blender'' magazine and Pitchfork Media respectively.^[26][27] ''Q'' magazine also ranked it as the 903rd best song ever in 2003,^[26] and ''Blender'' followed suit, ranking it as the 185th best song from the 1980s to the 2000s in 2005.^[26]

The second and most successful single, "I Can," was released as early as March 4, 2003 internationally. It boasts production from Salaam Remi, who samples from "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven and "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers for the song's beat. It's lyrics are positive encouraging the youth to stay drug free, and pursue their dreams. The lyrics also detail various events in African history, but Christian Hoard of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine labels "I Can" as "a silly stay-in-school ad attached to a Beethoven sample."^[30] This comment may be attributed to the "singsongy"^[7] call and response chorus featuring the voices of young children. Other reviewers appreciated "I Can" more: Jon Robinson of IGN.com claims that on his second single, "Nas delivers some of his most inspiring lyrics to date."^[20] "I Can" received significant commercial success reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts.^[3]

The third and final single on ''God's Son'', released in July of 2003, is "Get Down." Produced by Salaam Remi and Nas himself, it samples James Brown's "The Boss," the percussion from James Brown's "Funky Drummer," "Rock Creek Park" by The Blackbyrds, and a speech from an unknown source. Its lyrics detail three loosely-described criminal stories each from different locations. The first story takes place in New York City where an alleged criminal steals the gun of a court officer, and starts shooting in the courtroom. The story may be inspired by a similar real life incident that occurred in 1970, in which Jonathan Jackson (brother of then-incarcerated Black Panther Party member George Jackson) burst into a courtroom armed with a machine gun and demanded the release of the aforementioned older brother, taking the presiding judge, Harold Haley, hostage in the process. The second story deals with cocaine dealers from Tennessee who provide Nas with a laced blunt. The final story takes place in Los Angeles where Nas goes to a violent funeral in Crenshaw with his cousin, and later ends up killing three people. The stories are linked together by a sampled speech from an unknown origin that implies that black people will never "get up" if they "get down" in criminal activity. Christian Hoard of ''Rolling Stone'' considers "Get Down" to be the best song on ''God's Son''^[30] as does Serena Kim of ''VIBE''.^[7] It was not much of a commercial success, and it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 altogether.^[3]

Music videos

Music videos were made for "Made You Look," "I Can" and "Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)." The "Made You Look" music video was directed by Benny Boom. It contains footage from all five boroughs in New York and cameos from hip hop artists including Jadakiss, DJ Kayslay, Killah Priest, Fat Joe and Lord Jamar. The video has the theme of "showing love" to the streets, and shows images of a Big Pun mural as well as Rucker Park.^[14] The video for "I Can" was directed by Chris Robinson, whose work on "One Mic" earned Nas a Video of the Year nomination at 2001's MTV Video Music Awards. The "I Can" video was shot in Los Angeles, and contains footage of Nas rapping while children stand around him. The video starts out with the music from the introduction of "Get Down," but it soon transitions into "I Can." As "I Can" starts, a girl plays a piano in a vacant lot, and later one can see children jumping on a mattress in the same lot. The video also contains footage of breakdancing and famous Egyptian structures. The "Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)" music video was released to promote 2Pac's album ''Better Dayz'', but the song appeared on ''God's Son'' as well. The David Nelson-directed video contains various actors and their interactions. One character plays the acoustic guitar to the song, while a sad black girl sits on a sidewalk. Nas can be seen rapping in a television within a shop, but 2Pac is nowhere to be found in the video.

Reception

Critical

Although ''God's Son'' is rarely considered to be Nas' best album, some consider it to be a notch below ''Illmatic'' and ''Stillmatic''.^[4][20] It is considered to be highly emotional and personal, but some consider Nas' self-involvement to be a weakness.^[4] Others feel that the album's production is a weakness; Jon Robinson of IGN.com states, "What drops the CD down a notch isn't the lyrics--and it's definitely not Nas' smooth flow--it's the production of the tracks. Nas delivers some remarkable lines over some of the most unremarkable beats heard in years."^[20] Beyond those two weaknesses though, most publications had a positive outlook on ''God's Son''. Ethan Brown, a ''New York Magazine'' writer, says "God's Son is not simply a great album, it's a reminder of what we've been missing. [...] here Nas brings hip-hop back to the basics with a rough break-beat and a well-told story."^[24] Some critics simply did not like certain tracks on ''God's Son'', and one said "Honestly, if Nas had chosen to drop about four tracks and cut it down to ''Illmatic's ten, it would be in the class of ''Stillmatic'', and we’d be talking about it as Nas’ fourth classic."^[43]

Commercial

''God's Son'' reached #12 on the Billboard 200,^[1] a chart position that Nas had not fell to since his first album, ''Illmatic''. ''God's Son'' remains Nas' poorest charting album in relation to his other eight full-sized album releases. Nevertheless, it reached #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified platinum on January 14, 2003.^[2] Additionally, its three singles performed well on the charts. "I Can" was a Rhythmic Top 40 and Top 40 Mainstream hit that reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[3] "Made You Look" reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 while "Get Down" peaked at #76 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.^[3] These singles allowed ''God's Son'' to obtain platinum certification from RIAA just as all of Nas' previous albums did.^[2]

Feud with Jay-Z

Main articles: Nas vs. Jay-Z

After the release of the song "Ether" and its album ''Stillmatic'', Nas gained acclaim as the king of the New York hip hop scene. ''God's Son'' was a chance for Nas to either reassure his prolific status or prove to be an inconsistent artist. In a review of ''God's Son'', Joseph Jones of PopMatters says:
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.^[10] This track also revealed roots of his feud with Jay-Z including his feud with Jay's friend and now-deceased rapper, 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."^[50]
Additionally, on "The Cross," Nas explained how he was the old king of New York rap, but later sold out, and soon reinvented himself to reign again as New York's king.^[51]

Track listing

#	Title	Length	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Performer(s)	Samples
1	"Get Down"	4:04	Nasir Jones Salaam Gibbs	Nas Salaam Remi	Nas	★ Contains samples from "Funky Drummer" as performed by James Brown ★ Contains samples from "The Boss" as performed by James Brown ★ Contains samples from "Rock Creek Park" as performed by The Blackbyrds
2	"The Cross"	3:47	Nasir Jones Marshall Mathers Jeff Bass	Eminem	Nas
3	"Made You Look"	3:22	Nasir Jones Salaam Gibbs Jeremiah Lordan	Salaam Remi	Nas	★ Contains samples from "Apache" as performed by Incredible Bongo Band
4	"Last Real Nigga Alive"	4:07	Nasir Jones Rondell Turner	Ron Browz	Nas
5	"Zone Out"	3:48	Nasir Jones Jabari Jones Michael Epps Salaam Gibbs	Salaam Remi	Jungle Nas Wiz
6	"Hey Nas"	4:06	Nasir Jones Salaam Gibbs Allan Felder Norma Wright Kenni Burke	Salaam Remi	Claudette Ortiz Kelis Nas	★ Contains samples from "Rise to the Top Bill" as written by Allan Felder, Kenni Burke and Norma Wright
7	"I Can"	4:14	Nasir Jones Salaam Gibbs Roy Hammond	Salaam Remi	Nas	★ Contains samples from "Für Elise" as composed by Ludwig van Beethoven ★ Contains samples from "Impeach the President" as performed by The Honeydrippers
8	"Book of Rhymes"	3:54	Nasir Jones Alan Maman David Camon	Alchemist	Nas	★ Contains samples from "For the Dollar Bill" as performed by Tommy Tate
9	"Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)"	4:07	Nasir Jones Tupac Shakur Larry Loftin Claudio Cueni Michael Herring Johnny Jackson	Claudio Cueni Michael Herring	2Pac J. Phoenix Nas
10	"Mastermind"	4:07	Nasir Jones Alan Maman	Alchemist	Nas
11	"Warrior Song"	4:42	Nasir Jones Alicia Keys	Alicia Keys	Alicia Keys Nas
12	"Revolutionary Warfare"	3:29	Nasir Jones Alan Maman Patrick Adams Leroy Jackson Terry Phillips	Alchemist	Lake Nas	★ Contains samples from "We Made It" as performed by Black Ivory
13	"Dance"	3:34	Nasir Jones Carl Thompson	Chucky Thompson	Nas	★ Contains samples from "Aïcha" performed by Khaled (musician)
14	"Heaven"	4:42	Nasir Jones Jully Black Amani Wailoo A. Griffith Sheila Holman Eddie Holman	Agile Saukrates (co-producer)	Jully Black Nas	★ Contains samples from "I Love You" as performed by Eddie Holman

Bonus CD

Early pressings of ''God's Son'' included a bonus disc with three extra tracks.^[4]

#	Title	Length	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Performer(s)	Samples
15	"Thugz Mirror (Freestyle)"	1:50	Nasir Jones Salaam Remi	Alchemist	Nas
16	"Pussy Killz"	4:38	Nasir Jones Carl Thompson	Chucky Thompson	Nas	★ Contains samples from "My Hero Is a Gun" by Diana Ross
17	"The G.O.D."	2:39	Nasir Jones Kasseem Dean	Swizz Beatz	Nas

Chart positions

Album

Chart (2002)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	12
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums	1

Singles

Song	Chart (2003)	Peak position
"Made You Look"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	32
"Made You Look"	U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	12
"Made You Look"	UK Singles Chart	27
"I Can"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	12
"I Can"	U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	7
"I Can"	UK Singles Chart	19
"Get Down"	U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	76

References

1. Nas' Billboard albums chart positions at All Music Guide
2. Gold and Platinum searchable database at RIAA.com
3. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
4. God's Son review at All Music Guide
5. God's Son review at All Music Guide
6. Driven: Nas - About the Episode at VH1.com
7. God's Son review at VIBE.com
8. Driven: Nas - About the Episode at VH1.com
9. Nas Sets Release For God's Son, Pooh-Poohs Jay-Z's Challenge at VH1.com
10. "Last Real Nigga Alive" lyrics at ohhla.com
11. Driven: Nas - About the Episode at VH1.com
12. Irv Gotti Says Nas May Sign With Murder Inc. at VH1.com
13. Nas Kills The Speculation: 'It's Murder!' at VH1.com
14. Nas Goes To The Streets, Shoots Guerilla-Style Video at VH1.com
15. God's Son review at All Music Guide
16. God's Son review at PopMatters.com
17. God's Son review from DotMusic
18. God's Son review at All Music Guide
19. God's Son review at VIBE.com
20. God's Son review at IGN
21. God's Son (Clean - Bonus CD) Credits at All Music Guide
22. God's Son review at All Music Guide
23. God's Son review at IGN
24. Soul on Nice: A review of The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, God's Son and Charmbracelet from New York Magazine
25. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
26. Made You Look at AcclaimedMusic.net
27. Blender's Best Singles of 2003 at AcclaimedMusic.net
28. Made You Look at AcclaimedMusic.net
29. Made You Look at AcclaimedMusic.net
30. God's Son review at RollingStone.com
31. God's Son review at VIBE.com
32. God's Son review at IGN
33. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
34. God's Son review at RollingStone.com
35. God's Son review at VIBE.com
36. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
37. Nas Goes To The Streets, Shoots Guerilla-Style Video at VH1.com
38. God's Son review at All Music Guide
39. God's Son review at IGN
40. God's Son review at All Music Guide
41. God's Son review at IGN
42. Soul on Nice: A review of The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, God's Son and Charmbracelet from New York Magazine
43. God's Son review from Stylus Magazine
44. Nas' Billboard albums chart positions at All Music Guide
45. Gold and Platinum searchable database at RIAA.com
46. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
47. Nas' Billboard singles chart positions at All Music Guide
48. Gold and Platinum searchable database at RIAA.com
49. "Last Real Nigga Alive" lyrics at ohhla.com
50. "Mastermind" lyrics at ohhla.com
51. "The Cross" lyrics at ohhla.com
52. God's Son review at All Music Guide