Positive: Nas is a great rapper who usually has pretty tight lyrics. There were some pretty good tracks on his last attempt: I am. There are 5 tracks on this record that I find worthy of listening to. "Quiet Ni**as" is my favorite track cause it's something I agree with Nas about. A few songs have good rapping but nothing else.

Negative: Beats sometimes lacking. Choruses seriously lacking. "Life We Chose" sounds like Nas isn't quite with the beat. "Nastradamus" is so "Made-For-MTV" that's it hurts. It surprises me how pretty good rappers continue to try to attract Backstreet Boy fans by "selling out". The track "Big Girl" is so bad/comical it could be on Adam Sandler's next CD. The beat for "New World" is another comical experience for the true hip-hop fan. I heard he made this 7 months after "I am". He should have waited a little longer. The bad by far outweighs the good on this album and Nas has older albums that top this with only the intro.

Basically, Nas ain't street. This is a brother who would RATHER RAP about dollars, cars, girls and watches than his roots and NY State of Mind. Illmatic, which has never left my CD Player since 94', was just amazing. Words can't express how good it was. I definately say GO AND BUY Illmatic and LEAVE THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A CD TO COLLECT DUST IN SOMEONE ELSE'S ROOM.

Peace.

Ok. It is Nas worst cd, but he still has some hits on dis joint. I look at some reviews and wonder if some of those people even heard this cd? I see it like this, every mc who puts out solo efforts is gonna have a cd that doesn't stack up to his or her other albums(Eminem:Encore,Jay-Z:Blueprint 2 to name a few).In Nas case I still think this cd is acceptable. I think its those people who judged this album based it on one song;the song he did with ginuwine. I didn't really like that song but as soon as I heard the rest of tha album I got over it. At least all his albums are different in their own right so I can't knock him for tryin somethin new, besides he came back super hard with stillmatic and shut everybody up. Yes its his worst cd but compared to other mc's "flop" albums he still gets it done.

I've read other people's reviews about this being for Nas's real fans who've been wit him the whole time. I'm sure it's true for a lot of peeps, but not me. I've never really heard Nas before now. I ain't got none of his other albums, but i still rate this album hard. So the next album for me is I Am, then Illmatic and so on! So to all y'all hip-hop fans buy this album, NOW! This guy's got real talent, make the most of it. Well dunn Nas, again. RESPECT! Oh, and big up to all man at Rastrick High!

Well...what can I say about this disc? I'll begin by saying that if you have grown to like Nas more as each consecutive album is released, then this is the album for you. For those of you who are liking each album less and less, than steer clear of Nastradamus, its not for you. It is hard for any hip hop fan to bypass a new Nas cd because he still has all the talent you could ask for, but his selection of beats has become very questionable. There are some very good tracks on the album. "Come Get Me" is a Primo produced banger that is on par with "NY State of Mind 2". "Shoot Em' Up" , the lead single's b-side produced by Havoc (of Mobb Deep) is another tight cut where Nas flips a harmonic style that really works. After these songs though, the album falters. ToTo samples, weak guest rappers, and so-so Dame Grease (who provided some good tracks to DMX's debut) tracks dominate the rest of the disc. As Nas, in his own mind progresses, his core fans (read : Illmatic) are witnessing a digression. Although one of my guilty pleasures is a good Timbaland beat, the one used on the song "You Owe Me" sounds like something that should have been left in the vault. If you are a Nas fan and can't pass the album up, or like your hip hop from MTV, pick it up. To everyone else who knows what Nas is capable of, wait until the next one and hope Nas can re-establish himself.