The Mack Left His iPhone And His 9 At Home

Nas “Queens Get The Money” – As an album opener, “Queens Get The Money” feels deliberately tentative and uncomfortably candid. The music has the sound of a modern documentary score — it’s all atmosphere, beeps, and ticks; the sort of music you might use in a scene showing your protagonist feeling thoughtful and conflicted late at night. As a result, it feels as if Nas is sneaking you into his record in the wee hours of the night, and telling you very important things that you’ll only half-remember at dawn. Though the majority of Nas’ new album — it is officially untitled, but you probably know its real name — confronts anxiety about race and the media head on, the intimate, elliptical “Queens Get The Money” is more effective, mainly because it hits its points with a stealthy precision whereas other cuts on the record opt for an overblown, melodramatic seriousness that suits the subject matter, but feels far too obvious. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)