with--strictly skillz that will pay the billz..."
Spin (10/96, p.139) - "...It's the production, stupid. Choruses you remember; grainy, pop-savvy loops: When Nas manifests `sleep is the cousin of death,' a line also on ILLMATIC, the sentiment now sounds majestic--worthy of all his Don Corleone street fantasies..."
New York Times (7/28/96, Sec.2, P.30) - "...Throughout the album, Nas stays deadpan as he touts his skills, dispenses advice and places himself within a brutally competitive underworld..."
Q Magazine (9/96, p.118) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Downbeat funk grooves churn in a foggy wash, heavy on electric pianos and smooth strings that ooze bittersweet menace....Angry, lean and full of drive, Nas is the only rapper capable of challenging the Wu-Tang Clan's dominance."
New Musical Express (6/29/96, p.51) - 6 (out of 10) - "...Over a series of stark, almost austere backing tracks, Nas' neat, considered lyrics treat the violence that surrounds him with a mixture of remorse, resignation and ebullience....he paints lurid pictures..."
Entertainment Weekly (7/26/96, p.56) - "...Humor disguises the grim subject matter while Nas' eye for minutiae lends credibility and urgency to his hip-hop short stories." - Rating: A->