Sensibly, Nas opens this album by warning us that it's not intended to be another 'Illmatic', that he's all about moving forward. And move forward he has, perhaps shifting the entire scene along with him, picking up hip-hop and his own career as if the last few years had been a steady progression from that '94 classic rather than an often-infuriating slump.
It's been common amongst card-carrying 'real hip-hop' heads to dismiss post 'Illmatic' Nas as a jiggy clown rapt by his own ego and dragged down by poor production. And there's some truth in this perception, he can be a frustratingly contradictory artist. But for every Bravehearts track there's a 'Nas Is Like' to convince us to keep checking for him.
'Stillmatic', as ever, is far from flawless but, at its best, it addresses the hip-hop landscape of 2002 as lucidly as 'Illmatic' did that of '94. Tracks like 'What Goes Around', the two excellent Large Professor contributions - 'You're Da Man' and 'Rewind' - Premier's '2nd Childhood' and 'One Mic' stand as some of the best hip-hop recorded last year.
It's tempting to ascribe Nas' return to form to the 'beef' between himself and Jay-Z but although this factor undoubtedly plays a part (his battle rhymes at last sound vital and alive bringing fire to the limp production on 'Ether') the changes in the American experience have as much to do with it. He was never really happy bathing in the world of Cristal and iced-out jewels, conspicuous consumption didn't suit that broken-man wisdom. Leave it to Hova.
In truth, both Jay-Z and Nas are so far from their origins that their music bears little or no resemblance to that which etched their names in history. Jay-Z succeeded with 'The Blueprint' because, to some extent, he took things back to the beginning but it was a compromise, a kind of hip-hop nostalgia. 'Stillmatic' succeeds by actually moving to the next level, Nas' sparklingly inventive rhymes responding to both personal experience and political turmoil - there are verses here that surpass even the best of his debut. There's more anger, more passion.
Of course, this wouldn't be a Nas album if there weren't at least a couple of tracks to spoil things - the dire Tears For Fears sampling 'Rule' is a dreadful shame - but be in no doubt, this is a fine album and a genuine response to the challenge of making hip-hop music after September 11.
