No resurrection here

With his new album, Hip-Hop is Dead, Nas' flow is as gritty and raw as ever. His trademark interior rhyme scheme is here as well. With production by Will.i.am., Kanye West and Scott Storch, and guest appearances by Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and The Game, how could this album not be an instant classic?\nFor starters, there are way too many mediocre tracks on the album -- recycled gansta' rhetoric that has plagued all this new hip-hop since the drrty South went mainstream. "Play on Playa" with Snoop Dogg is nothing more than an excuse to get Snoop on the album.\nPerhaps the biggest disappointment on the album is the long-awaited collaboration between Nas and Jay-Z on "Black Republican." The track samples a song from "The Godfather: Part II" and has really clean production. Unfortunately, the two emcees (who have both made millions off dis records of each other) have nothing groundbreaking to add to the album. Much like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z appears on the album as a promotional tool (Jay-Z's Def Jam is responsible for the record). \nThe whole album is not a waste, however. The title track, "Hip Hop is Dead," features the production and vocal talent of Will.i.am. The song has a sing-along hook and features Nas pondering the history of hip-hop: "Everybody sound the same/commercialize the game, Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business/If it got where it started/ So we all gather here for the dearly departed."\nThe collaboration with The Game is the best song on the track. The Game's flow complements the flow of Nas' so well it's sad these two don't work together more often.\nWhile "Hustlers" is the best track on the album, my favorite is the very last track, "Hope." This a cappella song rapped by Nas serves as a eulogy to the now-departed hip-hop. I've always felt poetry is the original rap, and the music an afterthought. That's what makes this song so heartbreaking: There is no music to cover up the emotion in Nas' voice. I hope he tries some more a cappella in the future.\nWith an ambitious title like Hip-Hop is Dead, you better bring the goods, and overall, Nas did not. What is unfortunate is if this album were put out by a brand new emcee, it would seem refreshing in a genre that has gone stale. But Nas, who will never be able to top his debut album, ('94's Illmatic) is still in the shadow of that album a dozen years later. If as listeners we agree that hip-hop is dead, then we as listeners must also agree that this album isn't doing anything to awaken it.