Face the Music

Does Esco's new album live up to the hype? Here's what some of the country's major news outlets are saying:

"From "Project Roach," where Nas says that the NAACP's burial of "n*gger" was pointless, to "Untitled," which discusses Louis Farrakhan's role in America, the Queens MC impresses his listener while provoking social and political thought.” – Billboard

"Nas is the least musical of the great rappers, with little sense of melody and little flexibility in rhythm and cadence. It spills over to his beat selection, which tends toward the stultifying. The ones here are reminiscent of the mid-1990s, largely rooted in gentle soul music. In short, these are beats that don't work harder than the rapper.” – The New York Times

"Neither preachy nor overly polemical, Nas uses his lyrical gifts to keep us guessing: One moment he's addressing rap fans who ''live way out in safe suburbia,'' the next he and guest Busta Rhymes gleefully play with stereotypes on the funky ''Fried Chicken.'' Over a soul sample, ''Testify'' starts, ''I just burned my American flag'' — yet before the Obama-sampling ''Black President,'' Nas declares, ''I love America.'' In a summer of ''Lollipop,'' it's refreshing to hear a complicated record that doesn't shy from grown-up ambition.” – Entertainment Weekly

"Untitled is littered with flaccid attempts at pop crossover, with "Hero" and "We Make the World Go Round" two egregious examples. Not only do the plays for radio riches feel forced, they make Nas' Neiman Marxist radicalism seem glaringly hypocritical, even by rap standards.” – The Los Angeles Times