Personnel includes: Nas, Bravehearts, Kelis, Claudett Ortiz, 2Pac,
J. Phoenix, Alicia Keys, Lake, Jully Black.
Producers include: Nas, Eminem, Salaam "The Chameleon", Ron Browz, The Alchemist.
In the tradition of its predecessor STILLMATIC, GOD'S SON seeks to erase the memory of Nas's commercial pop-crossover albums, instead hearkening back to the poetic glory days of STILLMATIC. The New York hip-hop legend returns to the thoughtful, introspective philosophy that turned heads early in his recording career. There are no attempts at fancy, hook-laden production here--quite the opposite in fact, as the tracks almost seem to go out of their way to be workaday, subservient frameworks to the lyrics. Sampling records (James Brown's "Funky Drummer," Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache") that have already been used by a jillion other rappers, Nas makes it clear that his focus here is strictly on the message. Nas's mother died during the making of this album, and the experience moved him to address such weighty topics as mortality, religion, family, and personal responsibility. Those themes might seem far from the thug-life reveries of many of his contemporaries, but for Nas it's business as usual.