*shrug* I liked Life Is Good, which has the best production he's rocked over in years (not saying much, obviously). The problem with it is that, like many recent Nas albums, it starts strong and then nosedives in the middle. I just don't understand why an artist in 2012 would cosign something like Reach Out. That beat is played the fuck out, as is Mary J Blidge. Nas' performance on the track isn't bad, in fact it's good....but I just don't want to listen to that track again. World's An Addiction features a classic Nas verse (the last one) but overall it's such a melodramatic track...no thanks. And then there's Summer On Smash...fuck Swizz Beats, man.
The back end of the album is pretty good, especially Stay and Bye Baby. Personally I would have scrapped Reach Out, Summer On Smash, and World's An Addiction for the bonus tracks: Roses, Where's The Love, and Trust.
In terms of Nas in general...ultimately it's an issue of production for me. Give him dope production and you'll get a dope project, period. Unlike most of his peers he's still rapping at a high level IMO. Him, Black Thought, and Pharoach Monch are the only early 90s dudes off the top of my head who are still slaying verses consistently today; Jay could be on that list if he wanted to (see: most of his guest feature verses over the last few years). Ultimately I'm taking an L for essentially making a coulda woulda shoulda argument but hey. Be a Nas stan brehs.
