I Am...

They Say...

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Nas' debut album Illmatic was an instant classic, heralding the arrival of an individual talent. It was clear that where his peers postured, Nas delivered the goods, turning out astonishing raps where his metaphors and narratives were as astonishing his aural dexterity. That gift didn't leave him on his second album, It Was Written, but the moments where the production flirted with pop -- and Nas flirted with an alter-ego called Nas Escobar -- upset many fans of the stripped-down, hardcore vibe of Illmatic, and the crass, jumbled side project the Firm didn't help matters, either. All of which explains the hard sound of his third record, I Am: The Autobiography, which falls somewhere between his two previous efforts sonically but exceeds them in terms of ambition. I Am summarizes the journey Nas took on his first two albums, all in an attempt to take him to a different level. Appropriately, it at times sounds as if he's conflicted between his street roots and pop inclinations, but those conflicts produce great music even when the production tends toward pop. Part of that is due to a terrific team of producers, highlighted by DJ Premier, LES and Trackmasterz, but the success of I Am is entirely due to Nas. His rhymes are thrilling, dramatic works of art that enliven the more predictable productions and keep listeners on the edge of their seats. He never goes for cliches, choosing to weave dense tapestries of metaphors and allegories that reveal more on each listen. The best thing about I Am is that he doesn't have a weak rhyme or story here and that they all rank among his best moments -- which means that this is quite a powerful record indeed. [I Am: The Autobiography was also released in a "clean" version, which contained no profanities or obscenities.]