And yet, he wastes the cut rapping about wearing “buckets like Gilligan.” hook into a street-smart condemnation of the gun violence that has been a hot topic in America since Columbine. Once upon a time, Nas would have had the foresight to turn this appropriated B.I.G. 38s/Nine nines, 10 MAC-10s, the shit never ends (Never ends, never ends)/The world’s going crazy, this shit never ends (Never ends, never ends).” on the hook, with a reference to Biggie’s song “Come On”: “I got seven MAC-11s, about eight. “It Never Ends” pays tribute to The Notorious B.I.G.

Nas wastes his nimble, multisyllabic flow by jumping from tired topic to exhausted topic. Listeners will find little of that charm on the sequel, which mines unreleased tracks from recording sessions for Hip Hop Is Dead, his untitled album, Life Is Good and NASIR. The beats alternated between elegant minimalism and roughneck grime, as Nas effortlessly shape-shifted from heartfelt to hard-edged and back again.

And yet, the throwaway cuts from that joint ended up being better than much of i am… and Nastradamus. The OG compilation consisted of leftovers from Nas’ most creative period of output: 1998-2001. However, the follow-up is a disappointing array of free-association rhymes that pale in comparison to Nas’ album work.Ĭomparisons to the original The Lost Tapes are unrealistic and unfair - yet inevitable. His ire seemed understandable at the time, given that The Lost Tapes was quintessential Nasir and remains a fan favorite. Nas and his fans have wanted The Lost Tapes 2 to be released for a long time.Įsco even wrote an angry letter to Def Jam nearly a decade ago about the record company allegedly delaying the compilation’s release.

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