Electric Relaxation: Nas "2nd Childhood"

I've been thinking about Nas' Stillmatic album all week. Not just because this week 10 years ago began the rebirth of his career when Jay-Z dropped "The Blueprint" (which I'll be blogging about sometime this month). Nas was 27 when dropped Stillmatic and on Saturday I'll be 27.

When I was 19, I bought Illmatic for the first time. Right away, I appreciated it as a classic record and even though I was already a Nas fan, it meant more to me because I was the same age he was when he wrote most of it. A few months later when I turned 20, I listened closer to "Life's a B---h", the classic duet with AZ. AZ's verse  rightfully gets all of its praise but Nas' hit me closer. Peep the opener.

I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing
The essence of adolescent leaves my body now I'm fresh in
My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created

That was exactly how I felt turning 20. Since Illmatic hit me so close at that age, I'm curious if Stillmatic will hit me closer at 27 now that I've experienced enough to appreciate it even more.

"2nd Childhood" inspired me the first time I heard it. A classic DJ Premier beat and Nas putting on his street's reporter hat going through Queens. His first verse speaks on himself reliving his childhood then finding peace and happiness in being mature. It's a theme that comes up on the album a lot - Nas finally in a content state after chasing pop success and getting back to who he was as a person and an artist.

The next two verses see him describing two different people (31 year old man, 27 year old girl) who are still doing things they should've grown out of. It's sad hearing them because they aren't doing anything with their lives except running wild and watching life pass them by. If you're smart, you can catch the subtle digs at public education and the groupie lifestyle (the latter being something Nas spoke on with "Black Girl Lost").

I find myself going back to this song when I look at Twitter sometimes and I see folks in their 30's acting like I saw folks do in college. I assumed you grew out of that stuff but nah, they still continue in it. It confused me because I always look to older folks subconsciously for tips on what to do/what not to do as I get there. Yet, I still see some of them clinging on to acting like boys/girls instead of men/women. Real life episodes of "Baby Boy"

I love how vivid the descriptions are and it shows why Nas is the one of the best to ever pick up a pen. Primo's beat puts me in a daze and since it's a sequel to Illmatic, it gives you that same rush you feel when you hear  "Memory Lane". It's almost like Nas was an old man at 20 reflecting then and now at 27, he can reflect after experiencing life.

For me, I'm realizing now that I thought I was an old man at 23. At that age, I had been to the Coliseum, the Rose Bowl, seen Kevin Love at a HS Tournament. Dodger Stadium to see Barry Bonds, USC-UCLA and in a Hollywood club watching the first Obama-Clinton debate. I was in deep as a reporter and with my then-girlfriend yet I thought I was missing life because I was working.

Now at 27, I realize I have a lot of perspective on those younger days and realize that I wasn't old at all. I can reflect and be happy. I'm not in my 2nd childhood but I can enjoy the fact that I'm gearing up for new experiences. I may not be in a totally ideal place but I'm inspired by a new chance to see life.

This is the last Nas-DJ Premier collaboration on wax (not counting "Classic"). If this is the last song the two of them make on an album, what a gem to leave us with - but please. Nas, from one Virgo to another,  find a way to put Primo on "Life is Good", especially if you're in a good place again. I know y'all are fresh off tearing it down at Rock the Bells. One more song can't hurt right?

Electric Relaxation: Moment of Truth (Gang Starr)

They say it's lonely at the top, in whatever you do
You always gotta watch motherf**kers around you
Nobody's invincible, no plan is foolproof
We all must meet our moment of truth

When I listened to this yesterday, I knew I had to make this a separate post from my Guru tribute last night. This song has always hit me on a deeper level because the words are uplifting and the beat takes you a higher place.

I first heard this song in 2006, months before I was going to graduate from college. It was my moment of truth - my time to figure out what was going to do next and I had no idea. This song encouraged me to figure something out but it also made me reflective on my life up to that point.

The song became the anthem of my last semester. It's one of my favorite songs of all time and I listen to find encouragement or get reflective on my past.

"Why do bad things happen, to good people? Seems that life is just a constant war between good and evil."

From a Gang Starr perspective, if the Moment of Truth album was a victory lap, this is playing in the background. Guru just put some of the best lines of his career on here that could only come from having been in the game for a decade at the time.

The entire second verse (from which I quoted the above line) is a message of hope. No matter how hard things get, they're hard for everyone so don't give up and remember what you've done. The end almost hit me hard listening to it yesterday. It's mature lyricism/real talk at its finest.

I really love the 3rd verse too cause it feels like Guru is being autobiographical about his craft and what Gang Starr is about - staying true to who they are and calling out the fakers with his monotone style. He was so gifted with his words and this song just shows it. A man at the peak of his skill and success with Gang Starr looking back at it all.

On formspring, I was asked to name my Top 10 favorite songs and it's always hard to do. But I named this song on the list and I'd do it again. It's such an inspiration and with all of us saddened by Guru's passing, this song speaks volumes. He's met his Moment of Truth and in our lives, we have to do at various times.

Rest in Peace and enjoy the music. Go get this album and you won't be disappointed. He lives at peace "Above the Clouds where the sound is original". Let's give Keith Elam the final word from Verse 2.

My only crime, was that I'm too damn kind
And now some scandalous motherf**kers wanna take what's mine
But they can't take the respect, that I've earned in my lifetime
And you know they'll never stop the furious force of my rhymes
So like they say, every dog has its day
And like they say, God works in a mysterious way
So I pray, remembering the days of my youth
As I prepare to meet my moment of truth

RIP Guru - A Legend in His Own Time

"Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is. I get more props in stunts than Bruce Willis"

One of the greatest couplets in hip hop history. The first half is probably the most random quotable ever and it sticks in your head cause it's like did Guru really say that? The second part you just have to know because it finishes the rhyme but you're still bugged out that a great MC just said the first part for no rhyme or reason.

That's one of my favorite lines from Keith Elam aka Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal (Guru). I remember when I read the Source's Top 150 songs and "Dwyck" was in the Top 30. It stood out for a few reasons. 1) The first time I had heard Nice N Smooth outside of their classic hit "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow", 2) DJ Premier's simple beat that was the definition of head-nodding, boom-bap, 3) Guru's laidback flow just rocking that beat like a calm earthquake - monotone, yet vicious.

It's sad that I went to sleep seeing a trickling of stories come out on Twitter. Then I woke up and checked Allhiphop.com to feel the same sadness I felt when I woke up in past years to find out Jam Master Jay, J-Dilla and Proof had died. Guru had been in a hospital for a month and to end up dying from cancer?

It's a sad loss for hip-hop and especially for Boston, Guru's hometown. He put them on the map despite seemingly defining New York boom-bap.

"Your head'll bop, when I drop my crop/Of pure bomb, just like the sea shore I'm calm/But wild, with my monotone style. Because I don't need gimmicks. Gimme a fly beat and I'm all in it."

Mass Appeal is probably the most recognizable Gang Starr song. The first one I recall hearing without knowing who it was. It had quotables for days. Guru just had a way to pound you to sleep without bashing you over the head with a Chuck D delivery. He was almost like Rakim - smooth, jazzy and prolific with the pen.

Gang Starr stood for integrity and principle. No wackness or fakeness allowed. No dances or corny mess either - it's all about stepping to the mic and keeping it real. Guru never changed what he was about with Gang Starr - it was a formula that worked to perfection because when he spoke, you listened.

Gang Starr's jazzy vibe should be credited to Guru as much as DJ Premier. It was Guru who started the Jazzmatazz series. It was Guru who penned the lyrics for "Jazz Thing" in Spike Lee's "Mo Betta Blues". He loved jazz and it showed the way he delivered his rhymes - subtle but strong like a saxophone or trumpet. It was cool and collected, always in control because he had a message for you.

I'll never forget in 2006 when I discovered Moment of Truth. I was getting ready to graduate and the title track kept replaying in my mind. Reaching that moment where I was on the cusp of leaving college to the real world, that album helped me stay reflective and consider what was behind and before me.

It's no surprise that it was seen as a victory lap by fans who watched Guru and Premier build an impressive resume of classic singles and albums. It went gold and Top 10 on the Billboard Charts and was a perfect way for Gang Starr to end the 90's. On top after a legendary run.

I saw love on Twitter from unlikely sources - Joel Madden? David Faustino from Married With Children? That lets you know that people loved Gang Starr and respected what they did. DJ Premier got a lot of shine but Guru's words stood out too. It showed that craft paid off and their legacy touched a lot of people.

I won't dwell on the end of Gang Starr and Guru's strange relationship with producer Solar, but let's remember a great MC who was sadly taken far too soon.

My Favorite 10 Gang Starr songs

1. Moment of Truth (Electric Relaxation post to explain more coming this week)

2. Mass Appeal

3. Check the Technique

4. Dwyck

5. You Know My Steez

6. Above the Clouds

7. Just to Get a Rep

8. Skillz

9. I'm The Man (sampled by so many)

10. Ex Girl to Next Girl