After playing a snippet of a track titled "Seasons" at a Run the Jewels listening session, Nas yesterday decided to release the full song. And, much to my surprise, it's pretty good—it's surely the best solo material to come from Mr. Jones since 2012's Life Is Good. It finds him giving updates on his life: He speaks on his two kids, allegations that he used ghostwriters, and proves he listens to new music by dropping the chorus of O.G. Maco's skeletal banger. The brassy and plodding beat "Gobstopper" comes from J Dilla's 2006 album, Donuts, and, like other tracks from that project, has already been blessed by another rapper, in this case Jay Electronica. No matter how you feel about Nas rapping over a beat made a decade ago by a deceased producer he never worked with while they both walked the earth, you, like me, have to be relieved that he's taken a break from making music with the Australian version of Macklemore.
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I don't know why Nas picked the "Gobstopper" beat (we struggle continuously trying to figure out how Nas chooses his beats), but it made me wonder which other Dilla beats I'd like to him rap over. I consulted the Complex Music braintrust, and we came up with a short list of 10 tracks we think fit his rhyme style. My ultimate pick is "Body Movin'" from The Shining because I believe Nas' current flow—still smooth, but aged and stiffened—would work nicely moving along with the slinking bassline.
“Body Movin’”
"Requiem"
"Crushin'"
"Rebirth Is Necessary"
"U Love"
"One Eleven"
"Last Donut of the Night"
"Two Can Win"
"Stakes Is High"
"Find a Way"
