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100

Dot Music

Brilliantly sequenced, the album reaches a euphoric climax with the "Yes, we can change the world" hook of 'Black President,' a close cousin of Lupe Fiasco's 'Superstar.'

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

The beats beat Green Lantern's. And what the finale has to say about Obama is so sane I may just check out van Sertima myself.

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PopMatters

"Illmatic" was stylistically brilliant and incalculably influential, but Untitled is a more mature, emotionally-driven, and philosophically-complex piece of work. It’s also a masterpiece.

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RapReviews.com

Even if the music isn't extraordinary, Nas himself is legendary on "Untitled" - and as long as racism is relevant, so is this album.

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Entertainment Weekly

It's refreshing to hear a complicated record that doesn't shy from grown-up ambition.

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Billboard

From "Project Roach," where Nas says that the NAACP's burial of "n*gger" was pointless, to "Untitled," which discusses Louis Farrakhan's role in America, the Queens MC impresses his listener while provoking social and political thought.

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Boston Globe

The new album, immersed in a soul-funk sound with guest spots from the Stylistics and the Last Poets, is contradictory at times, but the idea of building hope through about an hour's worth of music supersedes any effort to brew controversy.

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All Music Guide

A couple tracks might sonically resemble inferior versions of years-old tracks that helped make Nas a hip-hop deity and, nearly ten years after Nas was first accused of selling out, he might still sound a little awkward over radio-friendly productions. But the MC has never made an album as engrossing or as necessary as this one.

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Rolling Stone

This is a sprawling, furious, deeply ambivalent theme album about institutional racism, the failures of black leadership and the pathologies and promise of early-21st-century African-American life.

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Drowned In Sound

Mixing his ear for hits, like single ‘Hero’, with the political eloquence that marks the record out, this ought to be the album that promotes Nas back up into the super leagues that 1994’s "Illmatic" originally shot him into.

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Hot Press

Ho & bling free rap of the highest thought provoking order.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Nas finds a wonderful groove in its final third, as the rapper takes a break from heady theorizing to rap allegorically from the perspective of a cockroach and pens a love song to fried chicken.

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Village Voice

Controversy aside, without any truly addictive tracks, you can't consider Nas's latest among his greatest. But it's hard not to appreciate the effort.

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Hartford Courant

Those who care not only about hip-hop but the culture it reflects and shapes will find Nasir Jones' latest the most intriguing, provocative and ultimately troubling album released this year.

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Slant Magazine

The lyrics are all terrific; the beats, not so much.

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The New York Times

For every moment of clarity on this album, there’s an eyebrow-archer to match.

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NOW Magazine

Taking a tip from William Cooper’s conspiracy theory tracts, Nas deftly delivers attention-grabbing rhymes with a sickly slick flow yet offers little backup for his inflammatory insinuations in the way of persuasive substance.

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The Wire

Unfortunately, for all the insight, this willingness to play victim often overshadows the incisiveness of the MC's observations when it come to the beats he has chosen to rail over. [Sep 2008, p.66]

Paste Magazine

Unfortunately, no amount of slick beats and swagger can camouflage Untitled’s defects.

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Los Angeles Times

More often than not, though, Nas offers windy whines instead of innovative ideas.

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Sputnikmusic

Untitled is far from terrible, but it's still a deflating, disappointing, infuriating listen.

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cokemachineglow

Like a professor spewing a semi-clever lecture on civil rights and contemporary left politics where he’s pretty good at rhyming his facts but acts like rhyming is all the sinew that his presentation needs to connect the bones of his argument.

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Observer Music Monthly

As ever, this most eloquent of rappers is stronger on zingers than philosophical coherence. But his dismal taste in beats strands his poetry in a sea of mediocrity.

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Pitchfork

On Untitled you get to decide whether you prefer Nas thoroughly exploring half-assed concepts or half-assedly exploring thorough concepts.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Ultimately, Nas’ decision to sacrifice lyrical and aesthetic sensibility for controversy, hype, and pop-appeal exposes the commodification and hollowness of his artistic voice and vision.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 76 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Joe T. gave it a9:
Second (or third?) the other reviewers, ...Pitchfork is waaay off. (Maybe they should stick to twee indie bands out of Sweden?) Though inconsistent at times, Nas has been on fire and consistently pushing himself forward ever since 'Stillmatic' and after he stopped bothering to produce another Illmatic. Can't wait for what he tries next.

t l gave it a10:
What the definition of classic is?timeless so age dont count in the booth when ur flow stays submerged in the fountain of youth!!!!!!

Joel O. gave it a9:
Not one to write reviews, so I'll keep this as short as possible. This is a GREAT album. I'm still on the fence about it being a classic or not, but it is one of the best albums I've heard in a while. Unique concepts, vivid wordplay cloaked in fantastic lyrics. The only downfall I can think of is also what makes it unique, and thats the beats. The beats are not for everyone I'm afraid. But they seem "talor made" for Nas, as hard as I try, its very difficult to picture anyone else rhyming over these "unique" beats. Like they were custom made to fit Nas' voice and flow. Nas has a nack for making mediocre beats sound like something from DJ Preimer with just his rhymes and flow alone. That said, this is a damn fine accomplishment for Mr. Jones, and should not be missed by anyone seeking a new sound.

Sam B. gave it a10:
I have seen lots of reviews say the album sounds terrible musically, but i say for the topic at hand the album gives you a soulful feel. Especially from the songs such as "You Cant Stop Us Now" where he includes Eban Thomas from the Last Poets. "Breathe" is an oustanding lyrical song, doesn't have the greatest hook but that make you pay attention to the words of the verses more. N*GGER (Slave and the Master) has the feel of "Roots" or "Amistad" with the beautiful violin mixed with the base guitar. "Fried Chicken" fits the concept of the album beautifully. "Sly Fox" given nas' recent history, oozes his militant mind frame. All in all the only weak song on the album is "We Make The World Go Round" and the only reason for that is that it doesn't fit the profile of the album. But a wonderful sound and impecable lyrics. GREAT RECORD 10 out of 10.

FT E. gave it a9:
Pretty awesome. Beats could be better.

Korleone gave it a10:
His best work since Illmatic. Nas does not waste a single line the entire album, the lyrics are second to none. How can you bash the production, this entire album can be played with a live band. Never has a Hip Hop album tackled such a subject and not waver the entire time (even Hero, explained the music industry hypocrisy). It is a breath of fresh air from all of the over-hyped dumbed down, tracks & hooks garbage that has flooded the airwaves for this century. We can actually LISTEN to music, thanks Nas.

Wes M. gave it a1:
Another self-important release from the self-proclaimed "savior" of hip-hop (not in need of saving by the way, there is the same ratio of shit to good that there was in the '90s), only this time without the innovative production or any noticeable step forward in Nas' pseudo-rap-sage shtick.

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