Maps of Music

God's Son (2002)

Where the lyrics of God's Son take you, and where it was really made.

Nas moved the release date up four days to beat bootleggers, and the album's personal material came from his mother's death less than a year earlier.

Key places

Miami session for tracks 1 and 5 (2002)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — Tracks 1 and 5 were recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami. The point sits at the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing at Sony Music Studios (2002)

Recording site Sony Music Studios — Several tracks were mixed at Sony Music Studios in New York City, according to the credits. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Detroit session at 54 Sound (2002)

Recording site Hitsville USA — Track 2 was recorded at 54 Sound in Detroit, Michigan, and its vocals were later recorded in New York. The point sits at the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Vocals at Electric Lady (2002)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Vocals for several tracks were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, according to the credits. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Orlando session at Transcontinental (2002)

Recording site Parc Studios — Track 3 was recorded at Transcontinental Studios in Orlando, Florida. The point sits at the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Tarzana session at Can-Am (2002)

Recording site Can-Am Studios — Track 9 was recorded at Can-Am Recorders in Tarzana, California, as listed in the credits. The point sits at the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles session at Skip Saylor (2002)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Track 9 was also recorded at Skip Saylor Recording in Los Angeles, according to the credits. The point sits at the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Long Island session at Lobo (2002)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — Track 14 was recorded at Lobo Studios on Long Island, New York, and mixed at Sony Music Studios. The point sits at the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• God's Son: sixth studio album by American rapper Nas
• Released December 13, 2002 by Ill Will and Columbia Records
• Blends hardcore hip hop with soul and jazz elements
• Guests include Alicia Keys and Kelis, plus a posthumous 2Pac verse
• Partly inspired by the death of Nas's mother in early 2002
• Lyrical themes: religion, violence, grief, redemption, and Nas's own emotional experiences

Background

• Nas spent time tending to his ill mother, Ann Jones, until she died of breast cancer in April 2002
• Nas said he did not want to record music while his mother was sick
• Nas's mother died in his arms and later inspired several songs on the album
• Nas was nearing the end of his feud with Jay-Z at the time
• By October 2002 the album was expected on Tuesday, December 17, 2002
• Around the same time, a music video for the single 'Made You Look' was being shot
• On December 4, Nas moved the release to Friday, December 13, 2002 to prevent bootlegging

Recording

• Production took place during 2001 to 2002
• Producers included Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist
• Remi produced five tracks; all other producers worked on two or fewer
• Sessions credited to studios in Miami, Detroit, Orlando, New York, Los Angeles, Tarzana, and Long Island
• Mixing credited to Sony Music Studios in New York City
• Musicians include Mercedes Abal on flute, Jeff Bass on keyboards, Olu Dara on horns, and Michael Herring on guitar

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City; raised in the Queensbridge Houses, Queens.
• Son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara; began as "Nasty Nas" in 1989 and recorded demos under Large Professor.
• Made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque"; signed with Columbia Records in 1992.

Career

• Debut album Illmatic (April 19, 1994) is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums; selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
• It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200; single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill brought mainstream success.
• Feud with Jay-Z (2001–2005) via the diss track "Ether"; Stillmatic and God's Son helped restore his critical standing.
• Released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and Distant Relatives (2010) with Damian Marley, whose royalties went to African charities.
• King's Disease (2020) won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
• Released King's Disease II, Magic, King's Disease III, Magic 2 and Magic 3, all produced by Hit-Boy.
• Announced Light-Years with DJ Premier, a 2025 collaborative album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Serena Kim of Vibe gave the album a 4 out of 5 disc-rating
• Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Village Voice gave a mixed review and wrote that Nas had rendered himself mediocre
• Metacritic: average score of 81, based on 18 reviews
• Pitchfork's Sam Chennault lauded Nas' verbal ability despite calling the production 'lukewarm'
• Ethan Brown of New York praised Nas' lyricism and called the album a reminder of what had been missing
• Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention in his consumer guide

Reappraisal

• Critics compared it with Illmatic and Stillmatic, often placing it between the two
• Pitchfork's Sam Chennault wrote that the album has more emotional depth than Illmatic
• Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone named 'Get Down' the best song on the album

Records

• Debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 with 156,000 copies in its first week
• Peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200
• Sold 630,000 copies in three weeks within the Top 20
• Reached number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on January 14, 2003 for sales above one million copies
• 'I Can' reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100
• 'Made You Look' reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Nas moved the release date from December 17 to December 13, 2002 to prevent bootlegging.
• Executive production credited to Nas for Ill Will Records and Steve Stoute for Casino.
• 'Get Down' is a funky rework of 'The Boss' and 'Funky Drummer' by James Brown, per the album's track notes.
• 'Made You Look' was released as the first single on February 12, 2003.
• Nas said he wanted fans to hear the album as he intended, not in bootleg form.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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