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THREAD about NaS' fourth solo album, NaStradamus, released by Columbia Records during Thanksgiving week, November 23, 1999 
When the I Am... double album was shelved, Columbia / NaS decided to put out two albums, the second titled NaStradamus, just months apart from each other. Advertised in the single disc I Am as coming out in late October ‘99, NaStradamus arrived a month later than expected
Some songs were new and some were from the I Am sessions. Like I Am, NaStradamus is a mixed bag. There are fewer gems here than on I Am, however. This is widely considered NaS’ worst album. Is that a fair assessment?
Yes and no. There are many mediocre songs and a few awful ones but it’s not all bad. It’s slightly underrated, IMO. NaS is talented enough to make his lesser projects worth listening to. Have an open mind and give it a shot. It did go platinum LOL
This is the final album in NaS’ tetralogy and represents the “Prophet,” inspired by Michel Nostradamus (an alleged seer known for Les Prophéties). NaS talks about the future a lot here, Y2K in particular; this follows its theme better than some prior albums. On to the songs
The Prediction. Spacey instrumental. A woman breathlessly recites a poem about the future. “NaStradamus tell us how the story gets told…” You’ll skip after one listen.
Life We Chose. A pretty good way to begin the album. Could've improved I Am... Not Nasty NaS but not quite Esco either. Solid; just misses greatness.
Title track. Lead single. Evidences our obsession with Y2K. Who could forget the unintentionally hilarious music video premiered with 3-D glasses? This song gets a lot of hate, unfairly. Some bars make you cringe but I dig it, in part because of the lively EPMD-inspired beat
Some of Us Have Angels. NaS raps about man’s duality; a demon on one shoulder, an angel on the other. Lyrics are OK, beat sounds cheap as fuck, and the hook is dull with a capital D. Skip.
Project Windows. One of the best from the I Am… sessions. Painfully beautiful, particularly in original form; it had a Neville Brothers piano sample they couldn't clear. Still VERY good but not the CLASSIC it would've been. S/O Ron Isley. Peep "The Game Lives On" w/o him.
Come Get Me. Cookie cutter NaS / Primo song; beat is kind of futuristic. Still better than 99% of rapper/producer combos. Energetic; one of NaStradamus’ better tracks. Listen for subliminal shots aimed at Jay-Z. Awful skit at the end. WHY?!?
Shoot 'Em Up. NaStradamus B-side. Dashing through the snow with an AK-47. Holiday shootouts. Hook needs work. Song is kind of funny. I don’t mind it. 2Pac - "Life's So Hard" ("Kill kill kill murder murder murder")
Last Words. One of the arguable classics on this album. Beat / hook do justice. One of Nashawn’s best verses. Another anthropomorphic NaS verse; about a prison cell. Story might have got old with more bars but it’s perfect with one verse. DOPE. Another Unnecessary skit
Family. Maybe the worst NaS / Mobb Deep collabo. Like Come Get Me, it’s by the numbers, but still enjoyable. Verses deserved better production. I wouldn’t skip it but I’m not looking for it.
God Love Us. I feel the same way about this as I feel about Life We Chose. It’s cool but it could be better. There’s something missing. I’m not sure what it is. Beat is a little low-rent? Not sure. Thoughts?
Quiet Niggas. Bravehearts dominate this track. NaS’ verse is unusually brief. What else do I need to say? I can stand it but I don’t want to hear this shit.
Big Girl. You’re going to appreciate Quiet Niggas a lot more when you hear this. Often picked as the worst NaS song of all time. NaS doing that Big Things flow (stay in your lane); mediocre beat by LES; horrible hook sung by NaS. It doesn’t get much worse than this.
New World. All about that Y2K shit; might be one of NaS’ silliest songs but I like it. Sue me. I understand why many would hate it. Toto’s Africa is a guilty pleasure of mine. Some of NaS’ predictions are prescient; many are laughable. New World is good fun, in my opinion.
You Owe Me. Another many hate that I enjoy. Snobs. Weird way to end the album. One of the few NaS songs that works in a club. Who doesn’t like Ginuwine? Timbo’s beat is better than the one he did for I Am. Lyrics are comically ignorant / misogynistic. Tune em out if necessary
The Outcome. More of that poem from the intro. “Global warming between my legs…” Yeah… 😊
Hustlers and Killers. Bonus track on copies sold at Circuit City, an electronics store that no longer exists. Better than the average NaStradamus song, particularly if you like flutes. Should’ve replaced one of the album’s worst songs.
Final thoughts. This is probably a 3 mic album (about 3.5 a few hours after swallowing an edible) but I'm glad it exists; I wouldn't delete it from NaS' discography. Lower your expectations and don't dismiss it.
