Review Summary: "The Lost Tapes 2.0"
Nothing has ever been the same for Queens rapper Nature, especially after his Firm days came to an abrupt end. Being the replacement of another classmate of rap legend Nas from his schooling days with Noreaga, as Nature was himself, he was the last piece to the puzzle in the short-lived rap supergroup The Firm. Pairing up with his long-time friend Nas and his co-defendant AZ, along with undoubtedly the strongest female rapper at the time with Foxy Brown, The Firm was christened in 1997 in its final form with their mainstream, pompous debut "The Album". Slipping in production from superpower producers like Trackmasters and Dr. Dre, it didn't do enough to save the Firm from continuing their mission, faltering a year after their debut. That sent Nature's career downward, only being reputable from the recognition received in the city with numerous mixtapes and features from renowned men like 50 Cent, Pete Rock, Nas of course, and many others who have cemented their standing amongst the deep, diverse roster of NY rappers existent in the gritty region. That exclusive company he has kept throughout his career does him major diligence in the vintage, nostalgic "Queens Classics", a 15-track collection of unreleased, untouched demos that is unlocked from the vault and feels like the second coming of a similar compilation that Nas brought to the hip-hop world back in 2002 with "The Lost Tapes".
The most fascinating aspect that comes away from vaulted, lost tracks such as this gritty, grimy compilation set forth is how were these unmastered demos unable to make any sort of final cut into any major album drop that Nature amassed in his numerous mixtapes and his only album to date, 2000's For All Seasons. Bustling, boom-bap inspired tracks such as the dreamy, boastful "Kingz of Queens" sets the nostalgia into full immersion, as loud, crashing bass lines blast together with emotive, intense strings as Nature, Queensbridge mainstay Tragedy Khadafi, and Blaq Poet deliver equally primal, raw verses that pay tribute to their underground, graphical surroundings. Left untouched from the time it was recorded back in the early 2000's, there's easy recognition of its obvious age as it wasn't remastered or otherwise to match today's modernized standards. That same golden aspect that helps turn back the clock back a decade plus in this dusty, rare collection does dividends, especially in diamond gems such as the sun-bathed, slow hip-hop jam "Summer Cookout" from 1998, grilled to the empt degree with a steamy, yet blunt appearance by the grandiose presence of Nas. Brimming underneath glistening, warm synths that infuse themselves with mechanical, clanky bass in a ultraviolet, cooked atmosphere that invokes, literally summer backyard barbecue vibes all over, this is the epitome of a summer hip-hop jam at its finest, dabbed with a hilarious, fun exchange by Nas as he exclaims "Now, that's a fire mothaf**ka!" to finish it off. Now that's a hell of a summer song to jam to for the summer in full force.
While the grit and muscle of "Queens Classics" heavily relies off of many of Queens' finest rappers like Noreaga and Nas, Nature is quite the underrated rapper himself caliber-wise. In the hardcore, precipitating "Triple Threat", paired with his former Firm teammates, his daunting, concrete lyricism with damning lines like "the same game as James Worthy/they spread my name, just like herpes" offer a strong enough vision that pairs well up to the equally muscling lines that Noreaga and Nas deliver like "Swiss cheese you/and cover it up like Roswell, cartel". Underneath haunting, creepy synths zooming pass industrial bass lines, this showcases that this rarity of a collection features more firepower from the man itself than the elite, local company he keeps. While being heavily laced in its locality and some of Nature's solo tracks lack a fierce pack of punches like the pionic, fragmented journey in the weak, comedic "You Lose", "Queens Classics" is easily by far the best serving of content cooked up by Nature. Empowered by the numerous features that flood the functional cassette, it also serves as a classic, candied treat to hip-hop fans everywhere as the second coming of Nas' notorious "The Lost Tapes", to go and nod to and be reminded by that the golden age of hip-hop still lives on in our hearts and our minds. It just isn't dead yet, no matter how what the condition of today's hip-hop state may be in.
