With his return to grace on Stillmatic, Nas became once again an authentic alternative to the jiggy commercial lines of Jay-Z and friends. Concentrating on his music's very identity, a year later Nas would offer a summary of his renewed career with God’s Son. It was above all his fresh collaboration with producer Salaam Remi which would bring a breath of fresh air to the Queensbridge rapper's distinctive lyrics. Making use of marked breakbeats and classic James Brown samples on "Get Down", Apache on the powerful "Made You Look" and Beethoven on "I Can", Salaam Remi distils all of hip-hop culture, from the golden age to reckless melodies. Adding Eminem and Alchemist for a colder image of Queensbridge, the production on God’s Son is the finest on any Nas album since Illmatic. This underlying approach pushes Nas towards a more pared-down writing style, sketching out new standards, new iconic pieces that will be played over and over. To be sure, Nas's lyrical dexterity never fails. It is valued because it is timeless, never falling any passing fad. On "Hey Nas", God’s Sonalso contains an encounter with Kelis, which would prove fateful in the life and career of Nasir Jones. It's another page in the legendary "Book of Rhymes". © Aurélien Chapuis/ Qobuz