Mass Appeal, the graffiti magazine turned multi-platform brand, announced this year that it has taken a $6 million in series A investment. Nas, and his manager Aymen Anthony Saleh, have invested their own bread into 40 startups, including the likes of Fancy, Coinbase, Dropbox, SeatGeek, Lyft, Prism Skylabs, Zest Finance, Stance, mParticle, Proven, Earbits, Trendabl, Crowdtilt, 21E6, Balanced, MeCommerce, DeviantArt, 500 Startups, Push IO, Swarm Mobile, Glio, Boosted Boards, MadeFire, Fashion GPS, Washio, SellSimple, Hotelzilla, Signal Ventures, Clean Plates, BOXC, MediaSpike, CapLinked, and SendHub.Ĭreating music masters can be expensive and cumbersome, so this is where LANDR, along with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (which provides performing rights and advocacy for music creators) comes in to help with its automated mastering system. As a founding partner of QueensBridge Venture Partners, his portfolio includes some pretty high-profile startups across a variety of industries. But in the past decade, Nas has also been building his cred as a tech investor.Īlways a step ahead of the curve, Nas made sure not to put all his eggs in one basket. Right after its release, Illmatic was praised as a benchmark debut, and Nas gained clout as a prodigious writer. I look forward to what he comes up with next but “MONTERO” will keep me satisfied for a long while.A ghostly image of the Queensbridge Houses appears on the cover of Illmatic, the 1994 debut album by Nasir Jones, known to fans as Nas, stuck under a photograph of the then-20-year-old rapper as a toddler. It’s a fun and competent record that solidifies Lil Nas X’s status as a pop super power and sheds any illusions that he is simply a one hit wonder.
He saved what could have been a bland and money grabbing record label venture like the last three Imagine Dragons albums.Īs Lil Nas X’s debut studio album, “MONTERO” had a lot riding on it. His diary-like vulnerability and his dynamic dance hits contrast with the influence of mediocrity imposed by the record label that could have overpowered the album. The themes on “ONE OF ME” and “DON’T WANT IT” revolve around him struggling with his new found fame and his battle with imposter syndrome. He’s also good at sharing his insecurities amidst the fun songs. “INDUSTRY BABY” and “SCOOP” are silly and fun like “Old Town Road,” and what I admire most is how Lil Nas X is able to add his style and charisma to all his songs. The title track “MONTERO” and it’s accompanying music video were iconic and reminded me of the kind of cultural waves that Michael Jackson or Madonna would make. That being said, there are a lot of things I liked about the album. It’s just a blob of sound, assaulting my ears in a muddled mess. “LIFE AFTER SALEM” is probably the worst culprit of this the synths and drums are layered to the point of distortion and I can’t make out half the melodies and instrumental flourishes. The thick layers of synths and percussion are muddled and unclear, causing instruments to overpower each other and bury important facets of the song. The production team really dropped the ball on this one. Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion deliver some of the most uninspired verses I have ever heard from either of them, and Miley Cyrus sounds as if she’s singing through a tin can.Īnother problem is the production and mixing. “ONE OF ME” is a good song, the lyrics and delivery from LNX are solid and the melody is an earworm, but Elton John’s piano feature is unremarkable and buried in the mix for most of the track. The features on this album are only there for marketing and positive market research, evident by the total lack of chemistry with Lil Nas X. Lil Nas X’s voice is so layered and drowned in so many effects that he sounds like Shawn Mendes singing through my phone. Amidst the lackluster features and bloated production, Lil Nas X pulls off a fun, catchy batch of songs.
His massive hit “Old Town Road” shot the unknown SoundCloud rapper to superstardom and the essence of that person, wrapped in the shell of fame, shines through on this album and elevates it from big label product to art. Lil Nas X is currently at the forefront of pop culture, and his music videos and online persona continue to make the front cover of tabloids and internet stories. On the surface it is the product of a major record label, meant to sell radio hits and streams.
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