Overall, Nas delivers his usual supreme lyrical prowess on all 16 tracks. With the exception of the title track, "Hip Hop is Dead and the Jay Z colabo "Black Republicans" my problem is with his production. I believe regardless of being microphone savvy,an artist (rapper) needs to equally be complimented by the overall sound and quality generated by the production. I thought partnering with Jay Z, who is very critical when selecting beats that fit his style, Nas would be blessed with production that blows away the ears of his fans. Still waiting for that "New York State of Mind" track. Still breathing and counting the days when hip hop is alive again.