Life Is Good (Nas album)

(photographed in 2010) inspired much of the album. In 2010, Nas released his studio album Distant Relatives, a collaboration with Damian Marley that reinvigorated the rapper creatively. Nas also wanted to write more original subject matter rather than another album "about how you came up in the hood and how you had to make it out of the hood". For Life Is Goods album cover, a photo was taken of Nas in a polished white suit, sitting in a night club's VIP lounge, appearing forlorn, and holding over his knee Kelis' actual green wedding dress, which he said was the only item she left him. When writing the album, Nas also reflected on aging and maturation, fatherhood, and his 20-year experience in hip-hop music. Nas discussed the album's personal subject matter in an interview for Billboard: == Recording and production ==

Recording sessions for the album took place at the following recording studios—4220 Studios, Conway Recording Studios, and EastWest Studios in Hollywood, Instrument Zoo Studios in Miami, Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City, Record One in Sherman Oaks, and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. Nas worked with several musicians, including Amy Winehouse, Mary J. Blige, James Poyser, Anthony Hamilton, Miguel, Large Professor, and Hal Ritson, among others. For the album, Nas wanted the production to complement his lyrics' nostalgic themes with 1980s hip-hop influences. Along with producer Swizz Beatz, No I.D. and Nas related to the latter's lyrics concerning divorce during the recording sessions. == Music and lyrics ==

The album incorporates musical references to both older and contemporary hip-hop. orchestral music, R&B, and boom bap elements. Music journalist Evan Rytlewski denotes "boom-bap drums, lush keyboards, smooth saxophones, and the occasional Run-D.M.C. and MC Shan sample" to be "tasteful accents" from golden age hip-hop. while Pitchforks Jayson Greene writes that the latter's produced songs "exude the warm TV-fireplace crackle of ... throwback production." Life Is Good features nostalgic and adult themes, Erika Ramirez of Billboard observes "stories of internal and external battles, some of which he won and some he lost." Brandon Soderberg from Spin asserts that his lyrics "constantly remind nostalgics that the good ol' days were often chaotic and desperate". Conversely, Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone views that Nas "cuts his rhymes with midlife realism and daring empathy". Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe writes that the songs "mix anger, nostalgia, and insight." The song's subject matter ranges from lifestyle boats to revolutionary ideals: "Hood forever, I just act like I’m civilized / Really what’s in my mind is organizing a billion Black muthafuckas / To take over JP and Morgan Goldman and Sachs / And teach the world facts and give Saudi they oil back". "A Queens Story" has boom bap and classical elements in its production, including classical piano, "Reach Out" features Mary J. Blige and incorporates the piano loop from Isaac Hayes' 1970 song "Ike's Mood". "Cherry Wine" features vocals by Amy Winehouse and a narrative between ill-fated lovers. On "Bye Baby", Nas' lyrics address his ex-wife and recount their marriage in a narrative that follows the wedding, counseling sessions, marriage counseling, and the legal process of their divorce. == Marketing and sales ==

The album was promoted by Nas' concert performances and television appearances on The Colbert Report, Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and 106 & Park. The tour finale was an exclusive show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with Elle Varner as the supporting act. Three singles were also released in promotion of the album—"Nasty" on August 9, 2011, "The Don" on April 3, 2012, and "Daughters" on July 17. A music video for "Nasty" was filmed by director Jason Goldwatch in Queensbridge, Nas' hometown in New York, and released virally on October 11, 2011. A video for "Daughters" was directed by Chris Robinson and premiered May 27 on MTV Jams. Its storyline chronicles the relationship between Nas and his daughter through her point of view. A video promoting "Bye Baby" was released on August 20, 2012, featuring scenes of Nas in an empty home, at his divorce proceedings, and in a setting that revisits the cover image of Life Is Good. It also featured singer Aaron Hall of Guy, whose 1988 song "Goodbye Love" is sampled on "Bye Baby". who is featured as a projection on a wall in the video's scenes. On September 19, "Cherry Wine" was sent to radio in the United Kingdom. Life Is Good was released by Def Jam Recordings, first on July 13, 2012, in Germany, In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 149,000 copies in its first week. In its second week on the Billboard 200, the album sold 45,000 copies. By February 10, 2013, the album had sold 354,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album charted for 15 weeks on the Billboard 200. On April 21, 2020, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping at least 500,000 units to retailers in the US. == Critical reception ==

Life is Good was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 30 reviews. while Pitchforks Jayson Greene said Nas had "settled gracefully into strengths". Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club deemed Nas' lyrics "beautifully expressed" and the music just "as thoughtful", Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, arts critic for the Financial Times, said Nas draws on his "insider-outsider perspective" as a successful rapper to create "a richly varied album that goes from old-fashioned East Coast bangers to boldly worked orchestral and jazz samples, all held together by Nas's fluent rap technique." Carl Chery from XXL hailed it as "arguably Nas' best LP since Stillmatic" and proof that "at this juncture—21 years and 10 solo albums in—no other MC has ever rhymed at such a high level this deep into their career." Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. Robert Christgau gave Life Is Good a three-star honorable mention () in his "Consumer Guide" column for MSN Music, citing "Daughters" and "Accident Murderers" as highlights while deeming the record "reflections of a bigshot who, as he mentions several times, is damn big". AllMusic's David Jeffries regarded the album as an inevitably "puff-chested bitch session", "acting as a clearing house for all venom and bile, plus some gloss that doesn't fit but needed to go as well." According to New York Times critic Jon Caramanica, the narratives were "sometimes distractingly fanciful" and Nas' lyrics occasionally "overstuffed", even though the record possessed "a simulacrum of the sound that made him legendary". Matthew Fiander from PopMatters was more critical, finding the production "uneven" and calculated "as product", with "half-done ideas". At the end of 2012, Life Is Good appeared on several critics' top album lists. It was named the best album of 2012 by The Source and Okayplayer. number 12 by Complex, number 16 by James Montgomery of MTV, number six by Martin Caballero of The Boston Globe, and number seven by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times. Life Is Good received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Rap Album for the 2013 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, while "Daughters" won the Impact Track award at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards. == Track listing ==

Information is taken from the album credits. Sample credits • "A Queens Story" contains samples of "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC and "Queen's Story" by Salaam Remi. • "Accident Murderers" contains samples of "They Said It Couldn't Be Done" by Norman Feels and "The Bridge" by MC Shan. • "Daughters" contains samples of "Dust to Dust" by Cloud One and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Wayne McGhie and the Sounds of Joy. • "Reach Out" contains samples of "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes and an interpolation of "Once in a Lifetime Groove" by New Edition. • "World's an Addiction" contains a sample of "The World" by Salaam Remi. • "You Wouldn't Understand" contains samples of "Let's Start Love Over Again" by Miles Jaye and "Eric B. Is President" by Eric B. & Rakim. • "Back When" contains samples of "Double Agent Jones" by Barry Moore Combo, "Live Routine" by MC Shan, and "The Bridge" by MC Shan. • "The Don" contains elements of "Dance inna New York" by Super Cat. • "Stay" contains samples of "Seven Steps to Nowhere" by L.A. Carnival. • "Bye Baby" contains samples of "Goodbye Love" by Guy. • "The Black Bond" contains samples of "Praguenosis" by Salaam Remi. • "Where's the Love" contains samples of "Brooklyn-Queens" by 3rd Bass. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. • John Adams – Fender Rhodes • Richard Adlam – drums • Angel Onhel Aponte – engineer • Mary J. Blige – featured artist • Del Bowers – mixing assistant • Buckwild – producer • Brandon N. Caddell – assistant engineer • Matt Champlin – engineer • Da Internz – arranger, producer • Tim Davies – string arrangements • Gleyder "Gee" Disla – engineer, mixing • DJ Hot Day – scratching • Chloe Flower – piano • Kaye Fox – vocals • Chris Galland – mixing assistant • Chris Gehringer – mastering • Alex Haldi – art direction, design • Anthony Hamilton – featured artist • Maestro Harrell – keyboards • Heavy D – arranger, producer • Vincent Henry – alto saxophone, clarinet, flute, tenor saxophone • Jaycen Joshua – mixing • J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League – producer • Rich Keller – mixing • Rob Kinelski – engineer, mixing • Large Professor – featured artist • Sam Lewis – assistant engineer • Tai Linzie – photo coordination • Omar Loya – assistant engineer • Kim Lumpkin – production coordination • Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance • Manny Marroquin – mixing • Miguel – featured artist • Victoria Monet – featured artist • Greg Morgan – sound design • Vernon Mungo – engineer • Nas – primary artist, executive producer • No I.D. – producer • Gary Noble – engineer, mixing • Keith Parry – assistant engineer • James Poyser – keyboards • Kevin Randolph – keyboards • Red Alert – vocals • Salaam Remi – arranger, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, producer, scratching • Hal Ritson – drums • Rick Ross – featured artist • Matthew Salacuse – photography • Anthony Saleh – executive producer • Noah "40" Shebib – arranger, drums, keyboards, mixing, producer • Hannah Sidibe – vocals • Brian Sumner – engineer • Swizz Beatz – featured artist, producer • Meredith Truax – photo coordination • Anna Ugarte – assistant engineer, mixing assistant • Cara Walker – package production • Stuart White – engineer • Amy Winehouse – featured artist, guitar • Steve Wyreman – bass, guitar • Tyler Yamashita – assistant engineer • Andrew Zaeh – photography • Gabriel Zardes – assistant engineer == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==