World's An Addiction

By Brian Salkowski

(Originally written in 2013)

Song: "World's An Addiction" Feat. Anthony Hamilton

Album: Life Is Good Deluxe

Artist: Nas

Nas has had one of the longest and most tumultuous careers of hip-hop’s "mainstream" all while staying loyal to his underground-ish methodology regardless of his circumstances. Instead of running from or flaunting his wealth, he embraces the contradictions inherent in being a multimillionaire who still raps about the problems of life in the hood (“I been rich longer than I been broke, I confess”). Nas may be a legend, but he has never rested content with that status. That said, I regarded Life is Good with a very healthy dose of skepticism when I first heard about it. When has Nas described life as good? Why is he posing like he’s Drake on the cover? Do I really want to listen to another hip-hop album about disillusionment with fame and fortune? Why is Rick Ross featuring on a single about faked personas?

Fortunately, Nas himself seems to have dealt with these questions while making the album and answered them with subtle mastery. Nas acknowledges that his life, despite his penchant to preach values and condemn the world’s ills, is plagued by addictions. “So many vices, habits / Mine of course, bad chicks,” as he says on “World’s An Addiction.” Not even his machine-gun flow can outrun the discontent of modern life, but at least it keeps going, and in this song manages to break through and totally arrest my attention. After painting portraits of the wealthy in discontent, he cries out, “Let go of the illusion, start some restraining.” Even if he’s prone to the same transgressions, he at least recognizes them as such and doesn’t believe in materialism’s mythical contentment.

This is a really dramatic beat. It sounds like a track from a Kingdom Hearts soundtrack. Not in a bad way though; this just sounds really polished almost and well done. Salaam Remi did wonderful on this beat. Anthony Hamilton sang the hell out of the hook too. This is not just good, it is an important record. It’s really intense. Nas’ flow and delivery sound so good over this beat. I love how chaotic this track sounds. It kinda gives me the same feeling that the first track from untitled unmastered gave me.

And again, with that said, "World's An Addiction" is one of my favorite songs and if not my favorite song from Life Is Good. I have been debating on which track I thought was the best. I made my decision.

This song is a perfect representation and advertisement if you will for the album. If you take it verse by birth you can see what direction a message Esco is taking. In verse 1 he wanted to focus first on the human being in the urban setting. The gun violence and its effect on people's lives.

In verse 2, he takes it up a notch brings it to the everyday human. Our insane obsessions and vices of philandering and misogynistic attitude. The role of women and materialism. What he does also, to my surprise, highlight the contradictory Catholic Church and the abuse on its parishioners.

Finally in verse 3 he brings it home. The last verse is what this song is all about- self-preservation. Despite his own vices, he makes it clear about the distinction between selfishness and being rebellious. In classic Nas form he then takes the narrative rhyming into a fictional realm, with an overworked doctor plotting the murder of his wife as he is treating the sick in an emergency room.

Like he always has done with his paintbrush he gives us a perfect image of our predilection to self-destruct. Your life is good but it's certainly has its problems.