NATAS - Fuqerrbdy

Natas (Nation Ahead of Time and Space, originally Niggas Ahead of Time and Space) is an American hip hop group from Detroit. Michigan.  Comprised of Acid Rap pioneer Esham, TNT, and Mastamind this group was influence over many Underground groups including ICP and Twiztid.  While their legacy cannot be debated does this latest effort continue the legacy or destroy what they have built?   Track listing

1. Fuqerrbdy
2. I Love You
3. On Some
4. N.I.K.E.
5. Question Mark
6. Dead Woke
7. Convulsions
8. The World Iz Natas
9. Smokkk En Drankkk
10. Future Kill
11. Burn
12. But Not Us
13. Where Yo Hood @
14. Lord Have Mercy
15. 747

Track by track review and rating Fuqerrbdy- The beat behind this track is a very unique hybrid of simplicity and electronic sound.  The verses are hard to make out due to very weak production on the mix.  Lyrically it is simple straight forward acid rap.  The hook is not very creative but it fits the song title.  2.5/5 I Love You- The beat and music in here is once again an electronic hybrid that works because it is unique.  The lyrics are almost too simple here.  In the middle of the track there is a break in the music for a small speech that seems really out of place.  The hook is the best part of the track.  2.5/5 On Some- Bring on a dubstep beat.  This beat works a lot better with the lyrics because the mix was done much better here.  Lyrically a much better track overall.  The hook is simple but it really needed to be here.  3.5/5 N.I.K.E.- The title stands for NATAS is killing everything.  The beat is a weird throwback to an 80’s horror film.  The verses are done well but the mix is again really off in this track.  3/5 Question Mark- The beat is complex to a fault and could have done with a little more restraint.  The lyrics are lost in the beat because the mix is off again.  The flow in the track is good but still leaves a lot to be desired.  2.5/5 Dead Woke- Track starts with a speech from George A Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.  That gives way to a track that suffers from the same problem as most on this album, the production.  The bass is way too loud and the entire set of verses is lost.  1.5/5 Convulsions- Another heavy bass beat that kills any hope the listener has of hearing the lyrics and meaning behind the track.  1.5/5 The World Iz Natas- The beat in this track is sick.  Lyrically it works with the tone of the beat.  The major problem here is production again.  Seems like the entire album is having similar issues and it really becomes difficult to get through at times.  3/5 Smokkk En Drankkk- The beat is hard hitting and a great hybrid of the electronic sound and bass.  The hook is well done too.  Production is better on this track and makes this one enjoyable.  3.5/5 Future Kill- This beat is another 80’s horror flick sound that works better than N.I.K.E. did.  The levels are done well here and allow the listener to hear what is being presented.  A decent track overall.  3/5 Burn- The musical backing here is a strange blend of 70’s music and 80’s hip hop.  The volume of the verses is way too loud in some parts and way too low in others.  The hook is "The Roof Is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three.  2.5/5 But Not Us- The lyrics are backed by a smooth but melodic beat.  The lyrics themselves are decent but the backing hype seems out of place and way too loud.  2/5 Where Yo Hood @- If the beat had less 80’s electronic sound and simply the bass beat it would have worked a lot better.  The levels in this one are once again off.  The verses are clunky and seem really badly put together.  1.5/5 Lord Have Mercy- A decent beat backs verses that work better than the last track but still fall short.  The hook is hard to make out due to the music level being much louder than the words.  The verses are horribly produced and the power backs seem forced.  1.5/5 747- A stripped down much simpler beat here.  The verses are done well and work against the music.  The mix is better here but still off quite a bit.  There is not much of a hook and the church type singing behind the verses doesn’t fit.  2/5   Overall Rating: 2.4/5   Conclusion:  This is the ninth album released by the group.  Having been around since 1992, the listeners deserve better.  The simplest thing that can make or break any album is the production and this album fails to deliver that.  The album sounds like it was mixed and mastered in a studio built in the 80’s and never upgraded.  The lyrics fail to deliver as well leaving this listener looking for the eject button.  Even diehard fans will have difficulty not putting in old NATAS to remove the memory of this travesty.