Mash-up songs are still pretty common, and good ones pop up every now and then, but an entire mixtape devoted to the mash-up is rare. Rarer still is one that's done is a masterful way, but the new collection titled Nasimoto is one such effort. The product of Portsmouth, New Hampshire producer D. Begun, the album features 21 tracks, each taking vocals from various classic Nas songs and smoothing them over Madlib's Quasimoto productions. The result is one that feels completely natural and somehow fresh and exciting.
The real joy is learning to re-sing your favorite Nas verses over the new musical arrangements. All the classics are here, from "If I Ruled the World" to "It Ain't Hard To Tell." An unexpected and unmitigated joy.