Nas keeps it personal and political on this ambitious double album, reminiscing on his decade-long career while looking toward the future. The MC delivers a searing breakdown of political ills on the stomping knocker “American Way” (produced by Q-Tip), while “U.B.R.” is a reverent homage to his lyrical inspiration, Rakim. On “Bridging the Gap,” a collaboration with his father, Olu Dara, Nas draws connections between generations of black musical innovators and describes how discovering his dad’s music may have saved his life.