Nas: "Nasty"

You know how all of your friends post something pathetically mundane on Facebook and follow it up with "life is good", sounding for all their lives like they're trying to convince themselves as much as anyone else?  Well, shit, Life Is Good is what Nas chose as the title of his upcoming album, like it or not (why not Life Is Hood?).  However, "Nasty" has all the self assured dick swinging that your FB homies lack.  The video is typical "I may be rich but I'm still loved in my old hood" bullshit but the beat and the rhymes are where it's at.

Common & Nas: "Ghetto Dreams"

Now this is a collabo. The upcoming Jay-Z / Kanye album may be highly anticipated but personally I wouldn't be surprised to find it filled with commercial crossover tracks that benefit Kanye more so than Hova. "Ghetto Dreams" sounds like the polar opposite: Nas drawing Common out of his normally mellow shell to throw down on some raw, street shit. This almost sounds more like an old Kool G Rap & DJ Polo cut than a 2011 Common joint, which makes it all the more surprising that it's being showcased on Common's upcoming The Dreamer, The Believer rather than a new Nas album.

Common - Ghetto Dreams feat NAS by Nasir Jones