Life Is Good

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Lore & Background

Life Is Good was written after Nas's divorce from singer Kelis, whose original green wedding dress was featured in the cover photo. Nas has compared the album to Marvin Gaye's 1978 divorce-inspired album Here, My Dear. In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, a collaboration with Damian Marley that reinvigorated the rapper creatively. He soon became distracted by tax problems and an expensive, highly publicized divorce from his wife Kelis months before their son's birth, events that influenced his direction for Life Is Good. His songwriting on the album was also influenced by adjusting back to life as a single man. Nas also wanted to write more original subject matter rather than another album 'about how you came up in the hood and how you had to make it out of the hood.' For the album cover, a photo was taken of Nas in a polished white suit, sitting in a night club's VIP lounge, appearing forlorn, and holding over his knee Kelis' actual green wedding dress, which he said was the only item she left him. When writing the album, Nas also reflected on aging and maturation, fatherhood, and his 20-year experience in hip-hop music. Nas discussed the album's personal subject matter in an interview for Billboard: 'When I started working on the record, I tried to avoid it. The timing was just calling for me to not avoid all the shit that was going on out there. It was like a 10,000-ton gorilla in the room watching me. This is the way I got it off of my chest. This album talks about life, love and money. It talks about the fact that marriage is expensive. Life Is Good represents the most beautiful, dramatic and heavy moments in my life.'

In Their Own Story

Recording sessions for the album took place at 4220 Studios, Conway Recording Studios, and EastWest Studios in Hollywood, Instrument Zoo Studios in Miami, Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City, Record One in Sherman Oaks, and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. Nas worked with several musicians, including Amy Winehouse, Mary J. Blige, James Poyser, Anthony Hamilton, Miguel, Large Professor, and Hal Ritson. Nas primarily worked with hip-hop producers No I.D. and Salaam Remi, a frequent collaborator. Remi said that he wanted his production 'to be something that a mumble-mouth rapper can't rap on. You better have something to say and be speaking up.' During the sessions, Nas recorded the song 'No Such Thing as White Jesus' with singer Frank Ocean and producer Hit-Boy, who misplaced the track while sorting through music he had produced for Jay-Z and Kanye West's album Watch the Throne (2011). Although he later recovered it, the song was not included on Life Is Good. The album incorporates musical references to both older and contemporary hip-hop. Its production features live instrumentation, orchestral music, R&B, and boom bap elements. Music journalist Evan Rytlewski denotes 'boom-bap drums, lush keyboards, smooth saxophones, and the occasional Run-D.M.C. and MC Shan sample' to be 'tasteful accents' from golden age hip-hop. Nas' rapping is characterized by internal rhymes, a relaxed, plainspoken flow, and transparent lyrics addressing moments in his life, including his youth and the personal events leading up to the album. On the opening track 'No Introduction', Nas reflects on his impoverished upbringing and maturation into a 'graphic, classic song composer'. 'Daughters' addresses his daughter's social networking activity and worries about his past undermining his parental authority. 'Cherry Wine' features vocals by Amy Winehouse and a narrative between ill-fated lovers. The song was titled after Winehouse's guitar, which she called 'cherry'. On 'Bye Baby', Nas' lyrics address his ex-wife and recount their marriage in a narrative that follows the wedding, counseling sessions, marriage counseling, and the legal process of their divorce.

Reader's Guide

Life Is Good received widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, reaching 354,000 copies sold by 2013. It also reached the top 10 of record charts in Canada, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Three singles were released in its promotion – 'Nasty', 'The Don', and 'Daughters' – along with five music videos, while Nas toured in further support of the album from June to December 2012. In 2020, the Recording Industry Association of America awarded Life Is Good a gold certification. The album was promoted by Nas' concert performances and television appearances on The Colbert Report, Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and 106 & Park.

Did You Know?

• The album cover features Nas holding Kelis' actual green wedding dress, which he said was the only item she left him after their divorce.
• Nas compared Life Is Good to Marvin Gaye's 1978 divorce-inspired album Here, My Dear.
• The song 'Cherry Wine' features Amy Winehouse's final guest appearance on a Nas album; it was titled after her guitar, which she called 'cherry'.
• A track recorded with Frank Ocean and producer Hit-Boy called 'No Such Thing as White Jesus' was misplaced and never included on the album.
• Producer Salaam Remi said he wanted his production 'to be something that a mumble-mouth rapper can't rap on. You better have something to say and be speaking up.'