With rival Jay-Z busy touting his so-called retirement, it’s do-or-die time for Nas. Not that retirement was ever an option for the 31-year-old rapper, who has spent the last decade trying to meet the overblown expectations that followed his 1994 debut Illmatic.

Given the mediocrity of most of his recent work, Nas’ new double album, Street’s Disciple, could have been the last nail in the coffin.

Instead, it becomes obvious within the first ten minutes of disc one that Nas has finally realized his strengths. What follows is a well-laid trek through Nas’ world, past and present, where the graphic violence and explicit sex is overshadowed by smart production and even smarter lyrics. Nas has always been a better lyricist than songwriter, but co-producer Salaam Remi smartly weaves samples from George Clinton, Barry White and James Brown into the album’s soul fabric to keep the 25-song set interesting (this is a true double album; no Sweat and Suit here).

The songs run the gamut from the aggressive DMX-type beats of “Disciple” and “Suicide Bounce” to the old-school funk of “No One Else in the Room” and “Sekou Story.” Low points are present but well dispersed; “Virgo” isn’t helped by its lame beat boxing and underwhelming Ludacris spot. And though Kelis’ vocals make “American Way” sizzle, the tracks about Kelis get old. (Go figure, the two were hitched last Saturday.) On the whole, though, Street’s Disciple is proof that Nas can still put out a good album. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait 10 years for the next one.