Nas has chosen Hero as the lead single from his new album, Untitled. And for the ride, he’s bringing along Timbaland’s chum, Keri Hilson.

Initially hollering like Busta Rhymes with a sore throat, Nas immediately slips into a smooth but bland verse. Sounds a lot like old-fashioned homie posturing rather than any real conviction that he’s the ‘hero’ of the title.

Keri Hilson is criminally underused in this song. For a lady of her talents, both vocal and otherwise ;), to be reduced to backing vocals on the chorus is a bit of an insult really.

OK, so rappers aren’t known for their ability to avoid cliches, but Hero is so out of touch, it seems Nas needs a little reality check.