Avg Rating: 
3.8 ( 21 total votes )
It sounds stereotypical, but more often than not hip-hop tracks cover topics like partying, alcohol, girls, and partying with drunk girls. Thankfully every so often a mainstream song comes along that tackles some real social issues. On Help Somebody (Remix), Brooklyn r&b singer Maxwell and Queens legend Nas collaborate to shed some musical light on some of the world’s biggest problems (poverty, famine, AIDs) and inspire us to “help.” Produced by Musze (Maxwell’s production pseudonym) & Hod David, the beat is appropriately uplifintg, using a piano melody and horn lines throughout the track to punctuate the snapping percussion. Help Somebody had a great message to start out with, but Nas takes it to another level with a back-end verse, rapping about New Orleans, India, immigration and more; he’s not lying when he says his rhyme education, “…is like Ivy leagues on the street.” The original Help Somebody is off Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’night and the remix premiered on Bono’s website (RED)Wire, which interested listeners should visit to find out how they can help those in need.
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Member Reviews and Ratings
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 11639 |
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One of the standout songs from Maxwell's Booth-nominated album. Love the message and the cause - but I would have loved Maxwell on chorus-only duty with 3 full verses from Nas. Anyone else agree? Disagree? Don't care? ha
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 2476 |
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Not that DJ Z apparently cares, but yeah, I would have liked to have heard three Nas verses, but I'd also like a massage from Salma Hayek. Talk about unreasonable expectations. The original track was dope, and Nas' vocals are just the icing on the cake.
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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Tastemaker |
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Great message on here. Maxwell sounded great (the hook being the stand-out part). Nas was a good fit, but I've never been a fan of when they just straight up end the song ubruptly. Would have liked to see Nas' verse flow into the chorus, but this is still a really good song.
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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like the mix of Maxwell and Nas. Both can get deep (no homo) and make hits w/ messages
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 4267 |
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Beautiful marriage of lyrical substance and instrumental potency. One of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite albums of '09. Tops it off with Nas' sweltering verse and you have something that you can’t, don't want to get rid of.
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 28 |
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Hmmmm Good not Great
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 487 |
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I love Maxwell especially his old stuff. He did okay with his resurface album but truly there are only one or two cuts that are of the same quality as his previous work. This song gets rotation status because it's Maxwell, the message is what we need to hear, and finally NAS.
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| Posted on Dec 18, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 151 |
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why do lil wayne and eminem get more visits than a song featured nas?
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| Posted on Dec 18, 2009 |
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| Posted on Dec 19, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 109 |
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I agree... We should have heard Nas before the end. I was kinda shocked it was the end of the song. Great message n these 2 artist r my favorites, so it was nice 2 c they have a song together. As for production I felt like I couldn get into it all the way, o it was missing something
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| Posted on Dec 19, 2009 |
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| Posted on Dec 19, 2009 |
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I love this song, straight up.
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| Posted on Dec 22, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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Maxwell is loaded with talent.
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| Posted on Dec 30, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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love love LOVE maxwell ... is it just me or does his music take you to another place .. a calmer place as soon as the first beat drops! .. huhhh love love LOVE him! 0:)
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| Posted on Feb 05, 2010 |
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| Posted on Feb 06, 2010 |
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i agree with Z on the fact that nas should be on 3 verses
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| Posted on Mar 09, 2010 |
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| Posted on Jun 27, 2010 |
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| Posted on May 23, 2012 |
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2012 |
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