Production took place during 2001 to 2002, and was handled by several producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist.

Partly inspired by the death of his mother in early 2002, God's Son covers lyrical themes such as religion, violence, grief, redemption and his own emotional experiences.

On January 14, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales surpassing one million copies.

[3] After the release of Stillmatic, Nas spent time tending to his ill mother, Ann Jones, until she died of breast cancer in April 2002.

[5] During 2002, fans and critics speculated that Nas was still willing to make commercial music as he started associating himself with artists from Murder Inc., a label distributing mainstream hip hop/rap.

[7] By October 2002, God's Son was expected to be released on December 17, with production from Salaam Remi, Large Professor and The Alchemist, as well as songs recorded with Ja Rule in Miami.

On December 4, Nas decided to push up the release date for God's Son by a number of days in order to prevent bootlegging.

Music critic Serena Kim of Vibe magazine supports Nas' use of a variety of commercially risky producers saying, "The risks he takes with the production are a big part of the allure of God's Son.

In a time when a Neptunes beat is as essential as a savvy marketing plan, Nas goes in the other direction, giving producer Salaam Remi plenty of room.

"Dance", a Chucky Thompson production, contains a simple beat consisting of a bass guitar riff and faint drums, neither of which are sampled.

"Thugz Mansion (NY)", featuring a posthumous verse from 2Pac, is much stronger than its West Coast version on 2Pac's new album, Better Dayz, strengthened by an acoustic guitar ...

[12] Although guest appearances are made by Kelis, Alicia Keys, and others, God's Son is considered to be a personal album, in which he covers lyrical themes of his own emotional experiences.

According to one writer, "The self-examination that inevitably accompanies the death of a loved one has also provoked a renewed sense of socio-political consciousness in Nas.

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic claims that the first single on God's Son "announces Nas' periodic return with fury and bombast" and is a "Marley Marl-fashioned track.

It boasts production from Salaam Remi, who samples from "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven and "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers for the song's beat.

The lyrics also detail various events in African history, but Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine labels "I Can" as "a silly stay-in-school ad attached to a Beethoven sample.

The final story takes place in Los Angeles where Nas goes to a violent funeral in Crenshaw with his cousin, and later kills 3 people.

Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone considers "Get Down" to be the best song on God's Son,[18] as does columnist Serena Kim of Vibe.

[5][10] Despite calling the production "lukewarm", Pitchfork's Sam Chennault lauded Nas' verbal ability, describing him as "technically stunning" as an emcee, as well as "rhythmically versatile and intellectually astute.

"[15] Serena Kim of Vibe gave the album a 4 out of 5 disc-rating and stated "He's disarmingly self-deprecating here, and gives us a rare look into his artistic process".

[1] Ethan Brown of New York praised Nas' lyricism and found its musically significant, stating: Here, Nas is so fierce, so plainspoken, so lean with words, that he demolishes not just the oeuvre of our ruling rappers and recalls the music's lyrical champs like Rakim, he even brings to mind hip-hop progenitors like Muhammad Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle" era ... Like pathbreaking projects past, God's Son is not simply a great album, it's a reminder of what we've been missing ... Nas brings hip-Hop back to the basics with a rough break-beat and a well-told story.

"[25] Spin commented that "Nas' heart is in the right place, but his mind is somewhere else entirely", adding that God's Son follows what "we were really waiting for", The Lost Tapes.

"[27] Christgau cited "Book of Rhymes" and "Get Down" as highlights and quipped, "confessions of a mama's boy, tales of a hustler, lies of a mortal man".

[28] Despite criticizing it for its "boring-ass filler", Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone lauded Nas' "talent" throughout the album, and stated "he may yet have another masterpiece in him.

With God's Son, Nas has the opportunity to cement his status as the King of N.Y., at least for another 3-4 year term, or he could prove that he is not the savior that hip-hop fans should be pinning their hopes on.

[41] "Get Down"[42] "Made You Look"[42] "Hey Nas"[42] "I Can"[42] "Book of Rhymes"[42] "Warrior Song"[42] "Revolutionary Warfare"[43][42] "Dance"[42] "Heaven"[42] "Pussy Killz"[42]