Call him Big NAS-ty

Introspection. It's not unusual to see artists turn their focus inward, creating music centered on the inner workings of their own minds. The one genre where it might seem out of place is hip-hop, where rappers take greater pride in painting pictures of the world around them. Few try to create a truly personal record, even fewer can pull if off successfully.

Given that-as well as the commercial success of his last effort, 1996's It Was Written-it's a little surprising Nas would deliver something almost defiantly titled I Am... (Columbia).

Perhaps it was the fans of street-oriented rap, the same people who once dubbed Nasir Jones the second coming of Rakim, grumbling about the radio-friendly singles that propelled It Was Written. Maybe it was the bitter aftertaste of the failure of The Firm, his collaboration with Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature, that bombed because of its preoccupation with the long-played out crime family motif. Whatever his motivation, the street poet from Queens has set his mind's eye to the task of defining himself.

To accomplish his lofty goal, Nas has surrounded himself with mostly familiar producers: L.E.S., the Track Masters and DJ Premier lay down over half of the disc's 16 tracks. He's also pared distractions from his work by cutting down on the number of guest stars. There's a surprisingly up-tempo collaboration with Houston's Scarface on "Favor For A Favor" and an appearance by Mr. Everywhere, DMX, on "Life Is What You Make It." That's about it.

The spotlight falls on Nas' lyrics, and that's as it should be. Nas returns to his roots by attempting to make the listener comprehend his world, and more than ever, he draws on personal experience to reinforce his rhymes, whether it's breaking down relationships on "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" or discussing the resolve that comes with losing people during the struggle (specifically, the late Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur) on "We Will Survive."

Midway through the disc, the internal journey hits its zenith as Nas rips through "I Want To Talk To You," where he ponders how authority figures would see things differently if they traded places with him, and "Dr. Knockboot," which dispenses no-holds-barred advice on the opposite sex. "Nas Is Like" offers a concise definition of the artist over a classic Premier beat.

Apparently, at least one part of Nas still focuses on radio and video airplay. Call it pandering or simply financial savvy, but there's Puff Daddy on "Hate Me Now" and the ubiquitous Timbaland on "You Won't See Me Tonight" (which features a chorus by R&B songstress Aaliyah).

I Am... doesn't quite match the impossibly high standard set by Nas' 1994 debut, Illmatic, a once-in-a-lifetime combination of hip-hop's top producers and an incredibly hungry young MC. It doesn't matter. Because even if you don't always like what his incredibly vivid lyrics are saying, there can now be no question what's inside Nas' head.