The first commercial release by Nas after being the subject of Jay-Z’s painfully humiliating verse in “The Takeover” isn’t a direct retaliation, but a proclamation of Nas’ standing in the hip-hop game. While the consensus is that Nas is almost incapable of a suitable reply, “Salute Me (The General)” shows that he can still pen a decent braggadocio track and his hasn’t lost his bite. An above-average Swizz Beatz “The Monster” minimalist beat gives his words a little more oomph, but ultimately the verses fall short of Nas’ promise of return to Illmatic status for his new material. As an added bonus, Nas re-raps the clean version’s chorus so as to avoid a radio / video full of empty audio. – Mike Czech

This is pretty minimalist Nas material indeed - definitely not something that’s going to please the crowd looking for a Stillmatic classic - but I’m feeling it regardless. Lyrically, Nas can do no wrong (give or take a “You Owe Me” or two), and thankfully Swizz abandons the typical keyboard stabs for thundering basslines, sure to spark a slam dance session at your local thug arena. A powerful hook combined with the track, but as for a memorable Nas song, it may just end up as album filler. - Pizzo