 " The Don " received universal acclaim from music critics , with Nas 's lyrics drawing particular praise . Rico Barrino of Artistdirect praised Nas 's rapping as being able to impress in different contexts , calling his lyrics " both catchy and commanding " and noted his " precise , potent lyrical poetry honed by 20 years in the game " . Writing for MTV News , Rob Markman called the production " a sonic departure " from Nas ' previous work , but complimented his lyrics as " vintage " and pointed out the consistency of the lyrical quality throughout the song . In his review of " The Don " for About.com , Henry Adaso described the song as " the type of lyrical exercise Nas only throws down once or twice per album " , and that songs such as " The Don " gave a case for Nas ' inclusion " as one of hip @-@ hop 's all @-@ time greats " , also picking up on his " assured " boasts and the " quiet confidence " enveloped in his tone . Adaso also expressed a positive response towards the song 's production , expressing his surprise that having three different producers working on the song had not led to a " case of too many cooks in the kitchen " , writing that " instead , we get a cohesive , hard @-@ hitting , face @-@ melting , reggae @-@ tinged beat " . A reviewer of the song for DJBooth wrote of Nas ' performance as " at turns wistful , threatening and braggadocious " , and praised the production 's " compulsively head @-@ noddable groove " . In their review of Life Is Good , Sputnikmusic recommended " The Don " to first @-@ time listeners of Nas , stating to be an exhibition of Nas ' " incredible lyrical structures " and " how rapidly this guy can punch out the syllables " . They also noted it as a " change of pace " from the more downtempo material on Life Is Good . In his review of Life Is Good for Prefix Magazine , Charlie Kaplan called " The Don " the album 's " clear highlight " and felt it a fitting tribute to Heavy D 's life and work , writing that it " raises a glass to the recently departed overweight lover with a vivid tour of New York rap 's classic soundscapes " . For the chart week dated July 28 , 2012 , " The Don " debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 196 . 
