98-01 Era Nas

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Controversy

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I want to create a thread to discuss all things Nas from the 98-01 era

This is an impt era bc he started working on I Am...The Autobiography in 98 (due to be released March 30, 1999), but 13 songs got bootlegged in late 98/early 99 that ended up across multiple projects (including Lost Tapes)

So many unreleased gems

The disappointment of Nastradamus also led to Stillmatic

All this coincided with the rise of Jay-Z and Rocafella

98-01 Nas are some of the most fascinating chapters in his history

Let's discuss
 
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re'up

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1999-2001 is when Nas, at the time, and in the moment seemed to be flailing

Nastramdamus was poorly received, and some of his higher profile features and verses were for a lot of people too "flossy thug"

The video for You Owe Me, which was popular in late 1999

There was the Jermaine Dupri backed "I Got To Have It" in 2000, there were a few more around that time, that pointed to Nas kind of losing an edge, too much shirt unbuttoned QB piece out, Oochie Wally didn't help, but then you had the excellent verses on that album, plus Find Your Wealth, and Self Conscience

he was still killing verses, doing a weird, Scarface/indie movie/tortured soul thing, on verses like Turn Up The Mics, Let My nikkas Live, Livin Thug, Eye For An Eye Freestyle,

when Jay dropped Takeover, people felt like Nas was severely on the ropes, but Stillmatic freestyle was seen as a return to form

in retrospect, a lot of this was just people being young, and not appreciating the growth and transitions that artists make
 
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ThirdAct

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I think you gotta add 02 in here because Lost Tapes kinda wrapped up the I Am leak debacle and God's Son which was obviously a really personal album with the loss of his mom and also a victory lap after the battle...

It's a fascinating era though for sure. Two unreleased albums in the original I Am and Death of Escobar. I think I read once that Death of Escobar was supposed to have three songs about Escobar dying. And then another rumor that he recorded 100 songs (!) during the I Am sessions. Don't know how much that is just internet rumors though.

A personal favorite from this era:



He was spazzing on guest appearances too:







So much great unreleased shyt too:









Some of his all time best songs...

 
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Forgot all about Gangsta Tears

Another one that people pointed to as evidence that Nas still had it, but the beat and hook were pretty bland, and never really got play from me

but the lyrics, are so introspective and in line with Nas kind of personal reflection of the time, Drunk By Myself, My Worst Enemy, some of that material is really bleak
 
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I Am Leaked Tracks - February 1999

Fetus
Small World
Money's My bytch
Project Windows
Poppa Was A Playa
Dr. Knockboots
Daydreaming/Stay Schemin'
Sometimes I Wonder
Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive
Drunk By Myself
Wanna Play
Blaze a 50
We Will Survive
 
satam55

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re'up said:
1999-2001 is when Nas, at the time, and in the moment seemed to be flailing

Nastramdamus was poorly received, and some of his higher profile features and verses were for a lot of people too "flossy thug"

The video for You Owe Me, which was popular in late 1999

There was the Jermaine Dupri backed "I Got To Have It", in 2000, there were a few more around that time, that pointed to Nas kind of losing an edge, too much shirt unbuttoned QB piece out, Oochie Wally didn't help, but then you had the excellent verses on that album, plus Find Your Wealth, and Self Conscience

he was still killing verses, doing a weird, Scarface/indie movie/tortured soul thing, on verses like Turn Up The Mics, Let My nikkas Live, Livin Thug, Eye For An Eye Freestyle,

when Jay dropped Takeover, people felt like Nas was severely on the ropes, but Stillmatic freestyle was seen as a return to form

in retrospect, a lot of this was just people being young, and not appreciating the growth and transitions that artists make
Click to expand...
Are you sure about that? I was looking up Nas' Billboard chart history last night & "You Owe Me" didn't debut on any Billboard chart until February 2000. Looking at it's peak position dates on various Billbaord charts, "You Owe Me" seems to definitely be a Spring 2000 hit.
 
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satam55 said:
Are you sure about that? I was looking up Nas' Billboard chart history last night & "You Owe Me" didn't debut on any Billboard chart until February 2000. Looking at it's peak position dates on various Billbaord charts, "You Owe Me" seems to definitely be a Spring 2000 hit.
Click to expand...

haha, won't argue with the data but the video and single/song were out in November/Dec 1999, because I bought the album for that song actually.

but, that's just going from memory of a child.
 
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