Hip-Hop Blasphemy: It Was Written Is Better Than Illmatic (Episode 2)

[Big Mel]

i've been saying IWW > Illmatic for years.

BLOCKED

 

[L. Deezy]

I'm a Nas stan who likes IWW more, but I don't know if it's better. It's not blasphemous to say IWW is better

 

[spliz]

Stillmatic saved Nas' life and career. Illmatic didn't have the sales but everybody knew it was a classic the moment they heard it. The anticipation for IWW was like nothing Id seen before it for that reason. He was clearly affected by not winning one Source award and you could hear it in his approach to the album

Nas wouldn't have even gotten to Stillmatic without IWW. MAJORITY of Nas fans started with IWW and went back. Nas makes Illmatic part 2. Dude prolly wouldnt even be where he is today.

 

[spliz]

I'm a Nas stan who likes IWW more, but I don't know if it's better. It's not blasphemous to say IWW is better

shyt. Nas OWN BROTHER likes IWW more than Illmatic. He told an interviewer that and the interviewer said "oh your one of those guys". Jungle was like fukk u mean nikka? These idiots are smug enough to say that shyt to his own brother who was around for both projects. It ain't blasphemy to like IWW better. Cause that's not an unpopular opinion in the first place.

 

[L. Deezy]

Stillmatic saved Nas' life and career. Illmatic didn't have the sales but everybody knew it was a classic the moment they heard it. The anticipation for IWW was like nothing Id seen before it for that reason. He was clearly affected by not winning one Source award and you could hear it in his approach to the album

I agree.

And yeah, Stillmatic is his most important album. Everything was on the line

 

[Black_Panther_JS]

This is blasphemy

IWW has some faults:
- it tried to follow a precedent from OB4CL and was never able to live up to it
- one or two tracks could disappear from the tracklist no harm done e.g. Watch Dem nikkas & Nas is Coming

Illmatic is a near flawless piece of work.

But lyrically IWW was a vast improvement you can't deny that.

Illmatic >>> IWW any day.

Nas Is Coming is

 

[SirBiatch]

Illmatic was a young hungry Nas showing out for the world for the first time. IWW was clearly the result of Nas being affected from not winning that Lyricist of the Year from the Source in 95. While lyrically it was better than Illmatic you could tell he was trying to make a RTD or OBFCL

I don't even agree with this. I'm willing to accept IWW being better lyrically but I need deeper receipts.

IWW is full of rhymes that are dope but not always meaningful or sincere, which takes them down a notch. IWW is just flashier and dumb down, and that's why dumb-down nikkas fukk with it. It's a guy who was previously beyond your reach but super well respected dumbing himself down to a level you can understand: coke, money, bytches, mafia, glossy shyt, RnB infused tracks, sing-a-long hooks etc. Plain and simple. M Reck in this video is telling me "IWW better" but couldn't even quote a single fukking line off the top of his head, meanwhile Doggie could. This is what I'm saying. nikkas just be saying shyt.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

Nas wouldn't have even gotten to Stillmatic without IWW. MAJORITY of Nas fans started with IWW and went back. Nas makes Illmatic part 2. Dude prolly wouldnt even be where he is today.

He wouldn't have gotten to Stillmatic without Illmatic. For a few years Nas was still riding the Illmatic wave. On IWW he knew he had to have a big single which is why he got Lauryn. He knew he had to have slicker production which is why we got less Primo, no Pete Rock, no Extra P. But he gave us the Trackmasters. He got a good reception so he continued that formula for the next two albums but started losing his fans. nikkas were fiending for another album along the lies of Illmatic and when Takeover dropped Nas had to get back to his roots. He had to get hungry again

 

[Inspect Her Deck]

I don't even agree with this. I'm willing to accept IWW being better lyrically but I need deeper receipts.

IWW is full of rhymes that are dope but not always meaningful or sincere, which takes them down a notch. IWW is just flashier and dumb down, and that's why dumb-down nikkas fukk with it. It's a guy who was previously beyond your reach but super well respected dumbing himself down to a level you can understand: coke, money, bytches, mafia, glossy shyt, RnB infused tracks, sing-a-long hooks etc. Plain and simple. M Reck in this video is telling me "IWW better" but couldn't even quote a single fukking line off the top of his head, meanwhile Doggie could. This is what I'm saying. nikkas just be saying shyt.

I think when it is claimed IWW is better lyrically they talking more about technical proficiency meaning the use of rhetorical techniques. And it sounded "flyer" but that's Nas' best attempt to replicate the sort of buttery smooth shyt Rae/Ghost were spitting and HOV to an extent too (inadvertently or not).

Illmatic is more lyrically effective.

 

[FOUR_ONE_TWO]

I prefer IWW, but that's not to say I don't love Illmatic, because I do. It Was Written just appeals to me more.

Watch Them nikkas
I Gave You Power (!!!!!!)
Street Dreams
If I Ruled The World
Black Girl Lost
The Message
Affirmative Action
The Set Up
Shootouts

I mean, that's damn near the whole album lol. Nas is Coming is really the only song I don't like

 

[BmoreGorilla]

I don't even agree with this. I'm willing to accept IWW being better lyrically but I need deeper receipts.

IWW is full of rhymes that are dope but not always meaningful or sincere, which takes them down a notch. IWW is just flashier and dumb down, and that's why dumb-down nikkas fukk with it. It's a guy who was previously beyond your reach but super well respected dumbing himself down to a level you can understand: coke, money, bytches, mafia, glossy shyt, RnB infused tracks, sing-a-long hooks etc. Plain and simple. M Reck in this video is telling me "IWW better" but couldn't even quote a single fukking line off the top of his head, meanwhile Doggie could. This is what I'm saying. nikkas just be saying shyt.

I agree with you that he dumbed down the content. I just feel like he improved as a vocalist on IWW

 

[tuckgod]

Lurkin ass nikkas

 

[spliz]

I agree.

And yeah, Stillmatic is his most important album. Everything was on the line

It was "One Of". Not his most important. It's mainly important cause of the Jay beef and he just came off of Nastradamus. Even wit that. That was a platinum album. He was featured on a bunch of hit singles n shyt that year as well. Nas said out his own mouth how important IWW was to his career. Without IWW he woulda been finished as an artist. Biggie woulda had it locked hands down. Without IWW. There would be no Jay battle. No Stillmatic. None of that shyt.

 

[SirBiatch]

I agree with you that he dumbed down the content. I just feel like he improved as a vocalist on IWW

his voice on IWW sounds better than on Illmatic?

 

[Big Mel]

IWW isn't even the best disappointing album of 1996.

Beats, Rhymes & Life > IWW

Wrath of the Math > IWW


But as resident Nas defense mechanism @spliz noted, most Nas "fans" heard IWW first and therefore shouldn't ever be taken seriously in this particular discussion.