Joe Budden and Crooked I say "It Was Written" was even better than "Illmatic"

[the rhyme king]

The Message
Black Girl Lost
If I Ruled The World
Take it In Blood
Affirmative Action
I Gave You Power
Live N!gga Rap
Shootouts
Street Dreams

vs.

Illmatic

Actually forget comparing them for a second, @ how f*ckin ill nas is!

yo pop which album was better lyrically.

 

[Pop123]

yo pop which album was better lyrically.

I personally think Nas's overall rhyming kind of improved on IWW. Not by that much, I mean the n!gga was always nasty, but he seemed more seasoned on IWW in terms of rhyming and song writing. I don't think the difference between the albums is that damn vast myself, he's still spittin very very street on IWW, it's just the production is less dirty and gritty and he's flossin here and there, thats the only real difference.

 

[JayBaldacci]

nas wasnt "esco" on illmatic, aka a dramatic shift in character. it went from "one love" to him and his boys sticking dudes in the projects.looking back at it with the corny pink suits and casino characters, i gotta call it that. lets not even talk how NAS continued that corniness all the way to the firm album.

rae and ghost came into hip hop that cuban linx rae and ghost; and helped set the trend nas went with. cuban linx was written out the country. raekwon and ghost were actual drug dealers, nas became escobar because of the times. cuban linx is rae/ghosts purist album as illmatic is nas'

and nas was rapping his ass off on it was written, it just wasnt what people expected at the time of him from what I remember

how old are you for curiositys sake?

what song did nas rob somebody on in it was written? again, listen to street dreams and don't watch the video, there's nothing casino about it. rae and ghost didn't set any trend. g-rap set the trend. and on a pre illmatic joint called another day in the projects song nas was spitting mafio shyt, that was back in 91. rae and ghost may have done some dirt, but i doubt everything is true. i doubt they were tied up and threatened with blow torches, etc.lol

the change to esco was gradual, from songs in 95 like eye for an eye, deja vu mo money mo murder, etc. nas was calling himself escobar before the ob4-cl dropped.

 

[hex]

Nas acknowledged the fact that he was way out of character with the Escobar shyt, on the song "Rise and Fall":



Fred.

 

[King Sun]

this nikka still around?

 

[spliz]

fake mafioso?

explain how street dreams is fake mafioso but can it be all so simple isn't. i think people just watched the video and haven't listened to the lyrics. how shootouts fake mafioso but knowledge god isn't? how is the set up fake mafioso and spot rushers isn't? nas talking about chillin in vegas is fake mafioso but ghost jewelery shopping out of the country isn't? i could go on. what i'm saying is ghost and rae get away with alot of shyt nas got shytted on for

BASICALLY..and it's NOT like they was doin it before him or somethin..if anything he was the one with the direct ties to Kool G Rap...

 

[Esau = Evil]

So nobodies gonna mention the fact that joel ortiz finished off this video by talking about needing Donnell Jones to jerk off?






http://www.the-coli.com/booth/4010-you-nerds-do-realize-how-pathetic-group-slaughterhouse-right.html

 

[spliz]

Nas acknowledged the fact that he was way out of character with the Escobar shyt, on the song "Rise and Fall":

Nas - Rise & Fall (Unreleased) - YouTube

Fred.

of course he was out of character..who the fukk really thought the nikka was escobar?..it was all creativity...he ALSO said it was one of the most creative LP's to ever hit stores...the nikka was spittin hints of the kingpin shyt since he got in the game...and people act like he jumped on a band wagon when he's one of the nikkas who set the trend in the 90s..but EVERYBODY else who followed the trend AFTER him gets passes for the shyt..such as Biggie and Jay-Z..etc..Biggie make a soft ass soundin single..HE BRINGIN NY BACK...Nas makes a single with social commentary sampling 2 classic hip hop tracks...THIS nikka SOLD OUT...THAT's the kinda backwards shyt muthafukkas was on...he got UNFAIR criticism..reason I say it was unfair cause other muthafukkas got praised for the shyt he got criticized for..and its been happening till this day..no matter WHAT kinda song the nikka makes..album he makes..or business moves he makes..nikkas is unhappy...

 

[hex]

of course he was out of character..who the fukk really thought the nikka was escobar?..it was all creativity...he ALSO said it was one of the most creative LP's to ever hit stores...the nikka was spittin hints of the kingpin shyt since he got in the game...and people act like he jumped on a band wagon when he's one of the nikkas who set the trend in the 90s..but EVERYBODY else who followed the trend AFTER him gets passes for the shyt..such as Biggie and Jay-Z..etc..Biggie make a soft ass soundin single..HE BRINGIN NY BACK...Nas makes a single with social commentary sampling 2 classic hip hop tracks...THIS nikka SOLD OUT...THAT's the kinda backwards shyt muthafukkas was on...he got UNFAIR criticism..reason I say it was unfair cause other muthafukkas got praised for the shyt he got criticized for..and its been happening till this day..no matter WHAT kinda song the nikka makes..album he makes..or business moves he makes..nikkas is unhappy...

What trend did he set? The mafia shyt? "OB4CL" came out a year before that album. Matter of fact, Raekwon is the one that gave him the Escobar name.

Fred.

 

[spliz]

What trend did he set? The mafia shyt? "OB4CL" came out a year before that album. Matter of fact, Raekwon is the one that gave him the Escobar name.

Fred.

I know OBFCL came out a year before IWW..but did the nikka NOT have a scarface themed song on Illmatic?..did he NOT have a mafioso themed track with G Rap the year before?..did he NOT have a mafioso themed verse on Mobb Deeps album a year before?..was he NOT the only non Wu feature on OBFCL?...did he NOT have kinpin/mafioso themed verses all over AZ's album a year before?...Nas been talkin that shyt since Illmatic bro...shyt..I didnt even see AZ get this much criticism for Doe or Die..and that shyt was way more mafioso themed than IWW...nikkas act like the nikka just popped outta nowhere on some other shyt..if u felt that way..u wasnt a fan to begin with..cause that shyt was mad gradual..with everything leading up to IWW u woulda thought muthafukkas wouldnt have been surprised by it...but this is what it all boils down to...the nikkas that hated on IWW..was the nikkas who wanted another Illmatic..and/or hated the fact that Nas blew up..they wanted him to themselves...period...the quality of the album RARELY comes into play when u see nikkas criticize it...

 

[JayBaldacci]

What trend did he set? The mafia shyt? "OB4CL" came out a year before that album. Matter of fact, Raekwon is the one that gave him the Escobar name.

Fred.

yeah, nas was calling himself escobar on the infamous, which dropped a few months before ob4cl, so nas would be part of the trend to if thats the case.
even more reason for it to be backwards to get at him for it.

 

[up in here]

it really comes down to personal preference. its classic album A vs classic album B. i aint mad if you pick one or the other, they both classic.

 

[spliz]

yeah, nas was calling himself escobar on the infamous, which dropped a few months before ob4cl, so nas would be part of the trend to if thats the case.
even more reason for it to be backwards to get at him for it.

exactly..I aint say he was THE trendsetter..but he was basically ONE of the main nikkas who set the trend..to call him out for jumping on a bandwagon is fukkin stupid...

 

[Drew Wonder]

this is an opinion that seems to grow more and more popular as time passes.

still don't agree. IWW is a technical masterpiece but it lacks the cohesiveness, rawness and honesty of Illmatic. Plus Illmatic's production is timeless whereas some of the beats on IWW sound dated to me

 

[Mike Statik]

i always said IWW >>> Illmatic...as a whole

Illmatic was straight spittin with raw beats..

IWW was still lyrical as fukk with something EVERYONE can get down too...

IMO I Gave You Power or Take it In Blood is his best song