Let's actually have a hip-hop conversation for once... Does anybody else have "IWW > Illmatic"?
- Thread starter RichYung
- Start date
IWW is probably only better than Illmatic to younger people who weren't really old enough to listen to IWW when it first came out.
A lot of revisionist history with younger people (including myself) that IWW was always a classic when in reality when it came out it was seen as commercial fluff from what I've heard
First Nas song I ever heard was "If I ruled the world" though on rap city back in 96 97. So I will say it did a good job of getting him exposed or else he might have just ended up being another jeru
A lot of revisionist history with younger people (including myself) that IWW was always a classic when in reality when it came out it was seen as commercial fluff from what I've heard
First Nas song I ever heard was "If I ruled the world" though on rap city back in 96 97. So I will say it did a good job of getting him exposed or else he might have just ended up being another jeru
pointproven214
i speak facts not emotions
to me it was written was better imo
jaydolf spitler
Superstar
This conversation has been had on here 38373636 times. What u mean "for once"?
Honestly I prefer God's Son, Stillmatic, Life is Good and The Lost Tapes over Illmatic as well. But those are just personal preferences. Illmatic is the perfect album with not a weak bar on it, really can't say the same for any other album I don't think.
This thread has been reincarnated like 1000 times
wow that's me. I'm 27... I listened to all of that shyt then because of my brother and my uncles. So I'm well versed on ALL that shyt. But honestly listening to both now that I'm older, I still like IWW better
Hey, I missed them. Shoot me.
And by "hip hop" discussion I just meant let's make a thread talking about something else besides who's gay, or who's suing who. Or who's fukking whatever IG model.
Wow that's crazy. Salute
Mortal1
Superstar
Mike the Executioner
What went on up there? Poppers and weird sex!
Illmatic is just perfection to me. That's the definition of a rap album that people are still trying to figure out. Nas doesn't slip up once on that record, and the weakest track on it ("One Time 4 Your Mind") would be a huge club banger for someone with lesser talent.
It Was Written is still a good/great album with me, but it just reeks of Nas trying to overdo the crossover thing. It felt inorganic like he had to do these tracks for the sole purpose of being recognized. I remember reading somewhere that Illmatic was really only appreciated here in New York City, and it took a while for everyone else to catch on because it was so underground and unpolished. Also, it said that had Nas continued on that Illmatic-type path (his second album was originally going to have Marley Marl of all people doing production), he would be in the same boat as someone like Immortal Technique. The under-performance of Illmatic and Biggie's meteoric rise to fame got to Nas and that's why he started overcompensating for it. Plus, some songs either start running together ("Suspect," "Nas is Coming") and are bland, or are just awful ("Black Girl Lost," one of the very few Nas songs I cannot listen to). Then again, Nas is still rhyming for his life and doesn't compromise any of his talent. The Trackmasters did great production work, and at least three songs are indisputable classics ("The Message," "I Gave You Power," "Take It in Blood"). Still, Illmatic takes it for me. A great comparison would be It Was Written to Reasonable Doubt or even some of Nas' later work (I Am..., Stillmatic).
It Was Written is still a good/great album with me, but it just reeks of Nas trying to overdo the crossover thing. It felt inorganic like he had to do these tracks for the sole purpose of being recognized. I remember reading somewhere that Illmatic was really only appreciated here in New York City, and it took a while for everyone else to catch on because it was so underground and unpolished. Also, it said that had Nas continued on that Illmatic-type path (his second album was originally going to have Marley Marl of all people doing production), he would be in the same boat as someone like Immortal Technique. The under-performance of Illmatic and Biggie's meteoric rise to fame got to Nas and that's why he started overcompensating for it. Plus, some songs either start running together ("Suspect," "Nas is Coming") and are bland, or are just awful ("Black Girl Lost," one of the very few Nas songs I cannot listen to). Then again, Nas is still rhyming for his life and doesn't compromise any of his talent. The Trackmasters did great production work, and at least three songs are indisputable classics ("The Message," "I Gave You Power," "Take It in Blood"). Still, Illmatic takes it for me. A great comparison would be It Was Written to Reasonable Doubt or even some of Nas' later work (I Am..., Stillmatic).
Mike the Executioner
What went on up there? Poppers and weird sex!
Illmatic is just perfection to me. That's the definition of a rap album that people are still trying to figure out. Nas doesn't slip up once on that record, and the weakest track on it ("One Time 4 Your Mind") would be a huge club banger for someone with lesser talent.
It Was Written is still a good/great album with me, but it just reeks of Nas trying to overdo the crossover thing. It felt inorganic like he had to do these tracks for the sole purpose of being recognized. I remember reading somewhere that Illmatic was really only appreciated here in New York City, and it took a while for everyone else to catch on because it was so underground and unpolished. Also, it said that had Nas continued on that Illmatic-type path (his second album was originally going to have Marley Marl of all people doing production), he would be in the same boat as someone like Immortal Technique. The under-performance of Illmatic and Biggie's meteoric rise to fame got to Nas and that's why he started overcompensating for it. Plus, some songs either start running together ("Suspect," "Nas is Coming") and are bland, or are just awful ("Black Girl Lost," one of the very few Nas songs I cannot listen to). Then again, Nas is still rhyming for his life and doesn't compromise any of his talent. The Trackmasters did great production work, and at least three songs are indisputable classics ("The Message," "I Gave You Power," "Take It in Blood"). Still, Illmatic takes it for me. A great comparison would be It Was Written to Reasonable Doubt or even some of Nas' later work (I Am..., Stillmatic).
It Was Written is still a good/great album with me, but it just reeks of Nas trying to overdo the crossover thing. It felt inorganic like he had to do these tracks for the sole purpose of being recognized. I remember reading somewhere that Illmatic was really only appreciated here in New York City, and it took a while for everyone else to catch on because it was so underground and unpolished. Also, it said that had Nas continued on that Illmatic-type path (his second album was originally going to have Marley Marl of all people doing production), he would be in the same boat as someone like Immortal Technique. The under-performance of Illmatic and Biggie's meteoric rise to fame got to Nas and that's why he started overcompensating for it. Plus, some songs either start running together ("Suspect," "Nas is Coming") and are bland, or are just awful ("Black Girl Lost," one of the very few Nas songs I cannot listen to). Then again, Nas is still rhyming for his life and doesn't compromise any of his talent. The Trackmasters did great production work, and at least three songs are indisputable classics ("The Message," "I Gave You Power," "Take It in Blood"). Still, Illmatic takes it for me. A great comparison would be It Was Written to Reasonable Doubt or even some of Nas' later work (I Am..., Stillmatic).