NaS I AM 2Oth Anniversary

[JustCKing]

There's a lot speculated about Nas's I Am... While it is true that it was supposed to be a double album, the album was never leaked in its entirety the way Nas intended. All versions of the double album are fan made compilations pieced together according to the concept that was floating around. There were different bootlegs with album cuts from I Am, Nastradamus, and songs from that era that ended up on Lost Tapes. None were double albums though. I'm not even sure that Nas has ever confirmed that it was supposed to be one disc that chronicled the rise and fall of Escobar and the birth of Nastradamus.

I Am was announced on the back cover of The Firm album. It was advertised as a double album scheduled to drop in 1998. Reading the article in the thread, those plans apparently was scrapped and Nas decided to go with two separate albums instead of a double album.

 

[REdefinition]

Classic album. I kinda wish he saved NY State of Mind 2 and Still We Will Survive for Stillmatic just to fit the theme of that album. Would have taken that already classic to a new level.

 

[Piff Perkins]

4.5/5 Mics

Nas most accessible and versatile album. Type of flavors for any type of hip hop head; storytelling, political, street banger, conscious shyt, radio friendly, dope collab, homage track, etc

In what world is I Am a 4.5 album? Brehs need to stop stanning/grading favorites on a curve.

 

[Cladyclad]

The shyt only had like 4 or 5 elite level Nas records

I really believe Nas stans based his albums just off the great records and totally forget the other records.

 

[JustCKing]

In what world is I Am a 4.5 album? Brehs need to stop stanning/grading favorites on a curve.

It wasn't just Nas stans that thought highly of I Am. As you can see The Source thought highly of it too. People who weren't even Nas fans like that were into the album. And as I've said before, I recall people even favoring I Am over It Was Written.

 

[C-Styles]

The album is def a classic STRICTLY cuz of the STRONG cuts, that's how good they were! It's also his most versatile and the production was something an average listener can get into. 20 years though.. sh*t, i was in 8th grade when it dropped, too many memories during that time , specially cuz during that grade we were a small circle and we still keep in touch with each other till this day

 

[spliz]

In what world is I Am a 4.5 album? Brehs need to stop stanning/grading favorites on a curve.

nikka the damn Source gave it 4.5 mics. I know some people who have I Am as their favorite Nas album. U nikkas really dont remember how that album was received in real time. And history is being rewritten for it.

 

[Cladyclad]

nikka the damn Source gave it 4.5 mics. I know some people who have I Am as their favorite Nas album. U nikkas really dont remember how that album was received in real time. And history is being rewritten for it.

They also gave Made Men album 4.5 mics that same year

 

[spliz]

They also gave Made Men album 4.5 mics that same year

Made Men wasnt bumpin out of every whip like Nas shyt was tho. And if u remember ANYTHING about that era u know what im sayin is true. The album is still one of his highest selling albums and if people thought it was wack then he wouldnt have been able to drop an actual wack album that SAME year and still have it sell records. The way nikkas tell it. nikkas gave up on Nas after I Am. Which aint true.

 

[Cladyclad]

Made Men wasnt bumpin out of every whip like Nas shyt was tho. And if u remember ANYTHING about that era u know what im sayin is true. The album is still one of his highest selling albums and if people thought it was wack then he wouldnt have been able to drop an actual wack album that SAME year and still have it sell records. The way nikkas tell it. nikkas gave up on Nas after I Am. Which aint true.

The album was underwhelming though. It sold because it was a Nas. It was also considered not as good as his last album. Nas albums were getting worst with each release. That was the consensus from my cirlcle of rap friends in high school. Stillmatic brung him up only to go on another 3 album in a row decline.

 

[spliz]

The album was underwhelming though. It sold because it was a Nas. It was also considered not as good as his last album. Nas albums were getting worst with each release. That was the consensus from my cirlcle of rap friends in high school. Stillmatic brung him up only to go on another 3 album in a row decline.

Look fam. I know people who thought it was BETTER than the last album before it. It sold because nikkas fukked wit it. I remember the bootleg. And the entire rollout. To the release of that album like it just happened yesterday. U nikkas is rewriting history on some hindsight shyt.

 

[DraymondT]

Legendary tracks:

Nas Is Like

Great tracks:

NY State of Mind Pt. 2
Undying Love
Favor for a Favor

Good tracks:

Small World
Hate Me Now
We Will Survive
Ghetto Prisoners

Bad tracks:

Big Things
I Want to Talk to You
KISSING

WTF Nasir tracks:

Dr. Knockboot
Money is My bytch
You Wont See Me Tonight

i could see why sappy nikkas would like KISSING but outside that 3/5 for me

Easily his 2nd worst produced album behind Nastrashamus

just another rap album with way too many tracks and just gutter trash filler u wonder how the fukk it got on an album of Nas caliber. It started out strong and was going good until Ghetto Prisoners ended and it started maybe the worst 5 track stretch of Nas career 1/3 of this album being for the birds with bad club tracks, r&b hooks and dumbass sex rhymes and some sloppy Nas rhyming since that aint his lane

if it was

Album Intro
NY State of Mind pt 2
Hate Me Now
Small World
Favor for a Favor
We Will Survive
Ghetto Prisoners
Nas Is Like
Undying Love

itd be a solid 4 from me

 

[Cladyclad]

Look fam. I know people who thought it was BETTER than the last album before it. It sold because nikkas fukked wit it. I remember the bootleg. And the entire rollout. To the release of that album like it just happened yesterday. U nikkas is rewriting history on some hindsight shyt.

Its some people in this world that think Nasir is Nas best album too

I know music is opinionated thing but I can’t take anyone serious if they pick I am over IWW

Big Things & Kissing are some of the worst songs I ever heard by a great artist. I only listened to them shyts like 5 times maybe. Them shyts so bad I can’t remember not one lyric from them. Those were the 1st 2 songs I didn’t like from Nas

 

[JustCKing]

Look fam. I know people who thought it was BETTER than the last album before it. It sold because nikkas fukked wit it. I remember the bootleg. And the entire rollout. To the release of that album like it just happened yesterday. U nikkas is rewriting history on some hindsight shyt.

This.

 

[yamomzb]

Copped first day back in 7th grade always liked the album