Nas "I Am" got 4.5 Mic when it came out. WHY DOES THE COLI&the internet HATE IT?!

[Piff Perkins]

I don't get why people defend their favorite rapper like money or blood is on the line. I Am is a 3/5 album at best. 2.5/5 would be an acceptable rating as well. It's almost like a blueprint for bloated, over produced rap albums of that era. You've got a Timbo beat, super dated/trendy beats, radio reaches, a couple "for the hood" tracks including a DMX feature, and a couple Premo joints for the real rap brigade. The results is an album that feels like a messy creatively, which is ironic given how intricate and planned out the original concept was.

If we're gonna keep it a buck, this is basically the album Hov made about 2-3 times (depending on whose counting) in the 90s yet isn't criticized for, for some reason.

 

[prophecypro]

The tracks on lost tapes.....nah b

Fam, I love that album and I love the tracks that Nas had that werent on Lost Tapes too (Wanna Play Rough, Simple Livin (thought that was probably IWW sessions since its basically Street Dreams Remix), Hardest Thing to do is stay Alive, the Nore joint etc)

At the same time, I guarantee if they had come out on the I am album, with the exception of maybe Fetus, The Rise and Fall and Blaze a 50, I feel like on a double album critics are still very much complaning about tracks like Nothing Last Forever, Drunk by Myself, U Gotta Love it being filler and you know people are gonna hit with him the usual disengenuious poor beat selection shyt just cause those joints werent from the Illmatic producers. These are the same people that shytted on It was written when it came out and a bunch of other Nas joints after

That ablatross of "not like Illmatic" would have still unfairly been there, plus with the fact that all double albums just naturally feel like oversaturated and have filler and I think he probably still gets the same reception.
Im not saying the album woudnt be dope to you and me, Im saying the perception is still there

 

[prophecypro]

I don't get why people defend their favorite rapper like money or blood is on the line. I Am is a 3/5 album at best. 2.5/5 would be an acceptable rating as well. It's almost like a blueprint for bloated, over produced rap albums of that era. You've got a Timbo beat, super dated/trendy beats, radio reaches, a couple "for the hood" tracks including a DMX feature, and a couple Premo joints for the real rap brigade. The results is an album that feels like a messy creatively, which is ironic given how intricate and planned out the original concept was.

If we're gonna keep it a buck, this is basically the album Hov made about 2-3 times (depending on whose counting) in the 90s yet isn't criticized for, for some reason.

I used to sometimes think it was Nas worst project, even thinking Nastradamus was better but in recent times Im not sure if its a 2.5 or 3 and might be a bit better. I mean you got NYSOM 2, Nas is Like, Hate Me Now, Small World, Favor For a Favor, You Wont see Me Tonight, KISSING , Undying Love and Still we will Survive as I believe the dope tracks. Everything else isnt that great, but I wonder if it thats enough to say its a more solid project now.

That the thing about Nas discography to me and why I defend it. Its weird cause I think opinons on albim to album vary back and forth for people more than any other rappers catalogue

 

[Oville]

I don't get why people defend their favorite rapper like money or blood is on the line. I Am is a 3/5 album at best. 2.5/5 would be an acceptable rating as well. It's almost like a blueprint for bloated, over produced rap albums of that era. You've got a Timbo beat, super dated/trendy beats, radio reaches, a couple "for the hood" tracks including a DMX feature, and a couple Premo joints for the real rap brigade. The results is an album that feels like a messy creatively, which is ironic given how intricate and planned out the original concept was.

If we're gonna keep it a buck, this is basically the album Hov made about 2-3 times (depending on whose counting) in the 90s yet isn't criticized for, for some reason.

Got no problem with shytting on nas albums. He's my favorite rapper nastradamas, Untitiled, and Street Disciple was ass cheeks. I Am is my second favorite nas album. Production was his most cinematic of any album. Two of his best story telling tracks, dope sequel to a classic cut, one of his best commercial records that has street appeal (Hate Me Now), Creative spinoff of one love with we will survive, dope conceptual record with Scarface and the only real radio reaches on the album are you won't see me tonight. I guess you can say Dr. Knockboot but that was always meant to be an interlude track and for me its a cool song for what its meant's to be. Even songs like KISSING are written from a mature man's point of view.

 

[prophecypro]

Got no problem with shytting on nas albums. He's my favorite rapper nastradamas, Untitiled, and Street Disciple was ass cheeks. I Am is my second favorite nas album. Production was his most cinematic of any album. Two of his best story telling tracks, dope sequel to a classic cut, one of his best commercial records that has street appeal (Hate Me Now), Creative spinoff of one love with we will survive, dope conceptual record with Scarface and the only real radio reaches on the album are you won't see me tonight. I guess you can say Dr. Knockboot but that was always meant to be an interlude track and for me its a cool song for what its meant's to be. Even songs like KISSING are written from a mature man's point of view.

Next to Let There Be Light off HHID thats probably one of his more better radio attempts in his career that also for some reason was never made into a single. That would have been everywhere in the summer of 1999, people were saying back then it was dying to be a single.

 

[spliz]

The Firm better than I Am, you dudes are on one

nikkas buggin. Lol

 

[spliz]

I don't get why people defend their favorite rapper like money or blood is on the line. I Am is a 3/5 album at best. 2.5/5 would be an acceptable rating as well. It's almost like a blueprint for bloated, over produced rap albums of that era. You've got a Timbo beat, super dated/trendy beats, radio reaches, a couple "for the hood" tracks including a DMX feature, and a couple Premo joints for the real rap brigade. The results is an album that feels like a messy creatively, which is ironic given how intricate and planned out the original concept was.

If we're gonna keep it a buck, this is basically the album Hov made about 2-3 times (depending on whose counting) in the 90s yet isn't criticized for, for some reason.

Hell no at the bolded. Lol

 

[Big Mark]

Every single one of us here, who appreciates the I Am ... Nastradamus era, the entire mystery sorrounding the sessions, the leak and then the Nastradamus and Desth if Escobar album needs to fill up Mass Appeal’s email, blow up them up in Twitter, IG or whatever they are on and make a special request for their writers to do some investigative reporting on the topic. It would be a hell of a piece and would clear up a lot.

What y’all wanna do?

 

[Piff Perkins]

I agree that while I'd fukk with an I Am that consisted of many Lost Tapes tracks, people would complain about the lack of bangers. It would be a dope, introspective album with little flare. Hate Me Now wouldn't exist either.

 

[Big Mark]

The Oral History of the Lost Tapes article talks a lot about the tracks that would've made the I am album.

 

[Easy-E]

I Am Nastradumas would've been Nas' best album.

 

[Big Mel]

I Am Nastradumas would've been Nas' best album.

HAHHAHAJAJAJJANANAJAJ

 

[flah_neon]

So you didn’t hear big pun just randomly come out of no where saying fakkit mcs. I’m talking to you. You know who I’m talking to. fakkit muthafukkas?

 

[mobbinfms]

So you didn’t hear big pun just randomly come out of no where saying fakkit mcs. I’m talking to you. You know who I’m talking to. fakkit muthafukkas?

That was Horse :prodigylol:

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

I Am is way better than Vol 2.

hell to the naw.

volume 2 is hit after hit.
I Am is halfway failed hit attempts.