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

[hex]

I don't understand the significance of "it got 4.5 Mics!"

Rap fans didn't give a fukk about Source ratings. Half the time when you heard an album it wouldn't align when you read the review so your opinion was already cemented.

This is partially why The Source went back years later and changed a gang of their reviews to mirror how the albums were actually received.

Pretty much the only interest in The Source was:

1. To debate who got the Quotable.
2. To check on release dates.
3. The articles.

At least that's how it was for my peer group.

Fred.

 

[Illmagic]

Does it really matter how it was recieved when it came out? The beautiful thing about music is the way you feel about it can change over time. Possitive and negative. I thought I am was dope back then. Listening to it now its average overall. The highs are still crazy dope. I listened to jay z's vol 3 alot when it came out. Listening to it now . On the flip side I didnt like IWW much at all when I first heard it. Now I like it. I have countless albums of all genres like that. Thats the beauty of music.

 

[Illmagic]

I don't understand the significance of "it got 4.5 Mics!"

Rap fans didn't give a fukk about Source ratings. Half the time when you heard an album it wouldn't align when you read the review so your opinion was already cemented.

This is partially why The Source went back years later and changed a gang of their reviews to mirror how the albums were actually received.

Pretty much the only interest in The Source was:

1. To debate who got the Quotable.
2. To check on release dates.
3. The articles.

At least that's how it was for my peer group.

Fred.

I dunno about that. People always were talking and debating mic ratings. So much that even today our rating systems are effected. If I give an album at 3 out 5 thats me saying its bad in alot of peoples eyes. When in reaility 3/5 mathematicaly is a good score. But in the source mic ratings that was weak. So yea hip hop heads def cared about mic ratings. I remember when the blueprint and stillmatic got 5 mics in the heat of the battle. That was a big damn deal

 

[hex]

I dunno about that. People always were talking and debating mic ratings. So much that even today our rating systems are effected. If I give an album at 3 out 5 thats me saying its bad in alot of peoples eyes. When in reaility 3/5 mathematicaly is a good score. But in the source mic ratings that was weak. So yea hip hop heads def cared about mic ratings. I remember when the blueprint and stillmatic got 5 mics in the heat of the battle. That was a big damn deal

The internet was around during the Jay/Nas shyt. I'm talking about in the 80's and 90's. Off the top of my head I can't ever remember a Source rating factoring into an actual real world discussion of an album. Like I said a bunch of their reviews were off base with how the albums were received so they were forced to change them years later.

And yeah, the Mic shyt was short hand for something being dope or not but that became a part of pop culture. Kinda how giving something a thumbs up or thumbs down took on a life of it's own totally independent of Siskel and Ebert.

Fred.

 

[Taadow]

The same reason Murda Muzik got 4.5 mics, but people act like they hate it...

 

[JayBaldacci]

Listening to it now...........looking back.........that intro was talking to jay-z especially with that random big pun rant in there.........we all know pun and joe ain't like jay...........funny thing jay was looked at as the cornball back then....the corny commercial dikk rider....when jay went and got beanie sigel that's when everything changed....ppl started taking him serious.....but queens still looked at him as a bytch.....this is where the whole mobb nas jay beef stems from.....jay was feeling like oh yall not fukking with me? remember im from the projects that yall nikkaz wanted to hang out at..... how i'm the fake one? ok imma show yall....money cash hoes....new yorks been soft since....then the radio freestyle oochie wally comes on "Murder that" memphis bleek ....your lifestyles written............jay and nas was a epic beef.....as far as nas ....i am ppl loved it when i was younger.........i didn't personally like it.........i felt like it lacked something.... it was too clean or something it wasn't as dirty as before....but i digress...i lived it....nas always was looked at as one of the top 3 rappers in every era....regardless....but jay was EVERYWHERE in 2000.......that changed everything 2000 going into 2001 was crucial to jay's legacy as it stands now....while it was ja rule making love songs dmx's decline nas missing.........jay was right there every where you turned........he even stole jadakiss spot.......y'all ain't knowing

That was pun? Thought it was Horse.

 

[Oville]

I don't understand the significance of "it got 4.5 Mics!"

Rap fans didn't give a fukk about Source ratings. Half the time when you heard an album it wouldn't align when you read the review so your opinion was already cemented.

This is partially why The Source went back years later and changed a gang of their reviews to mirror how the albums were actually received.

Pretty much the only interest in The Source was:

1. To debate who got the Quotable.
2. To check on release dates.
3. The articles.

At least that's how it was for my peer group.

Fred.

Your own personal opinion shouldn't change from what a magazine review may have said but in terms of the perception and reception that the album got, people make it seem like it was lambasted or some kind of flop when it wasn't the case at all.

 

[semicko82]

I Am is the Godfather 3 or Return of the Jedi. Its good but not better than the first two.

 

[ThirdAct]

Most underrated album in his discography I think

NY State of Mind Pt 2, Hate Me Now, Small World, We Will Survive, Ghetto Prisoners, Nas Is Like, Undying Love are all five mics, fukk whatchu heard...personally I think the high points are better than Stillmatic's high points even if Stillmatic is more consistent overall

Favor for a Favor, You Won't See Me Tonight and Life Is What You Make It are 4.5 mics

Money Is My bytch is 4 mics

KISSING is 3.5 mics

I Want to Talk to You, Dr Knockboots and Big Things are the only outright eh songs

High 4 overall, maybe even a 4.5, but swap those lesser songs with Find Ya Wealth, Blaze A 50, Drunk By Myself, Amongst Kings, Poppa Was A Playa, Fetus, Project Window, Sometimes I Wonder, etc and you arguably got Nas best album ever

 

[Won Won]

Dr Knockboots was the b side to Nas is Like

 

[OHSNAP!]

What nas album can you not say this about???

Thank God he doesn't listen. That's how he lasted a quarter century. Doing him.

Tf, Stillmatic had only one wack cut

 

[OmegaK2099]

It aint as bad as nastradamus

 

[flah_neon]

That was pun? Thought it was Horse.

The last person that says fakkit muthafukkas is pun lol

 

[Kogami]

Couldn't Nas have released the OG version, despite it being leaked?

 

[JerseyFinest!]

It was a classic in my hood