Nas is the only mainstream rapper from Queens without a #1 billboard hit. What went wrong?

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

Same reason J Cole doesn’t have a number 1 song. Both are ill rappers that don’t have any party/club songs that bytches can rock with.

I fw Nas, but Cole has much more songs girls can listen to lmao

 

[T.he I.nformant]

Hammer sold crazy records
No one brings him up though when we talk about the greats

Hammer never went no. 1 either

Neither did Missy believe it or not

Nas going no. 1 isn’t really surprising

A lot of great artists haven’t

Do you like the music though?

 

[BK The Great]

And he’s still successful without a charting hit. About 30 years in the game he’s still making classic songs. Charted records don’t mean shyt.

 

[Alvin]

All those other artists had the streets behind them at some point

and Nas didn't it?!

 

[CrimsonTider]

Same reason J Cole doesn’t have a number 1 song. Both are ill rappers that don’t have any party/club songs that bytches can rock with.

No role models will ring off at any party

Nas's career>>>>

Does Nas have a better career than anyone on that list?

Don’t confuse standom with being relevant

 

[Low End Derrick]

For all his great achievements, Nas still lacks that final metric to make him a true great

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

To this day in my 40+ years of listening to music all of my life and my 40 years of reading, I've never picked up or read a page of a billboard magazine. And that trend will continue until the day I die. I don't give a FUK what's on the charts.

 

[Rapmastermind]

Is this supposed to be some type of Flex? Because it really isn't. NaS does commercial songs but not as much as the other guys. NaS released "NaS is Like, Got urself, Made You Look and Thief's Theme" as singles, something the other rappers would be scared to do because those songs are too hard. The only NaS solo song that hit #1 was "Street Dreams", it hit #1 on the Rap Charts. (Nas is Like, Hate Me Now, Nastradamus, Oochie Wally, Got urself, One Mic, Made You Look and I Can were all Top 10 Rap Hits). NaS most successful "Pop" Singles are his R&B Features.

Based on this loophole, NaS was featured on #1 Hot 100 Single. He was featured on the "Make it last Remix" of "Thank God I Found You" with Joe and Mariah Carey. It was a B-Side to "Thank God I Found You" which did hit #1 on the Hot 100. NaS was also featured on "Hot Boyz Remix" with Missy which hit #5 on the Hot 100 and held the record for longest running #1 Rap Single in History for over twenty years. His Song with J-Lo "I'm gonna be alright Remix" Hit Top 10 Hot 100. I think "KD2" was one of the most impressive chart successes of NaS's career. He hit #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart and #1 on the Rap Albums Chart. "KD2"" came out 27 years after "ILLmatic". Here are all the #1's of NaS's Career

Billboard 200 Albums Charts
6 #1 Albums (I.W.W., I am, HHID, U, LIG, TFirm)

Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums Charts
10 #1 Albums (I.W.W., I am, STill, GS, HHID, U, LIG, KD2, TFirm, DR

Billboard Rap Albums Charts
5 #1 Albums (HHID, U, LIG, KD2, DR)

Billboard Digital Albums Charts
1 #1 Album (TLT2)

Billboard Hot 100
1 #1 Song (B-Side feature) (Mariah Thank God I Found You)

Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Singles Charts
1 #1 Song (Remix Feature) (Missy Hot Boyz)

Billboard Rap Singles Charts
2 #1 Songs (Remix Feature) (Missy Hot Boyz) (Street Dreams)

Billboard Dance Sales Single Charts
1 #1 Song (Street Dreams)

UK R&B Albums Charts
1 #1 Album (KD)

UK Hip Hop/R&B Charts
2 #1 Songs (If I Ruled the World & Street Dreams)



As for the other rappers mentioned. LL Cool J's only #1 Hot 100 song was a J.Lo Feature. (His Biggest solo hits are Hey Lover, Loungin, Luv U Better & Lose Control all hit Top 5 on the Hot 100). LL also only has #1 Billboard 200 Album with "G.O.A.T.". LL has a ton of R&B and Rap #1 hits though. Ja Rule and 50 Cent had way more "Pop" singles than NaS. But NaS has way more #1 albums than both of them. Nicki just had her first Solo Hot 100 Hit just last year. Her other #1's were both features. Taking Nicki out of it. I do think LL, 50 and Ja did have better "Pop" songs or "Commercial" songs than NaS which is why they have more charting hits. But NaS has released better bodies of work overall. Only LL's catalog from the group is seeing NaS. 50, Ja nor Nicki's catalogs can compete.

 

[BUSINESS AS USUAL]

True great f ucking

 

[CP3.]

Same reason J Cole doesn’t have a number 1 song. Both are ill rappers that don’t have any party/club songs that bytches can rock with.

This is the reason but to be fair bytches LOVE No Role Modelz. Thots will shake their ass to that then skip 4YEO as soon it comes on

Super mainstream music is entirely dependent on how much bytches can shake their ass to it. I don't pay it any attention. Most stuff in the charts is trash and you need to do a little bit of digging to find the good shyt.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

nikkas so damn sensitive when it comes to Nas You can’t make a joke at his expense, debate his greatness, or none of that shyt without nikkas getting they panties in a bunch. That’s how you know that man is great cause he got true Stan’s. shyt still ridiculous though

And this #1 hit shyt don’t matter cause Nas better than all them nikkas. nikkas talking about the streets. The streets don’t by no fukking records. Nas never really chased hit records either

 

[Deltron]

Does Nas have a better career than anyone on that list?

Don’t confuse standom with being relevant

Yes he does

 

[Bboystyle]

OP clearly trolling Nas stans but Using the billboard as a measuring stick to determine the status of an artist is retarded as fukk

 

[Ziggiy]

Nas got number 1 ALBUMS and thats always whats most important

First rapper to bring a platinum plaque back to his projects.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Yes he does

You sure about that?