up in here
Superstar
No way, Nastradamus is Nas most underrated. That album is dope. It’s got a couple of weak tracks but it’s got more dope shyt than weak shyt. it’s nowhere near his worst album
Nas - Magic (Discussion Thread)
The "Nas picks weak beats" narrative is heavily based on Streets Discipline and Untitled. SD he released a super sparse, stripped down, anti-commercial album as an intentional statement during the height of Dips and Kanye chipmunk soul era. Like I don't need these massive, lush (and expensive) soul samples to carry me. Untitled was similar in that respect. HHID was not, but was just kind of a scattershot album.
It existed before that, because of the dusty heads mad about him not trying to recreate Illmatic. Sort of got escalated with God's Son which featured that stripped down style in places, leading to the 9th Wonder shyt. Life Is Good should've put that shyt to bed butdie hard
I believe the Nas picks weak beats narrative started with Nastradamus and into Gods Son. You have Hey Nas, zone out and some people didn’t even like the beat of Last real nigha alive. I think SD further fed the myth and HHID didn’t make up for it.
I think Untitled and Distant Relatives started to change the overall perspective and turn the corner musically.
For some odd reason people try to discredit that album. I think it has to be due to subject matter. Some nas fans just aren't interested in that subject matter, so some can't relate. Musically, lyrically, content wise that album is dope.
Bruce Wayne
THE GODDAMN BILLIONAIRE
1st Time I heard that Track I HAD to Run It BACK!one of those albums where the skip button is completely unnecessary
"Meet Joe Black"
up in here
Superstar
It started with IWW, which is crazy cause IWW is fire. But that’s where it started. Dusty backpackers were mad Nas was rapping over Trackmasters instead of Pete Rock and Marley Marl. They went into overdrive when he dropped The Firm and just hated that whole move. That’s why he did “Hate Me Now”, cause they were hating everything he did. They hated the beats on I Am and Nastradamus too. They still wanted illmatic 2. So he dropped Stillmatic and silenced everybody.
then he dropped Gods Son and most people didn’t even hate the production. A small number of people still hates but largely it was well received initially. but then 9th did Gods Stepson and reignited the whole “Nas picks bad beats” conversation.
SD, HHID and Untitled really went against the grain of what was popping both commercially and in the underground so people ran with the narrative.
I think it's one of his worst, but it's also underrated. It's probably the only Nas album where he's obviously phoning it in on multiple tracks. Lazy concepts, hooks and lyrics on multiple songs. Come Get Me is solid but probably his weakest track with Premier.
But Life We Chose, Project Windows, Last Words and Family are great tracks. I always liked the title track and God Love Us too.
By your own admission is is a dope album.
It has 1 maybe 2 weak joints
In the 90s you had albums with some misses on it but rated well.
Shooters Shoot.
Now Rappers release mid allday and hype it up but no undeniable certified classics but little to no weak joints either.
spliz
SplizThaDon
Also Shoot Em Up is a hood favorite Nas joint. Lol
And CNN favorite Lol
Love. Nas' response.
Movies and Shows have crazy violence yet they hatin on rappers telling the truth through music.
I hear you but old nikkas on here will be juelzing about drill music and King Von etc, Nas is saying the same thing they would say,
up in here
Superstar
if you cut the weak tracks Nastradamus is a solid listen
Intro
Life We Chose
Nastradamus
Project Windows
Come Get Me
Shoot Em Up
Last words
Family
God Love Us
You Owe Me
Outro
that’s a fire playlist right there. How anyone can say it’s his worst album at this point is beyond me. Yeah it was his worst it dropped cause he only had illmatic, it was written and I am…, but it was never bad like people say. It’s still a good album, just not as good as his first three.
Who cares? Nas is Nas with HIS track record and Von was Von with HIS track record.
Nas’s moves should be what put weight behind his words.