Albums Nas - The Lost Tapes 2 (Discussion Thread)

[MikeStamina]

We can't really compare the past to now. Fourth quarters aren't necessarily for big acts anymore. Artists can drop music whenever. The album experience is no longer the same. Artists can do things with an album that they couldn't in the past. You can release an album today digitally and add songs over time. You can drop an album without promo. You can promote music in ways that you couldn't before.

Nas is a legacy act. His music is now for fans and core Hip Hop listeners. He doesn't have to do things that new artists would. If he announces he was dropping his new album at midnight or simply put a link to purchase his new album in his IG bio at midnight (without announcing it), it would be big news.

It's amazing how many people don't understand this concept. Just because you're still relevant n releasing albums doesn't mean you're trying to compete with the likes of drake, kendrick, n cole.

And we all know for someone with superstar goat status, Nas gets little to no radio support. That has been the case for a while.

N for all the talk about fm radio being dead, they still have the longest reach to consumers by far. Which affects sales

 

[T.he I.nformant]

Can we agree that after all these years that "lost tapes" is a unique concept that only worked for Nas?

Anytime Spider Loc, Tru Life, or 50 Cent release or announce a project called "lost tape" or "lost tapes" hip hop heads immediately think of TLT1.

People straight facedly argue that Lost Tapes is even better than Stillmatic let alone stuff like I am and Nastradamus. It sold well for a compilation. LT2 has been in demand and talked about for a very long time.

Nobody else has pulled off what Nas did

It’s me. I’m “People.” I have LT1 second or third in his discography.

 

[Big Mark]

Does anybody else like Nas on Enemy Tomorrow and I want It? I want to know more about Enemy Tomorrow. It was on the Felon Compilation but was it a Nas song or the other dude. Nas be giving away some dope shyt. Even some his throw away verses. One of my favorite Nas verses was on Thug Calm down

 

[RoseWooD]

You nikkas are so hilarious/weird clamoring for tracks y'all have heard for 15 years just to get them in CDQ over music y'all never heard before

 

[Air Nikes N Hats]

True. The hype we have created on the board and all the speculation including the trip down memory lane, through all of Nas’ music is fun. The 97-03 Nas era should still be loaded with gems and they should all be heard.

I'm hopeful the demand for more "lost tapes" music from this era is sparked by TL2. I wouldn't be surprised to see Columbia/Def Jam/whoever, just throw the tracks out there in an attempt to piggyback. It would be a win/win......we would get CDQ versions of a lot of the older songs.....for the label, they don't need to do promo for it, just set a date and throw it out there. At this point the labels are sitting on it, why not capitalize....give people more and make $$$$

 

[Big Mark]

You nikkas are so hilarious/weird clamoring for tracks y'all have heard for 15 years just to get them in CDQ over music y'all never heard before

It’s all good. You Gotta Love It was a mixtape classic that was even better when we got it on the Lost Tapes. Perfect speed and no tags. Perfect. It’s also dope as fukk when you’ve only heard a Nas track with only one classic verse but when then it’s officially released with two or three verses, it improves the track even more. For example, how dope would My Will be if there was a second verse? I know if was just a one verse joint but an additional verse on an already dope song is crazy.

 

[Big Mark]

I'm hopeful the demand for more "lost tapes" music from this era is sparked by TL2. I wouldn't be surprised to see Columbia/Def Jam/whoever, just throw the tracks out there in an attempt to piggyback. It would be a win/win......we would get CDQ versions of a lot of the older songs.....for the label, they don't need to do promo for it, just set a date and throw it out there. At this point the labels are sitting on it, why not capitalize....give people more and make $$$$

I agree wholeheartedly and I hope it happens like that but I believe the reality of it is that Nas and his team have more interest in controlling the release of his music than before. My man, who put together Illmatic XX had gone to Sony multiple times with ideas for additional Nas complications. He even took my suggestions for a special IWW release but was later rejected because Nas camp didn’t approve it. He wanted to put more rare stuff on the Illmatic XX like the original version of Represent and the alternate version of Memory Lane but that too was rejected. He even pitched a compilation that included Nas’ soundtrack joints but it was shot down.

I hope TLT2 does well enough to warrant another few volumes but I doubt if Sony of Def Jam will just drop something.

What might happen though is there could be some producers that worked with Nas who might decide to let a few Nas tracks go. If so, and they tag it, I hope they follow up and drop it without tags like @Dj RHUDE did.

 

[Ziggiy]

Can we agree that after all these years that "lost tapes" is a unique concept that only worked for Nas?

Anytime Spider Loc, Tru Life, or 50 Cent release or announce a project called "lost tape" or "lost tapes" hip hop heads immediately think of TLT1.

People straight facedly argue that Lost Tapes is even better than Stillmatic let alone stuff like I am and Nastradamus. It sold well for a compilation. LT2 has been in demand and talked about for a very long time.

Nobody else has pulled off what Nas did

If we’re talking about just projects called Lost Tapes then no. Lost tapes is synonymous with Nas. To the point where I have no idea why Ghostface named his album from a year ago Lost Tapes. Everybody thinks Nas when you mention Lost Tapes.

Now if we’re talking unreleased material put out as an album. Kendrick lamar’s Untitled Unmastered debuted at number 1 and was critically acclaimed. It was a pretty good stand alone piece and worked more as a journey into the creative process that eventually became a masterpiece album (To Pimp a Butterfly) than it was a collection of songs that could stand on their own

 

[MoneyBags]

I will admit I would rather hear and have songs like The Rise & Fall, and all the unreleased tracks from 97-2003, but you never know how that would play. A lot of that us pure nostalgia, and just trying to channel those early days of my teens. Would I really rather have "Wanna Play", and "Day Dreamin", rather than hear new Nas tracks from 2006 on? Probably not. But, if you had those tracks and 5 unreleased DOE/I Am sessions tracks? Maybe. I wish we could have both, but the whole process if somewhat exciting and more fun on an album release than I can recall in a decade.

But songs like Rise & Fall have already been out in and in great quality. I'd rather get songs we have NEVER heard at all instead of songs that we have all had did years. I mean I would love to get unreleased Nas songs from that era, too, but only if they are unheard tracks or songs that had DJ's screaming all over them (like Enemy Tomorrow).

 

[DaveyDave]

True. The hype we have created on the board and all the speculation including the trip down memory lane, through all of Nas’ music is fun. The 97-03 Nas era should still be loaded with gems and they should all be heard.

Probably a lot harder for Nas to be able to release those without giving Sony a grip tho. Having said that I don’t know what his deal is like or what they own etc.

 

[re'up]

But songs like Rise & Fall have already been out in and in great quality. I'd rather get songs we have NEVER heard at all instead of songs that we have all had did years. I mean I would love to get unreleased Nas songs from that era, too, but only if they are unheard tracks or songs that had DJ's screaming all over them (like Enemy Tomorrow).

Not so much the quality, but the acknowledgement, so to speak, and actual showing those songs, in some cohesive format, along with maybe other unreleased from that period. To have that officially chronicled and released, would just be a revelation of sorts for the Nas fans that loved that era, and came up in it. But, as I said in earlier post, you wait so long for these things in life, and they do happen, but they are seldom what you expected, the way you expected. That is due to the nature of expectations. I am happy anything is coming, it's all fun to me.

 

[C-Styles]

Crazy how someone released a Tupac "Lost tapes" and didn't have HALF the hype of Nas's

 

[waynep]

I just saw that Beyonce is dropping her Lion King
album the same day as the lost tapes the 19th
Now granted the movie comes out the 18 but
still man lol smh

 

[KillKenny]

I just saw that Beyonce is dropping her Lion King
album the same day as the lost tapes the 19th
Now granted the movie comes out the 18 but
still man lol smh

LOL that's crazy

 

[kes929]

I just saw that Beyonce is dropping her Lion King
album the same day as the lost tapes the 19th
Now granted the movie comes out the 18 but
still man lol smh

She might mess up the gawds number 1