The title track on Doe or Die is more glossy than anything on IWW. "It's a Shame" on 456 is on some smooth shyt, too, with an R&B hook. Same for "Can't Knock the Hustle." And you keep saying "that Trackmasters sound," like the Trackmasters didn't make their fair share of hard shyt, too. Or like LES and Premo aren't on there as well.
Official Nas Thread
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The title track on Doe or Die is more glossy than anything on IWW. "It's a Shame" on 456 is on some smooth shyt, too, with an R&B hook. Same for "Can't Knock the Hustle." And you keep saying "that Trackmasters sound," like the Trackmasters didn't make their fair share of hard shyt, too. Or like LES and Premo aren't on there as well.spliz
SplizThaDon
Don't agree. IWW sounds way more gloomy as an album than RD and I don't even see how any objective listener can dispute that. The Message ain't shiny. I Gave U Power ain't shiny. I don't know which Watch Dem nikkas u was listening to but that shyt always sounded extremely laid back. Not shiny or glossy. Take It In Blood. Def not. Nas Is Coming is ehhh. I guess u can say the Dre production is glossy. I guess I can give u Affirmative Action as well. Then u got Shootouts. Live nikka Rap. Suspect. Silent Murder. Which all sound grimey. Black Girl Lost and If I Ruled The World sound softer. But that shyt is a classic hip hop sample.
So the "commercial" sounding tracks are "Street Dreams". "Nas Is Coming". "Affirmative Action". "Black Girl Lost" and "If I Ruled The World".
That's 5 tracks out of a whole album. And "Nas Is Coming" and "Affirmative Action" aren't bright sounding. Them shyt's still sound street. The album had a cleaner sound than Illmatic. But to sit here and tell me that Ready To Die which had tracks like Juicy, Big Poppa , and him releasing One More Chance remix as a single was less commercial than IWW?. That's a lie. Those songs alone were way more commercial sounding and that shyt came out the same year Nas had Illmatic. Didn't get hated on. And won all the awards over Nas from the same magazine that give him 5 mics. Over him. Reasonable Doubt overall sounds brighter than IWW. The samples were brighter. Not saying it sounds commercial. But it sounds clean and it has brighter samples. Doe or Die wasnt no darker of an album either. nikkas heard the words "Trackmasters" and "Dr Dre" and jumped out the window on that nikka for no reason. While giving everyone else around him a damn free pass. Especially if we get into the subject matter part of the album. He was one of the people that set the trend and he been droppin Esco verses ever since atleast early 95 and people acted like he just popped outta nowhere on em. It was just all around stupid bytchin and complaining from people who wanted Nas all to themselves. Yet bootlegged his shyt. And didnt support him wit they wallets.
IllmaticDelta
Veteran
and the only ones that are really radio friendly in a crossover type of way are Street Dreams (original) and IIRTW....Nas is Coming, Affirmative Action and Black Girl aren't radio friendly even based on the instrumental.
spliz
SplizThaDon
Also. nikkas talk about Illmatic vs IWW as street albums. Yet street nikkas was the main ones bumpin the fukk out of IWW out they whips. It's like the comments on the album didnt even reflect reality n shyt. The man's own brother who was def in the streets said he bumped the shyt every day. And I'm going by the shyt I seen wit my own eyes as a nikka born and raised in NY.
spliz
SplizThaDon
Exactly. I said that in my post basically. I'm willing to bet alotta people who said the album was commercial just heard the singles and wrote the rest of the album off.
the message is defintitely shiny breh. that's a fukking obvious sting sample. I agree with most of what you say though
IllmaticDelta
Veteran
Message is dark as fuk....
Piff Perkins
Veteran
We'll have to agree to disagree. Most of the album has a mainstream shine to me. Not saying it's shiny suit shyt or rap n bullshyt. It's not a criticism, the point is that it was a mainstream attempt and it worked. Just like Life After Death or Vol 1.
spliz
SplizThaDon
So what. shyt doesn't SOUND shiny. It sounds grimey. Matter fact. That's one of the songs a lot of the "Illmatic" purist's accept. Lol.
Piff Perkins
Veteran
(although to be fair Vol 1 is rather meh to me outside of the standout tracks)
spliz
SplizThaDon
U can't compare it to LAD or ESPECIALLY Vol.1 which sounds damn near straight up commercial. It's not a fair comparison musically. Tone wise it compare's more to RTD than LAD. Which makes sense cause he was influenced by RTD to make it.
IllmaticDelta
Veteran
them albums are straight mainstream radio rap. IWW is nothing like those albums. IWW is actually harder and less commercial than RTD while coming out 2 years later in a climate where HipHop was going more commercial already off the Bad Boy formula pioneered on RTD
HNIC973
R.I.P Bandana P
Don't forget this
C/S Stoute own words (While I was mastering, Q-Tip said to me, “You’re killing his career.” Q-Tip [had a big role on Illmatic] but he didn’t produce on It Was Written. Nas is an artist’s artist. My whole thing was I didn’t want him to end up being like Kool G Rap).
Q-Tip
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HNIC973
R.I.P Bandana P
I can say nikkaz in my projects definitely wasn't like get this
outta here this not Illmatic we was more busy yo rewind that I Gave you Power 2nd verse let me get that booklet read that shyt while its playing
outta here this not Illmatic we was more busy yo rewind that I Gave you Power 2nd verse let me get that booklet read that shyt while its playing