Official Nas Thread
- Thread starter Ronald
- Start date
Alexander Wiggin
All Star
I don't think the problem was to put it above illmatic. A lot of people have.
It's to call it a mixtape and to say there is no chemistry in the production part.
I get why you called it a mixtape. It's because it's short and Iww sounds way better and it's more polish. But that's because there was a technical gap between early 90's albums and late 94 and on albums in terms of production. But illmatic still of full body of work
Alexander Wiggin
All Star
I don't think the problem was to put it above illmatic. A lot of people have.
It's to call it a mixtape and to say there is no chemistry in the production part.
I get why you called it a mixtape. It's because it's short and Iww sounds way better and it's more polish. But that's because there was a technical gap between early 90's albums and late 94 and on albums in terms of production. But illmatic still of full body of work
UpAndComing
Veteran
My bad "mixtape" was a little strong. I meant Illmatic feels more like a Greatest Hits albums. A collection of Classic Nas songs over classic production. The producers on the album felt like they were competing with each other, but in a good way
Piff Perkins
Veteran
It's not drugs lol, breh has one lung. He sounded terrible on the Conway album this year but I think a decent engineer/mix could make it work. His voice isn't high enough to be over drums so you'd just have to do some reverb, take the drums out etc. I could see it being dope with the right beat.
Doesn't sound like the case as the version on the retail album that we all have isn't the original. On early tracklists, that song featured XO. Supposedly, that version was produced by The Trackmasters.
Never heard this version of "In Between Us"
First time I heard it was like a year or two ago when Scarface talked about it on Drink Champs.
Nas was ready to serve some pre-Ether lol
Face shouldnt have asked him to change the verse Lol.
Face knew that Jay was going to be on the album too and didn’t want to play favorites.
Spidey Man
Superstar
Never heard this version of "In Between Us"
We just hit the 20th anniversary of the album. They should drop the original as a bonus unreleased track
Jay was MaNoLo it hurt me when I had to kill him and his whole squad for DoLo
...such a glorious & poignant time when God'S Son
reclaimed his title back 20yrs ago
My love goes to Afeni ShaKur cause like Anne Jones she raised a ghetto king in the War
...such a glorious & poignant time when God'S Son
reclaimed his title back 20yrs agoMy love goes to Afeni ShaKur cause like Anne Jones she raised a ghetto king in the War
Last edited:
IWasntMadeToPlayTheSon
Mutant Mindframe
That verse on the album was great. I remember it got hip hop quotable in source when the fix got 5 mics. Big deal back then.
2
Nas, ‘King’s Disease 3’
Nas
In late November, the discussion around King’s Disease 3 diverted from Nas’ excellence to his relevance. And while the banter felt more like opportunism for bloggers than anything else, the hysteria became an inadvertent opportunity to note that what the 49-year-old is doing is historical. Only a select few of his peers are still as compelling as he is three decades into rap, and few are releasing as much as he has lately. He’s found a groove with Hit-Boy on the King’s Disease projects, where the versatile producer laces him with breakbeats and loops that induce a stink face on first immersion, yet still maintain enough gloss to feel intent on mass appeal.
That dynamic is once again at play on KD3. On “Thun,” Nas churns through a Mafioso score that gives his golden-era reflections the gravitas they deserve. “Once a Man, Twice a Child” is a harrowing glimpse of facing mortality, where he muses, “If you lucky you get old.” And “Michael and Quincy” is another lyrical exercise where his rapid-fire storytelling feels invigorated. Everything feels just a notch better on King’s Disease 3. Hit-Boy’s sample choices are more emotive. Nas is rapping faster and sharper, elevating this era into an integral juncture of his timeline. Even if his releases don’t strangle social media like an artist such as Drake does, efforts like this will last the test of time. —A.G.
www.rollingstone.com
Nas, ‘King’s Disease 3’
Nas
In late November, the discussion around King’s Disease 3 diverted from Nas’ excellence to his relevance. And while the banter felt more like opportunism for bloggers than anything else, the hysteria became an inadvertent opportunity to note that what the 49-year-old is doing is historical. Only a select few of his peers are still as compelling as he is three decades into rap, and few are releasing as much as he has lately. He’s found a groove with Hit-Boy on the King’s Disease projects, where the versatile producer laces him with breakbeats and loops that induce a stink face on first immersion, yet still maintain enough gloss to feel intent on mass appeal.
That dynamic is once again at play on KD3. On “Thun,” Nas churns through a Mafioso score that gives his golden-era reflections the gravitas they deserve. “Once a Man, Twice a Child” is a harrowing glimpse of facing mortality, where he muses, “If you lucky you get old.” And “Michael and Quincy” is another lyrical exercise where his rapid-fire storytelling feels invigorated. Everything feels just a notch better on King’s Disease 3. Hit-Boy’s sample choices are more emotive. Nas is rapping faster and sharper, elevating this era into an integral juncture of his timeline. Even if his releases don’t strangle social media like an artist such as Drake does, efforts like this will last the test of time. —A.G.
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www.rollingstone.com