Official Nas Thread

Alexander Wiggin

Alexander Wiggin

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Piff Perkins said:
That seems deliberate to me, to be honest. You'd think the album doesn't exist the way a lot of people - including Nas at one point - treated it in subsequent years. In a hip hop media ecosystem where certain "real hip hop" figures praise Vol 1 and cosign Diddy hits, those same people will tell you If I Ruled The World was/is wack. It's the weirdest shyt ever and has to be personal. Speaking of personal, it also may be why you can't find any Hot 97 interviews from those four weeks. Yet you can find plenty of Biggie interviews from the same time periods, everyone has stories about his runs, etc.
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NY hated nas going superstar status. They felt betrayed like obi wan with anakin. I still remember the vibe review of iww which was shyting on it. That's why nas did hate me now, it was because a lot of people thought he was selling out.
Which was hypocritical was people said biggie was king because he had the street, the females and the radio but they wouldnt let Nas do the same but at the same time they said illmatic didn't sale.
They said nas was the best and gave him 5 mics only for same publication to not give him album of the year and more importantly lyricist of the year.
They said nas went commercial when if I ruled the world was hip hop as fukk and trackmasters kept it grimey. It was only like 3 radio sounding song on there but it was too much for them.
Thank God nas didn't listen to them at that time
 
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Piff Perkins

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spliz said:
From what I remember. Nas was def on the radio. Street Dreams and If I Ruled The World. Ironically it remember Street Dreams being played more but it was a long time ago so who knows. Even non singles like Affirmative Action got play. I know Wendy Williams was in love with Nas so she always held him down when others didnt. What's ur theory tho?
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But do you remember him doing interviews, general convos about him etc? On air.

I think certain people decided the write Nas out of the picture and there was agreement between both the mainstream and underground scenes on this in NY radio and media. Radio was Bad Boy Central at the time, Biggie and Diddy were calling in regularly. Jay was on the payola tip, getting play. Like @Alexander Wiggin said, he wasn't allowed to go mainstream yet nobody had an issue with Biggie doing it. Then on the underground side...Stretch Armstrong debuted most of IWW on college radio but when you listen to the tapes with Bobbito throughout 1996/1997 you barely hear any Nas. He basically got phased out from their shyt. Yea they played Live nikka Rap a few times but that's about it, and limited Illmatic plays too. Just disappeared...yet you hear Biggie and Jay in most of their tapes. Obviously Nas was still on mixtapes but I just find this shyt weird...

Also we gonna talk about how the Pac/Death Row East thing didn't even become a major point of discussion until the 2000s? Nas mentioned it on We Will Survive in 1999 but how is it that an armed NAS and PAC confrontation wasn't talked about heavily to the point we can find interviews about it from that time? Because to acknowledge that is to acknowledge Nas was really that dude in 1996, and so many people seem to not want to acknowledge that.
 
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spliz

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Piff Perkins said:
But do you remember him doing interviews, general convos about him etc? On air.

I think certain people decided the write Nas out of the picture and there was agreement between both the mainstream and underground scenes on this in NY radio and media. Radio was Bad Boy Central at the time, Biggie and Diddy were calling in regularly. Jay was on the payola tip, getting play. Like @Alexander Wiggin said, he wasn't allowed to go mainstream yet nobody had an issue with Biggie doing it. Then on the underground side...Stretch Armstrong debuted most of IWW on college radio but when you listen to the tapes with Bobbito throughout 1996/1997 you barely hear any Nas. He basically got phased out from their shyt. Yea they played Live nikka Rap a few times but that's about it, and limited Illmatic plays too. Just disappeared...yet you hear Biggie and Jay in most of their tapes. Obviously Nas was still on mixtapes but I just find this shyt weird...

Also we gonna talk about how the Pac/Death Row East thing didn't even become a major point of discussion until the 2000s? Nas mentioned it on We Will Survive in 1999 but how is it that an armed NAS and PAC confrontation wasn't talked about heavily to the point we can find interviews about it from that time? Because to acknowledge that is to acknowledge Nas was really that dude in 1996, and so many people seem to not want to acknowledge that.
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Wow. This is an angle I never thought about but it makes OD sense. I also sense the fact alotta people especially underground nikkas was jealous of Nas. The shyt that happened to Nas at the Source Awards was outrage worthy but u don't even really see articles about how fukked up it was.
 
Ziggiy

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Piff Perkins said:
But do you remember him doing interviews, general convos about him etc? On air.

I think certain people decided the write Nas out of the picture and there was agreement between both the mainstream and underground scenes on this in NY radio and media. Radio was Bad Boy Central at the time, Biggie and Diddy were calling in regularly. Jay was on the payola tip, getting play. Like @Alexander Wiggin said, he wasn't allowed to go mainstream yet nobody had an issue with Biggie doing it. Then on the underground side...Stretch Armstrong debuted most of IWW on college radio but when you listen to the tapes with Bobbito throughout 1996/1997 you barely hear any Nas. He basically got phased out from their shyt. Yea they played Live nikka Rap a few times but that's about it, and limited Illmatic plays too. Just disappeared...yet you hear Biggie and Jay in most of their tapes. Obviously Nas was still on mixtapes but I just find this shyt weird...

Also we gonna talk about how the Pac/Death Row East thing didn't even become a major point of discussion until the 2000s? Nas mentioned it on We Will Survive in 1999 but how is it that an armed NAS and PAC confrontation wasn't talked about heavily to the point we can find interviews about it from that time? Because to acknowledge that is to acknowledge Nas was really that dude in 1996, and so many people seem to not want to acknowledge that.
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I think it was a combination of Nas not playing the game and being media shy. He HATED interviews and being photographed back then. But even with his aloofness bis sheer talent and Steve Stoute’s determination and business acumen made Nas a star. And lets not act like he was being actively suppressed or blackballed. Street Dreams was a big radio hit and charted even higher than If I Ruled The World. The song was so popular they remixed it with R.Kelly and the video was in heavy rotation. I remember Nas videos being featured heavily on MTV/BET and him doing interviews with both stations. BET in particular really loved Nas at one point, i recall the Street Dreams remix video getting a lot of plays. The Source wouldn’t give him his deserved Lyricist Of The Year award but they certainly ran the gamut when it came to putting him on the cover MULTIPLE times per year.



They wasn’t calling Biggie the leader. Or Raekwon. Or Jay-Z. Or 2Pac. Or Snoop Dogg. They anointed NAS that one even if they wouldn’t give him the trophy.

Dream Hampton, who today is the biggest Jay-Z fan on planet EARTH, who started the bullshyt lies that Nas used Jay Electronica and Stic.Man as ghostwriters, once praised It Was Written and Nas as one of the greatest writers who ever lived.


I think the onus for how some of these narratives have played out falls on Nas himself. He’s one of the biggest selling rapers who ever lived and people like to act as if he’s Ransom or some shyt and he never corrects or sets the record straight. Nas is the first solo New York rapper to debut at number 1. He outsold Jay-Z, Eminem, Missy Elliot, and Snoop Dogg’s first week in 1999. He dropped not one but TWO platinum albums in 99, becoming only the second rapper to do so. Nas an undeniable superstar pedigree that he never flashes because he’s humble and out of the way. But Nas is and has always been THAT dude. People even forget that the only reason The Lost Tapes even EXISTS is because after Stillmatic Nas was hot as fish grease and the label DEMANDED more product from him.
 
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spliz

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Ziggiy said:
I think it was a combination of Nas not playing the game and being media shy. He HATED interviews and being photographed back then. But even with his aloofness bis sheer talent and Steve Stoute’s determination and business acumen made Nas a star. And lets not act like he was being actively suppressed or blackballed. Street Dreams was a big radio hit and charted even higher than If I Ruled The World. The song was so popular they remixed it with R.Kelly and the video was in heavy rotation. I remember Nas videos being featured heavily on MTV/BET and him doing interviews with both stations. BET in particular really loved Nas at one point, i recall the Street Dreams remix video getting a lot of plays. The Source wouldn’t give him his deserved Lyricist Of The Year award but they certainly ran the gamut when it came to putting him on the cover MULTIPLE times per year.



They wasn’t calling Biggie the leader. Or Raekwon. Or Jay-Z. Or 2Pac. Or Snoop Dogg. They anointed NAS that one even if they wouldn’t give him the trophy.

Dream Hampton, who today is the biggest Jay-Z fan on planet EARTH, who started the bullshyt lies that Nas used Jay Electronica and Stic.Man as ghostwriters, once praised It Was Written and Nas as one of the greatest writers who ever lived.


I think the onus for how some of these narratives have played out falls on Nas himself. He’s one of the biggest selling rapers who ever lived and people like to act as if he’s Ransom or some shyt and he never corrects or sets the record straight. Nas is the first solo New York rapper to debut at number 1. He outsold Jay-Z, Eminem, Missy Elliot, and Snoop Dogg’s first week in 1999. He dropped not one but TWO platinum albums in 99, becoming only the second rapper to do so. Nas an undeniable superstar pedigree that he never flashes because he’s humble and out of the way. But Nas is and has always been THAT dude. People even forget that the only reason The Lost Tapes even EXISTS is because after Stillmatic Nas was hot as fish grease and the label DEMANDED more product from him.
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What Nas has done with sales performance has always been opposite of how people treated him in the media. Noone is saying Nas was being blackballed but there was clear bias against Nas by certain hip hop media. Me being a nikka that lives in NYC and having to argue for Nas even before his battle with Jay makes me know I'm not trippin. Nas got 4 and a half mics with I Am and u would never think that with the way hip hop media and radio treats him. See. Ur looking from a hindsight lens. The STREETS held Nas in high regard which is why no matter how hip hop media tried to do him they had no choice but to give it up in some kinda way because he was defying odds left n right. Nas literally called the radio and payola and the bias against him out during his battle with Jay. He ranted on 105.1 about this. Did it get better? Nope. Got WORSE. Lol. When Jay was able to get power enough to have more control over hip hop media it was over. Narratives around the battle started to change etc etc. Even ur man Kendrick tried to shyt on Nas when it came to his battle with Jay. "Only reason people say Nas won was because he was the underdog and the media helped him.." <<<< it's bullshyt takes like that from ignorant nikkas. And "Reasonable Doubt is better than Illmatic..". Both statements. Thats Kendrick's words right there. Why should Nas have to correct blatant bullshyt every turn?. Anyone who was around and lives in NYC knows the media tried to help JAY during that battle and the PEOPLE chose Nas so overwhelmingly that it was undeniable. That battle was alot LESS close than the media tells it.
 
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HNIC973

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spliz said:
What Nas has done with sales performance has always been opposite of how people treated him in the media. Noone is saying Nas was being blackballed but there was clear bias against Nas by certain hip hop media. Me being a nikka that lives in NYC and having to argue for Nas even before his battle with Jay makes me know I'm not trippin. Nas got 4 and a half mics with I Am and u would never think that with the way hip hop media and radio treats him. See. Ur looking from a hindsight lens. The STREETS held Nas in high regard which is why no matter how hip hop media tried to do him they had no choice but to give it up in some kinda way because he was defying odds left n right. Nas literally called the radio and payola and the bias against him out during his battle with Jay. He ranted on 105.1 about this. Did it get better? Nope. Got WORSE. Lol. When Jay was able to get power enough to have more control over hip hop media it was over. Narratives around the battle started to change etc etc. Even ur man Kendrick tried to shyt on Nas when it came to his battle with Jay. "Only reason people say Nas won was because he was the underdog and the media helped him.." <<<< it's bullshyt takes like that from ignorant nikkas. And "Reasonable Doubt is better than Illmatic..". Both statements. Thats Kendrick's words right there. Why should Nas have to correct blatant bullshyt every turn?. Anyone who was around and lives in NYC knows the media tried to help JAY during that battle and the PEOPLE chose Nas so overwhelmingly that it was undeniable. That battle was alot LESS close than the media tells it.
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Kay Slay 🙏 Fat Joe calling that bullshyt live on radio "Flex this close lots of votes both sides" Joe" Y'all need to stop lying this ain't close this more like 65% 35%" Slay in the background y'all bsing :wow: :mjlol:
 
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