Poll: What Was Nas' Best Year?

[prophecypro]

2002 or 1996

 

[MillionMills]

"I felt like I could take the responsibility and make the Nas movement bigger and not keep it confined to the Tri-State area, so to speak. He allowed me to do that. When we were together, we made a lot of noise and I made him an international star."---- Steve Stoute

According to Stoute, Nas was confined to the Tri-State area vs. being an international star. Explain how you're a superstar when you're confined to the Tri-State area.

I'm puzzled as to how people are trying to push this narrative that Nas blew up with Illmatic. It was a critical success, but it was widely slept-on initially. It hardly made Nas a star. That came later. 2002 was the first time in Nas's career where the critical acclaim, the sales, and the streets were on the same page. 1996 was a big year for him, but he received backlash from the critics and even fans. Same with '99, but '02 saw him become "that dude" in terms of the commercial success, critical acclaim, and the streets riding for him.

It's ill when MCs used to be on cruddy shyt
Took home ready to die, listened, studied shyt
Now they on some money shyt

 

[Wacky D]

3-way tie

94, 96, 02

 

[nahnah]

1973 and every year since

 

[Wacky D]

2002, Nas was the #1 dude in rap, just destroyed JayZ and was wanted on nearly everyones track.

Musically though, it was 1996 even though he was at his zenith in 1994.

lets be real, he won the battle with jay, but he didn't over-take him in popularity.

jay still had the more popular album, and he had rocafella.

and he didn't do that many collabos either.

 

[Stick Up Kid]

DMX :peeumad:

He said one of

 

[JustCKing]

lets be real, he won the battle with jay, but he didn't over-take him in popularity.

jay still had the more popular album, and he had rocafella.

and he didn't do that many collabos either.

Jay wasn't as popular in 2002. It was the first time that Jay showed signs of not being invincible. Blueprint 2 is one of Jay's most hated albums.

Nas was featured on songs from everybody from Brandy to Ja Rule to J. Lo to Scarface to Jaheim to the 8 Mile soundtrack to Devin The Dude to Jagged Edge.

 

[Wacky D]

Yes he did. Nas was worldwide after IWW. He wasn't selling over 3 million copies globally after Illmatic. He wasn't writing for Will Smith after Illmatic either. There's also the formation of The Firm and his appearance on Dre's Aftermath compilation.
.

will smith did give nas a shoutout on "fresh prince of bel air" tho, long before IWW.

will just wasn't rapping at the time.

 

[Wacky D]

Jay wasn't as popular in 2002. It was the first time that Jay showed signs of not being invincible. Blueprint 2 is one of Jay's most hated albums.

Nas was featured on songs from everybody from Brandy to Ja Rule to J. Lo to Scarface to Jaheim to the 8 Mile soundtrack to Devin The Dude to Jagged Edge.

he had already worked with most of those acts in previous years.

nas had a better year than jay in 02, but that doesn't mean he was more popular. two different things.

 

[erker]

95'


His verses on The Infamous, Doe or Die, Cuban Linx, & Fast Life w/ G Rap>>>90% of rappers careers. Plus shyt like The Foulness and all the other unreleased stuff like Life Is Like a Dice Game. Perfect mix of his earlier gritty style, and his later flossier style.

Agreed. He was destroying everything in sight in '95.

 

[Wacky D]

Explain how hiring a manager to help direct and stabilize your career means that you're not a superstar.

dog

only rap fanatic knew about nas in 94-95

 

[Wacky D]

"I felt like I could take the responsibility and make the Nas movement bigger and not keep it confined to the Tri-State area, so to speak. He allowed me to do that. When we were together, we made a lot of noise and I made him an international star."---- Steve Stoute

According to Stoute, Nas was confined to the Tri-State area vs. being an international star. Explain how you're a superstar when you're confined to the Tri-State area.

I'm puzzled as to how people are trying to push this narrative that Nas blew up with Illmatic. It was a critical success, but it was widely slept-on initially. It hardly made Nas a star. That came later. 2002 was the first time in Nas's career where the critical acclaim, the sales, and the streets were on the same page. 1996 was a big year for him, but he received backlash from the critics and even fans. Same with '99, but '02 saw him become "that dude" in terms of the commercial success, critical acclaim, and the streets riding for him.

you got me ready to change my vote from '96 to '02.

 

[No Homo]

96 or 02 success wise but 95 nas was just

Overall might be 02

 

[JustCKing]

he had already worked with most of those acts in previous years.

nas had a better year than jay in 02, but that doesn't mean he was more popular. two different things.

It was his first time working with Brandy, Devin, J. Lo, Jaheim, and Jagged Edge. His contribution to the 8 Mile soundtrack was also the beginning of him working with Eminem.

Jay's popularity at the time was dwindling, Nas was on an upswing. A lot of BP2 is Jay talking about the tides turning. Before 2002, there was a wide gap between the two in terms of popularity. That gap had narrowed drastically by 2002.

 

[Harry B]

It was his first time working with Brandy, Devin, J. Lo, Jaheim, and Jagged Edge. His contribution to the 8 Mile soundtrack was also the beginning of him working with Eminem.

Jay's popularity at the time was dwindling, Nas was on an upswing. A lot of BP2 is Jay talking about the tides turning. Before 2002, there was a wide gap between the two in terms of popularity. That gap had narrowed drastically by 2002.

Jay still more than doubled his sales .

Of course BP keeped on moving units till this day but at the time they were pretty much the same.

While BP2 did about the same numbers as BP, GS drastically decreased from Stillmatic and then another significant decrease with the double album.