Poll: What Was Nas' Best Year?

[JustCKing]

Jay still more than doubled his sales

No he didn't. BP2 was certified 3X's platinum. Since it was a double, it sold around 1.5 million copies. Nas's God's Son was around 1.3 million. In '99, Jay was selling around 4 million copies and Nas was peaking at 2.

 

[Harry B]

No he didn't. BP2 was certified 3X's platinum. Since it was a double, it sold around 1.5 million copies. Nas's God's Son was around 1.3 million. In '99, Jay was selling around 4 million copies and Nas was peaking at 2.

Blueprint 2 did over 2 million and Blueprint did just over 2 million as well, also BP2 was his second highest first week number at around 550k. The Dynasty had similar sales as BP2 both fw and total. There's often a disruption between RIAA and Billboard.

Vol 3 did about 3 million though and Vol 2 5.2.

He always doubled Nas except in 99 and 2001 and obviously with the albums following he more than tripled or quadrupled. 2001 was the closest year.

 

[Shadow King]

I put 2002 but 1996 is very close

 

[mastermind]

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.

He had that Murder Inc song, the song with J-Lo, Scarface, and the Jagged Edge joint off the top of my head.

Jay of course was more popular. I never denied that, but Nas was the #1 dude in Hip Hop. The Summer Jam fiasco. The interviews he did on Power 105.1 that year.

Drake is more popular than Kendrick, but Kendrick is number 1.

 

[T.H.E. Goat]

2002 got my vote

 

[WavyHair ChippedTeeth]

2002.

That era was cold.

 

[One]

Explain how you're a superstar when you're confined to the Tri-State area.

Because it's the biggest metropolitan area in the United States...
Explain how Tupac was a superstar yet confined to Southern California.
Big was a superstar yet "confined" to the very same Tri-State area.

Regardless this is a tangent, it never asked when did he become a superstar, but "when was his best year".

 

[JustCKing]

Because it's the biggest metropolitan area in the United States...
Explain how Tupac was a superstar yet confined to Southern California.
Big was a superstar yet "confined" to the very same Tri-State area.

Regardless this is a tangent, it never asked when did he become a superstar, but "when was his best year".

That was Stoute's statement and it wasn't stated as a good thing. Pac was not confined to Southern California especially not in '93.

Nas's best year wasn't '94. Illmatic, as iconic as it is now, was slept on in '94. Nas had mich more going for him in 2002, 1996, and arguably 1999 for 1994 to be his BEST year. Illmatic has become the gift and the curse of his career. It is a gift because of it's greatness. It is a curse because that album has become possibly bigger than him. Everything he's done since has become overshadowed by that one album and he's written better songs than what's on that album. Difference is that album only had 9 songs (8 new ones considering "Halftime" was 2 years old) free of the filler that plagues even the best of albums. Saying Nas's best year was '94 is like saying Jay's best year was '96. This isn't a case like Snoop where he saw his best and biggest album drop in '93 and propel him into being one of th biggest artists in Hip Hop and possibly music at the time.

 

[mobbinfms]

He said one of

Hold one of these negs breh :peeumad:

 

[mobbinfms]

I think people are slighting Nas lyrically in 2002 also. If you add Stillmatic into the equation, Nas was in top form during that period:

2nd Childhood
You're Da Man
Stillmatic Intro
One Mic
What Goes Around
Every Ghetto
No Idea's Original (this is from the Stillmatic sessions)
Doo Rags (from the Stillmatic sessions)
Purple (from the Stillmatic sessions)
Nothing Lasts Forever (recorded in 2002)
My Way (recorded in 2002)
Black Zombies
Book of Rhymes
Get Down
Heaven
Thug's Mansion (Acoustic)


That verse on Face's "In Between Us"

Is it really fair to consider all of Stillmatic for 2002? Seems like 2002 is getting a boost based on Nas dropping albums in December in 2001 and 2002.

 

[Danie84]

It's tuff to chose between 96 and ETHER year

 

[Wacky D]

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.

but youre admitting that jay was still more popular. regardless of the gap narrowing.

8 mile is just a soundtrack and he obviously has a long history with dr dre.
jagged edge was yet another so so def collabo.

none of these collabs were a huge deal either.

 

[Wacky D]

He had that Murder Inc song, the song with J-Lo, Scarface, and the Jagged Edge joint off the top of my head.

Jay of course was more popular. I never denied that, but Nas was the #1 dude in Hip Hop. The Summer Jam fiasco. The interviews he did on Power 105.1 that year.

Drake is more popular than Kendrick, but Kendrick is number 1.

scarface & jarule are other past collaborators.

again, none of these collabs were a big deal either way.

ehh. drake & Kendrick are plants. they could never be number 1. I see what youre tryna say tho. but lets be reality, blueprint was clearly a more popular album than stillmatic. say what you want about BP2, but "God's son" wasn't exactly tearing the world up either. plus, jay had rocafella, which was in its prime regardless.

 

[eastsideTT]

 

[mastermind]

ehh. drake & Kendrick are plants. they could never be number 1.

Oh ok, i see where your head is at. My bad for engaging.