This! Even though 2 sold the most I always felt like Vol. 3 never got the praise it deserved cause Jay was really spitting on that album
Questlove defends Vol 1, Jay-Z responds
- Thread starter Optimus Prime
- Start date
This! Even though 2 sold the most I always felt like Vol. 3 never got the praise it deserved cause Jay was really spitting on that album
CHAIN
All Star
I always loved 'Sunshine'.
It is a top 3 Jiggy song ever.
Only 'Feel So Good / Can't Nobody Hold Me Down are better.
It is a top 3 Jiggy song ever.
Only 'Feel So Good / Can't Nobody Hold Me Down are better.
I love Latina women
Veteran
The album has held up better than it was received when it was released in real time in 1997
BUT it is not a classic album
Imaginary Players and Who You Wit II are elite Jay Z songs
Jay was trying so hard to be like Biggie with this album and unlike Biggie, Jay wasn't able to do a variety of different songs without sounding out of his element
BUT it is not a classic album
Imaginary Players and Who You Wit II are elite Jay Z songs
Jay was trying so hard to be like Biggie with this album and unlike Biggie, Jay wasn't able to do a variety of different songs without sounding out of his element
1. Link
2. What does that got to do with anything, his first major label album and got good reviews and went platinum.
3. What you are saying is that platinum is a flop and then double album must be almost a flop. So nearly every album that’s ever dropped is a a flop, near flop or super flop.
Vol. 1 is my favorite album and Jay-Z album easily. I like Sunshine more than 'Ain't No if we are talking slightly embarrassing singles.
The only questionable songs are I Know What Girls Like, the rest is 5/5, or 4/5. Maybe a 3.5, in the middle.
Streets Is Watching goes deeper than "D'Evils" for me, as far as street life. Jay was real raw on Vol. 1, he never was as deep or vulnerable again.
The only questionable songs are I Know What Girls Like, the rest is 5/5, or 4/5. Maybe a 3.5, in the middle.
Streets Is Watching goes deeper than "D'Evils" for me, as far as street life. Jay was real raw on Vol. 1, he never was as deep or vulnerable again.
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Redwood
Superstar
Devil Plisken…CMS
Veteran
A Million
Where I'm From
Friend Or Foe
Real nikkax
Imaginary Players
Streets Is Watching
You Must Love Me
Who You Wit
Thief's Theme
All Star
it's his 3rd best album, why does it need defending?
Heavy_Handz
Superstar
Impossible to follow up Reasonable Doubt. That album was held in such high esteem that Jay’s next album was highly anticipated. Cats were waiting to cop that next album day one when they knew the release date. You couldn’t tell folks shyt! BIG had got killed in March and so real Hip-Hop heads needed Jay to carry that torch and really waited for that Vol. 1 to hit the streets. Now on to why in real time the album was a letdown (Albeit some very classic cuts on the album).
1. "Intro / A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More" (CLASSIC Intro. You couldn’t have asked for a better intro to his next album produced by Preemo. When you bought the record and played this joint first it was like OK!!!!)
2. "The City Is Mine" (featuring Blackstreet) (This song was definitely a letdown. Weak sample, weak beat, the song just fell flat. Heads were not expecting that kind of song right off the bat on his second album)
3. "I Know What Girls Like" (featuring Puff Daddyand Lil' Kim) (This was a moment of “Oh no, where is Jay going with this album? fukk no!” Another cheesy sample and weak crossover attempt early on the album. Heads were really scratching their heads)
4. "Imaginary Player" (Song was cool. Not a strong enough song to follow the first two after the Intro though. It was really worrying me listening to this the first time the day it released. Solid. Eh)
5. "Streets Is Watching" (Banger. Figured this would have led of the album after the Intro. “If I shoot you I’m brainless, if you shoot me then you’re famous, what’s a nikka to do?”)
6. "Friend or Foe '98" (Banger. Thank you Preemo! This joint had us like ok he still got it!)
7. "Lucky Me" (Weak. All the momentum stopped again after Friend or Foe ‘98)
8. "(Always Be My) Sunshine" (featuring Babyfaceand Foxy Brown) (I always liked Sunshine. It wasn’t for a lot of heads that this was a single he released. It was that this kind of vibe was more or less the overall theme of the whole album! This song on its own was cool but surrounded by too many fluff joints only 8 songs into the album)
9. "Who You Wit II" (Banger. This joint went HARD! No denying that. This made up for his other attempts at a crossover hit because it was still a banger)
10. "Face Off" (featuring Sauce Money) (Joint was cool. Made you realize this joint could have very well been Jay/BIG doing this joint. Sauce Money was cool. Song was aight)
11. "Real nikkaz" (featuring Too $hort) (Hearing Jay recite the hook that he took from BIG was just another early reminder of how much we were definitely going to miss BIG after his death and 11 songs into his heirs next album. This album just was not living up to the hype. Especially following BIG’s demise)
12. "Rap Game / Crack Game" (Solid. I really liked the Nas/Outkast scratched hook but the beat was solid. Not banging enough to really stand out but lyrically Jay did his thing)
13. "Where I'm From" (Classic banger. One of the very best songs in Jay’s whole catalog. Lyrically it is definitely up there and the classic sample Jay just tore better than anybody ever before)
14. "You Must Love Me" (Great way to end the album. Another classic. Very introspective song with some chilling lyrics. Jay definitely redeemed himself with the last two joints on the album)
The fact that he has classic bangers on this album made it a good listen and we definitely went back and replayed some joints over and over and over again. However, it is true that heads were overall disappointed with the way that album felt themed in the first half plus. It was a letdown after Reasonable Doubt. No revisionist history can take away that feeling in real time.
1. "Intro / A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More" (CLASSIC Intro. You couldn’t have asked for a better intro to his next album produced by Preemo. When you bought the record and played this joint first it was like OK!!!!)
2. "The City Is Mine" (featuring Blackstreet) (This song was definitely a letdown. Weak sample, weak beat, the song just fell flat. Heads were not expecting that kind of song right off the bat on his second album)
3. "I Know What Girls Like" (featuring Puff Daddyand Lil' Kim) (This was a moment of “Oh no, where is Jay going with this album? fukk no!” Another cheesy sample and weak crossover attempt early on the album. Heads were really scratching their heads)
4. "Imaginary Player" (Song was cool. Not a strong enough song to follow the first two after the Intro though. It was really worrying me listening to this the first time the day it released. Solid. Eh)
5. "Streets Is Watching" (Banger. Figured this would have led of the album after the Intro. “If I shoot you I’m brainless, if you shoot me then you’re famous, what’s a nikka to do?”)
6. "Friend or Foe '98" (Banger. Thank you Preemo! This joint had us like ok he still got it!)
7. "Lucky Me" (Weak. All the momentum stopped again after Friend or Foe ‘98)
8. "(Always Be My) Sunshine" (featuring Babyfaceand Foxy Brown) (I always liked Sunshine. It wasn’t for a lot of heads that this was a single he released. It was that this kind of vibe was more or less the overall theme of the whole album! This song on its own was cool but surrounded by too many fluff joints only 8 songs into the album)
9. "Who You Wit II" (Banger. This joint went HARD! No denying that. This made up for his other attempts at a crossover hit because it was still a banger)
10. "Face Off" (featuring Sauce Money) (Joint was cool. Made you realize this joint could have very well been Jay/BIG doing this joint. Sauce Money was cool. Song was aight)
11. "Real nikkaz" (featuring Too $hort) (Hearing Jay recite the hook that he took from BIG was just another early reminder of how much we were definitely going to miss BIG after his death and 11 songs into his heirs next album. This album just was not living up to the hype. Especially following BIG’s demise)
12. "Rap Game / Crack Game" (Solid. I really liked the Nas/Outkast scratched hook but the beat was solid. Not banging enough to really stand out but lyrically Jay did his thing)
13. "Where I'm From" (Classic banger. One of the very best songs in Jay’s whole catalog. Lyrically it is definitely up there and the classic sample Jay just tore better than anybody ever before)
14. "You Must Love Me" (Great way to end the album. Another classic. Very introspective song with some chilling lyrics. Jay definitely redeemed himself with the last two joints on the album)
The fact that he has classic bangers on this album made it a good listen and we definitely went back and replayed some joints over and over and over again. However, it is true that heads were overall disappointed with the way that album felt themed in the first half plus. It was a letdown after Reasonable Doubt. No revisionist history can take away that feeling in real time.
Mike the Executioner
What went on up there? Poppers and weird sex!
Vol. 1 is a few songs away from being a classic. I stand by that.
Agree 100%. People started shyttin on Vol. 1 when they found out Jay said it was his least favorite. (Not gonna even get on how Jay convinced people RD was a definite classic after campaigning for it for years) There was nothing wrong with Vol. 1. The problem was the video for Sunshine was shot horribly and it stuck with him and made him insecure about the whole album. He tried to go the Bad Boy/ Trackmasters route and it wasn't received by the masses like the other albums at the time. Who U With, A Million and One Questions and the Premo remix, Streets Is Watching, Where I'm From, Friend Or Foe, Imaginary Player, Real nikkas, City is Mine were good to great tracks.. I like Vol1 better than Vol. 3