Explain Nas' Illmatic To Me

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To me It Was Written and I Am... are just horrible messes. Like he just jumped on that Puffy-sampling-80s-pop-choruses thing because it was popular and not because it fit him, remakes of old songs like he'd already ran out of ideas by his second and third records, completely changing his persona but whereas he lived the life of a small teenage kid doing stupid shit, he never could pull off the fantasy Escobar, a ton of producers without Serch to mould them into a *sound*...

Like somewhere I have a disc I made of those 3 records between Ill and Stillmatic that is p dope tho*. Nastradamus is the one that is really disappointing, as he seemed to try and just get a small set of dope producers and focus but it came off as such a horrible mess.

*Think I might do this again and do the same with Street's Disciple, HHID and the Nigger record.

fyi thats sorta the received wisdom on those lps. i think it was written is p great & 60-70% of tracks on 'i am' are dope too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVd2cBYEeXg

Yeah It Was Written is 10/10 classic to me, sometimes I like it more than Illmatic... It's certainly not a "horrible mess," I mean any album that has fucking "I Gave You Power," "The Message," "Watch Dem Niggas," "Affirmative Action," "Black Girl Lost," "Shootouts," etc. can't be written off as a sub-par sophomore effort. Nas is a much more dynamic, versatile emcee on IWW.

And I Am... is pretty dope as well. "Nas Is Like," "K-I-S-S-I-N-G," "NY State of Mind 2"... definitely slept on.

dude undying love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzokAVkFLyQ&feature=related

yeah! I mean even Nastradamus has this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV_-aemTtTc

and "you owe me" which is probably his best attempt at a straight up pop single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzgGD5fJsLU&NR=1

not nas but worth pting out

since it was a cassette-only bonus track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQmPCJY3mA8

just like this

speaking of non-album cuts, this is dope as fuckk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6dg5eHqZCk

i forgot that complex just did that list, im sure all of these are on it -- havent read yet -- oops

http://www.realniggatumblr.com/post/2850367548/nas-street-dreams-remix-live-on-all-that

haha he performed that on Nickelodeon?!?

haha

what a dope time to be into rap

right??????/

that is fucking dope

it was written is p great & 60-70% of tracks on 'i am' are dope too.

― lebroner (D-40), Thursday, June 9, 2011 9:21 PM Bookmark

yup

hey guys you used k-i-s-s-i-n-g as an example as why i was wrong

this video has seriously made my day thanks

"you owe me" which is probably his best attempt at a straight up pop single

― The Brainwasher, Friday, June 10, 2011 12:41 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark

that i can't think of a strong counter argument to this is proof that nas is horrible at pop singles

on joints like this nas comes across like wisest dude ever, it's almost effortless.

funny how nas can flip between sounding like this, the all knowing, almost parental, figure who has seen so much of life + would be a great person to seek advice from and then at other times a batshit pseudo-intellectual conspiracy theorist.

"If I Ruled the World" is his best pop single.

That song sucks

its still his best pop single

First rap song I ever memorized.

Love it to this day

Sometimes I sit back with a Buddha sack
Mind's in another world thinking how can we exist through the facts
Written in school text books, bibles, et cetera
Fuck a school lecture, the lies get me vexed-er
So I be ghost from my projects
I take my pen and pad for the week
And hitting L's while I'm sleeping
A two day stay, you may say I need the time alone
To relax my dome, no phone, left the 9 at home
You see the streets have me stressed somethin terrible
Fucking with the corners have a nigga up in Belleville
Or h.d.m., hit with numbers from 8 to 10
A future in a maximum state pen is grim
So I comes back home, nobody's helping shorty doo-wop
Rollin two Phillies together in the Bridge we called 'em oowops
He said, "Nas, niggas could be bustin' off the roof
So I wear a bullet proof and pack a black tres-deuce"
He inhaled so deep, shut his eyes like he was sleep
Started coughing when I peeked to watch me speak
I sat back like the mack, my army suit was black
We was chillin' on these benches where he pumped his loose cracks
I took an l when he passed it, this little bastard
Keeps me blasted he starts talking mad shit
I had to school him, told him don't let niggas fool him
'cos when the pistol blows the one that's murdered will be the cool one
Tough luck when niggas are struck, families fucked up
Could've caught your man, but didn't look when you bucked up
Mistakes happen, so take heed never bust up
At the crowd catch him solo, make the right man bleed
Shorty's laugh was cold blooded as he spoke so foul
Only twelve trying to tell me that he liked my style
Then I rose, wiping the blunts ash from my clothes
Then froze only to blow the herb smoke through my nose
And told my little man that I'm a go cyprose
There's some jewels in the skull that he can sell if he chose
Words of wisdom from Nas try to rise up above
Keep an eye out for Jake shorty what
One love

---

Seriously if you can't get down with that I don't think rap music --or life-- is for you.

sayin

Interesting that Eric Weisbard claimed to prefer "It Was Written" to "Illmatic" in SPIN back in '96. It was part of the larger theme of his column that pleasure in rap was considered suspect:

http://books.google.com/books?id=I6ZfZSHzFXIC&lpg=PA139&dq=nas%20it%20was%20written%20spin&pg=PA139#v=onepage&q&f=false

Rollin two Phillies together in the Bridge we called 'em oowops

^^love this line

if i ruled the world rules

Seeing things like I was controlling, click rolling
Tricking six digits on kicks and still holding
Trips to Paris, I civilized every savage
Gimme one shot I turn trife life to lavish
Political prisoner set free, stress free
No work release purple M3's and jet skis

my local shop had this for $11 yesterday, so i snagged it, filling a hole in my vinyl collection.

in a world of $20+ single LPs this seemed like a steal. but for all i know there was a deluxe/remastered/180-gram'd/bonus-track'd/whatever'd reissue like 6 months ago that devalued what i bought.

was there? or did i get a sweet deal?

Doesn't look like there was a reissue: http://www.discogs.com/Nas-Illmatic/master/20148

my local shop had this for $11 yesterday, so i snagged it, filling a hole in my vinyl collection.

in a world of $20+ single LPs this seemed like a steal. but for all i know there was a deluxe/remastered/180-gram'd/bonus-track'd/whatever'd reissue like 6 months ago that devalued what i bought.

was there? or did i get a sweet deal?

― alpine static, Sunday, 25 November 2012 19:25 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

very sad post

so sad

i come up with really good, complicated reasons why it was okay for me to spend $19 on a record sometimes, you need to hone your reflexes to just believe that you got a bargain & not interrogate the evidence too coolly. otherwise you will not acquire the records.

bro, i acquire the records, at a pace that i can't really afford. there is no problem there. i hear what you're saying, but your concern is misplaced in this case. i can come up with all kinds of reasons - good and bad - why it's ok for me to spend $x on a record.

that said, i lol'd when i saw the $48 price tag on the 2xLP, 45 RPM reish of Nirvana's Inscesticide the other day. and I am a mega-fan of said band. but that is beyond ridiculous, even for the vinyl-gouging game.

happy w/ my Nas purchase regardless, don't worry.

i'm just trying to get my head around the idea that an Illmatic on vinyl that was possibly pressed in 1994 would be devalued by a more recent reissue

So many gems in this thread

Speaking of which, if Nas did a whole album like "I Can" but maybe over all different sorts of classical music then i'd love it.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, January 29, 2004 12:11 AM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmbo

Nas does have one of the best non-album catalogues ever.

that said, i lol'd when i saw the $48 price tag on the 2xLP, 45 RPM reish of Nirvana's Inscesticide the other day. and I am a mega-fan of said band. but that is beyond ridiculous, even for the vinyl-gouging game.

otm, it is just fascinating when you see like a fleetwood mac record inexplicably priced at $50, & scan the lil sticker on the shrinkwrap to see how they've justified this

does he really? obv some great songs here and there but it feels like the overwhelming majority of his best work is actually on his albums, which can't be said for most rappers that have debuted since like 2000 (xpost)

that said, i lol'd when i saw the $48 price tag on the 2xLP, 45 RPM reish of Nirvana's Inscesticide the other day. and I am a mega-fan of said band. but that is beyond ridiculous, even for the vinyl-gouging game.

otm, it is just fascinating when you see like a fleetwood mac record inexplicably priced at $50, & scan the lil sticker on the shrinkwrap to see how they've justified this

― absurdly pro-D (schlump), Monday, November 26, 2012 4:14 PM (31 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you have so much to learn about HOT STAMPERS

"oh wow 180-gram vinyl, double vinyl" *wallet explodes from pocket, bills flutter checkoutwards*

xpost:

Yeah. I sometimes zone out to these fan made comps from a few years back. They hold up:

Tracklisting:
-------------

Disc 1

01. Nas - Formal Introduction (2:51)
02. Nas - Deja Vu (No DJ) (3:53)
03. Nas - On The Real (3:26)
04. Nas - Street Dreams (Remix) (4:46)
05. Nas - The Second Coming (3:34)
06. Nas - My Worst Enemy (4:06)
07. Nas - The Rise And Fall (3:57)
08. Nas - Tales From The Hood (4:00)
09. Nas - Escobar 97 (3:31)
10. Nas - Good Morning (2:22)
11. Nas - Find Ya Wealth (3:40)
12. Nas - High (2:30)
13. Nas - New York Talk (3:52)
14. Nas - Silent Murder (With Bonus Verse) (3:23)
15. Nas - Stay Chizzled (Large Professor Remix) (3:29)
16. Nas - Star Wars (4:08)
17. Nas - Understanding (3:13)
18. Nas - Life is Like a Dice Game (Extended Mix) (4:22)
19. Nas - Take it in Blood (Alternate Verses) (4:18)
20. Nas - You Don't Know Me (3:39)
21. Nas - Project Window (Original Version) (5:04)
22. Nas - 2Nd Childhood Remix Medley (Bonus Track) (4:33)
23. Nas - The World is Yours II Dead Presidents Blend (Bonus Track) (2:55)

Disc 2: Verses From... the Bowels of Hell

01. Nas - Verse From 93 Westwood Show (2:15)
02. Nas - Sinful Living (1:46)
03. Nas - Firm Clue Freestyle (2:02)
04. Nas - Verse From Funk Flex Volume 2 (1:28)
05. Nas - The Foulness (Part 1 And 2) (3:14)
06. Nas - One Plus One (Minus One) (1:39)
07. Nas - Hot 97 Freestyle (True Dialect) (0:46)
08. Nas - Verses From Everything is Real (1:19)
09. Nas - Bonus Verses From Ain't Hard to Tell (2:31)
10. Nas - Bonus Verse From Street Dreams (1:10)
11. Nas - Verse From Desperados 2 (1:37)
12. Nas - Verse From Affirmative Action Remix (1:27)
13. Nas - Verse From Thug Calm Down (1:19)
14. Nas - Verse From Last Words (1:54)
15. Nas - Eye For An Eye Freestyle (1:30)
16. Nas - Verse From to My (1:11)
17. Nas - Verses From Soundtrack to The Streets (2:11)
18. Nas - Live From The Bridge (Minus Clue on The Bridge) (2:25)
19. Nas - Verse From a Few Good Niggas (1:48)
20. Nas - Verse From Let My Niggas Live (1:13)
21. Nas - Stillmatic Freestyle (2:26)
22. Nas - Verse From It's Mine (1:03)
23. Nas - Verse From Be Ez (1:21)
24. Nas - Verse From Show Discipline (0:42)
25. Nas - Verse From Da Bridge 2001 (0:56)
26. Nas - Verse From Made U Look Remix (0:58)
27. Nas - Verse From Some of Em (1:12)
28. Nas - Verse From in Between Us (1:01)
29. Nas - Verse From Self Conscience (1:34)
30. Nas - Verse From Road to Zion (1:03)
31. Nas - Verse From Never Too Late (1:41)
32. Nas - Verse From Journey Through Life (1:24)
33. Nas - Verse From Good Life (0:43)
34. Nas - Verses From Let Em Hang (1:22)
35. Nas - Verses From I Want it (1:58)
36. Nas - Jonesin' (1:19)
37. Nas - Verse From Bravehearted (0:58)
38. Nas - Verse from Livin Thug (1:04)
39. Nas - 2006 Freestyle (1:51)
40. Nas - The Curse (1:01)
41. Nas - My Will (1:49)
42. Nas - Zone Out Over Just Blaze (Bonus Track) (1:45)

Disc 3: Synergy

01. Nas - Life's a Bitch Featuring AZ (Statik Selektah Mad Sol Remix) (2:39)
02. Nas - In Too Deep Featuring Nature (3:41)
03. Nas - John Blaze Featuring Big Punisher Jadakiss And Raekwon (3:54)
04. Nas - Mo Money Mo Murder Homicide Featuring AZ (5:11)
05. Nas - The Foulness (Part 3) Featuring Nature (1:44)
06. Nas - Serious Featuring AZ (2:14)
07. Nas - Streets of New York (No Singing) Featuring Rakim (1:42)
08. Nas - Analyze This Featuring Jay-Z (2:40)
09. Nas - Fast Life (Buckwild Remix) Featuring Kool G Rap (4:53)
10. Nas - Wake Up Show 94 Anthem Featuring Lauryn Hill, Organized Konfusion, And Ras Kass (2:23)
11. Nas - The Foulness (Part 4) Featuring Nature (1:40)
12. Nas - Tick Tock Featuring Prodigy (3:47)
13. Nas - Queenstyle Featuring Noreaga (4:41)
14. Nas - Body in The Trunk Featuring Noreaga (3:45)
15. Nas - Time Featuring AZ And Nature (3:44)
16. Nas - Everyday Thing Featuring Nature And Dre (4:36)
17. Nas - Sometimes I Wonder Featuring Nature (4:51)
18. Nas - Thugz Mansion (Cookin Soul Remix) Featuring 2Pac (3:40)
19. Nas - Why (Remix) Featuring Jadakiss And Common (3:02)
20. Nas - Music For Life Featuring Common (4:57)
21. Nas - Eye For An Eye Featuring Mobb Deep And Raekwon (4:48)
22. Nas - Verbal Intercourse Featuring Raekwon And Ghostface (3:31)

Rap & Bull bonus disc:

01. Nas - Sincerity Featuring Mary J Blige And DMX (5:07)
02. Nas - Ice King (Remix) Featuring Res (3:52)
03. Nas - Did You Ever Think (Remix) Featuring R.Kelly (4:19)
04. Nas - It Must Be Nice (Remix) Featuring Lyfe (4:20)
05. Nas - Streets of New York Featuring Alicia Keys And Rakim (4:37)
06. Nas - Make it Last Forever Featuring Mariah Carey And Joe (5:07)
07. Nas - Finer Things Featuring Jon B (5:01)
08. Nas - Man Up Featuring Amerie (3:33)
09. Nas - Love is All We Need Featuring Mary J Blige (4:14)
10. Nas - Locked Up (One Love Blend) Featuring Akon (4:57)

NSO POPS: ILLMATIC WITH NAS, March 28-29, 2014, Kennedy Center Concert Hall, W. DC
American rapper Nas and the NSO Pops kicks off One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide on March 28, 2014 with a symphonic celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nas’s 1994 debut album and instant classic, Illmatic. These performances by Nas and the NSO capture the spirit of the original album through supporting the verse with new orchestral arrangements. NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads the orchestra.

"overblown orchestral arrangements of Illmatic in another city" was the elevator pitch for the Kendrick Lamar album

http://funkydl.bandcamp.com/album/jazzmatic-nas-remixes