i want to thank nas for another shitty album

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thanks.

101-nas-intro-esc.mp3
102-nas-a_message_to_the_feds_sincerely_we_the_people-esc.mp3
103-nas-nazareth_savage-esc.mp3
104-nas-american_way-esc.mp3
105-nas-coon_picnic_(these_are_our_heroes)-esc.mp3
106-nas-disciple-esc.mp3
107-nas-sekou_story-esc.mp3
108-nas-live_now-esc.mp3
109-nas-rest_of_my_life-esc.mp3
110-nas-just_a_moment-esc.mp3
111-nas-reason-esc.mp3
112-nas-you_know_my_style-esc.mp3
201-nas-suicide_bounce-esc.mp3
202-nas-streets_disciple-esc.mp3
203-nas-u.b.r._(unauthorized_biography_of_rakim)-esc.mp3
204-nas-virgo-esc.mp3
205-nas-remember_the_times_(intro)-esc.mp3
206-nas-remember_the_times-esc.mp3
207-nas-the_makings_of_a_perfect_bitch-esc.mp3
208-nas-getting_married-esc.mp3
209-nas-no_one_else_in_the_room-esc.mp3
210-nas-bridging_the_gap-esc.mp3
211-nas-war-esc.mp3
212-nas-me_and_you_(dedicated_to_destiny)-esc.mp3
213-nas-thiefs_theme-esc.mp3

― i can't make another good album, Saturday, 20 November 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

So disappointed they cut the Nas/AZ collaboration "Serious."

― alex-w, Saturday, 20 November 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Its not shitty.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Saturday, 20 November 2004 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

It's terrible, considering it's Nas.

The problem is that he blatantly has the worst taste in music ever but has the money and status to do what he wants. So instead of having an MC Serch selecting and nurturing tracks for him (as on 'Illmatic' - not that he should be replicating that) he's doing what the hell he wants. And it sucks.

I gave up on him after 'God's Son'.

― Pikmin, Saturday, 20 November 2004 23:40 (twenty-one years ago)

the beats are mostly garbage, which is my biggest problem. suicide bounce? jesus that's a terrible backing track.

― adam west (adamwest), Sunday, 21 November 2004 00:29 (twenty-one years ago)

yea, it's like he doesn't listen to the beat before he decides to use it.

― i can't make another good album, Sunday, 21 November 2004 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

The album blows.
2 CDS worth of garabe.
One of my favorite artists but this stinks.
Beats are wack.
No wonder record labels are doing shitty
I mean who has quality control on this shit?
Start a new thread---Good artists..terrible taste or have no clue!!!!!

― goddamnit, Sunday, 21 November 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think that record labels are doing poorly because you don't like Nas' beats but anyway more than half of this release was good to great. Double album being overwhelming? Shock.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Sunday, 21 November 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

i think god's son was mostly pretty great. but i'm worried about this one, i can't fucking stand double albums

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 21 November 2004 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

That should read "underwhelming" obv.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Sunday, 21 November 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

most doubles are both overwhelming and underwhelming.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Sunday, 21 November 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Like most hip hop double albums, it has about a disc of solid material. I didn't expect much so it came out pretty well for me. "American Way" is hott as hell.

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Sunday, 21 November 2004 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

103-nas-nazareth_savage-esc.mp3
104-nas-american_way-esc.mp3
105-nas-coon_picnic_(these_are_our_heroes)-esc.mp3
107-nas-sekou_story-esc.mp3
203-nas-u.b.r._(unauthorized_biography_of_rakim)-esc.mp3
204-nas-virgo-esc.mp3
211-nas-war-esc.mp3
212-nas-me_and_you_(dedicated_to_destiny)-esc.mp3
213-nas-thiefs_theme-esc.mp3

Off the top of my head, these are all great. I'm missing a couple tracks that I liked but it what can you do.

I LOVE "Me and You" because it sounds so Slick Rick!

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Sunday, 21 November 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

The singing and chorus on "American Way" is weak.

― eryqery, Sunday, 21 November 2004 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"Disciple" is great.

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 21 November 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Agreed.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Sunday, 21 November 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the weird rhythm on "The Rest of My Life", it sounds totally fucked up but he stays in the pocket of the beat the whole time

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 22 November 2004 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"Just A Moment" has the same sample as Freeway/Kanye "Hear The Song".

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 22 November 2004 01:42 (twenty-one years ago)

ahem

― justsayin (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 22 November 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"I don't think that record labels are doing poorly because you don't like Nas' beats"

-----this is easily the funniest thing I've ever read on ILM btw

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Monday, 22 November 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

the beats on this album are sooo weak. its just unbelievable, somebody should show Nas the calendary...its fuckin 2004! and no james brown samples to make up for the terrible old school wanker ethos.

― karl76 (karl76), Monday, 22 November 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

he's almost kinda going for a classy nu-soul aesthetic, like a Talib Kweli record or something. I'm far more disappointed in the beats on the Fabolous album, almost everything sounds like it could've been made 4 years ago (and wouldn't have been a banger then either).

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 22 November 2004 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

It's true, Nas does seem to have some sort of affinity for disgustingly wack beats. I always figured it was because good beats cost more, and so he was willing to pinch pennies on decent production so he could keep more of the profits. I'm not sure if this is really the reason for his often piss-poor choice of musical accompaniment, but I feel I should inform him that contrary to what logic might dictate, shitty wack-ass beats don't sell records.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Monday, 22 November 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think budget has anything to do with it, most producers would kill to work with him. but it is kind of funny that Illmatic is pretty much his only album that's loaded with A-list producers.

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 22 November 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

that begs the question of why he works largely with no-namers. is it just so he can be in total control?

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Monday, 22 November 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Nas would sound like shit on most Neptunes beats. He sounds much better, generally speaking, over grittier sounding shit (see: unauthorized bio of rakim) than he does over smooth/shiny/b-boys on E beats.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

notable exception: "You Won't See Me Tonight" w/ Aaliyah prod. by Timbaland, although that one isn't even that shiny.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah Nas is probably better off staying away from popular producers, most of what little Timbo/Neptunes stuff he's done has been embarrassing. it'd be nice if he had better taste in no-names, but Salaam Remi has his moments. it's pretty clear that he's not of this generation and he has very old fashioned tastes as far as production goes, and I'm cool with that.

what does the "esc" in those file names mean? please tell me it's short for Escobar.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

nothing wrong with him working with no namers - not all rappers have to work with neptunes, dre, timbaland and co. nas needs to find his marley marl though, or his dj premier, and stick with them for a whole album. i would love to have heard nas rap over the beats on cormega's testament LP for instance. i dont want him over any more 'HIP HOP BANGER 101' beats though. he needs to stick with trad-east coast beats.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, nothing wrong with no-namers, provided that they're good-- but most no-namers are no-namers because they, uh, suck. I think Salaam Remi who I believe did the production for "What Goes Around" on Stillmatic shows through that track that he is capable of greatness; it's quite possibly my favorite Nas track, due in no small part to the beat. And it goes to show that no-namers can be good, but really the ultimate criterion behind whether Nas should use a beat is the quality of that beat, and Nas has shown over and over that he exercises very little discretion in that field. It's pretty tragic, really. That in itself can relegate Nas to a footnote in hiphop history, despite Illmatic.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

wow. I heard about half the songs on the radio last night, but I'm just now listening to it all in the proper running order and so far I'm feeling disc 1 way more than I expected to. I'm pissed that they re-did the beat on "Disciple", though, the version on mixtapes a couple months ago was much better/rawer.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah I'm gonna reiterate that I think this album is fairly hot. And that Salaam Remi did not just "What Goes Around" but also the best songs on God's Son, "Get Down" and "Made U Look." And I don't think Nas needs classic NYC beats, I think he just needs functional tracks, in the sense that his lyrics are the focus. Not that the beats should be BAD, he can't usually carry a track w/ a bad beat, but one that works to support his vocals rather than stand out on its own is fine.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

haha, what the fuck is up with the pitched up fake child voice he uses on "Sekou Story" and "Live Now"? I mean I don't bat an eye when Outkast do that but when Nas does it in total earnest it's kind or surreal.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

man, maybe this is just first listen buzz talking, but this is great. he really does a great job of sequencing songs in the same thematic vein together (the Remember The Times -> Makings of a Perfect Bitch -> Getting Married section) and it really feels like it's all telling a story without being corny opera/concept album about it. and there are much fewer beats that are lacking to the point of bothering me/taking away from the lyrics than there usually are on a Nas album.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 02:52 (twenty-one years ago)

i like what i've heard of this album, but "coon picnic (these are our heroes" is making a strong bid for the worst song title of the year.

― Shmool McShmool (shmuel), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

in interviews lately he keeps talking about "the coonage". he said it over and over on 106 & Park. that really should've been the title of the song. or maybe the album. STREET'S DISCIPLE: THE COONAGE

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry, but this album is fucking good. nas last two albums have been pretty good too and this one just makes good on his post-jigga dissed me rebirth (arguably the best thing jay did for anyone in his career). anyway, this is a great album. not brilliant or illmatic (yawn) but its still 4/5 material. the way i now listen to nas though is just to block out the beats, kinda like how i used to listen to ras kass. i do the same for kweli now who makes far worse songs than even nas these days.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 09:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm listening to the first disc, and it's definitely better than I was expecting... the beats aren't as mediocre as I was thinking they'd be, and his lyrics are hitting pretty hard this time around... we'll see how I feel by the end of the second disc.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

When you block out Kweli's beats, there's nothing worth listening to at all!

Although on his new album, if you DON'T block out the beats, it still sucks.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

When you block out Kweli's beats, there's nothing worth listening to at all! Although on his new album, if you DON'T block out the beats, it still sucks.

What are you referring to?

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah kweli has generally sucked big time since the first RE album. uptil then, he was good.

okay after relistening to this nas LP, and i dont even seem to have all the full songs, they all cut off, its still pretty damn erratic, sometimes even in the same song. hell make one great verse then do a shitty one. some of the beats could be better, but theres more than enough to redeem himself. that sped up vocal thing that someone was unsure about upthread = imperfect brilliance. hes pretending to be a woman!

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoa, I just assumed that that was just some chick rapping.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

its great.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

What are you referring to?

Sorry that was an xpost

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

lord, i know it's been said before, but nas should really just promise not to talk about sex ever again. "i had bad chicks that blow cum bubbles like bubblegum", "i squeeze nipples like pimples to get the puss, get it?" (especially bad for combining gross and inappropriate sex metaphor with a terrible quasi-pun). fuck, he even stains the pretty sepia strings on "remember the times" with "sexy chick/nasty though - she used to try to eat my excrement". UGH, nas. ugh.

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:14 (twenty-one years ago)

i shudder to think of the parallel universe where nas has a neptunes track called "fuck all nite".

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm sure there are good things on here, but i don't feel like finding them right now. and while we're mocking up nas moratoriums, would it kill him to release something that didn't pimp illmatic's decade-old ass to fucking death (and make it better than god's son, heh)? i mean, don't get me wrong, that album's just about my favourite physical object ever, but it's getting like that old mad magazine "rewriting your way to a PHD" article.

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude this sounds nothing like illmatic, and this is probably my favorite nas album next to it....

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm talking about the song titles and choruses really. nas is a rebel to america etc etc etc

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

i just cant take any more quotes from his early work, puns on it, revisits of the era, etc. enough already, as US ppl say. this album isnt any sort of classic though, its just yet another erratic nas LP. not as good as gods son or stillmatic.

nas LPS ranking in my brain:

illmatic
gods son
stillmatic
lost tapes
streets disciple
it was written
i am
nastradamus

hon mention - nastradoomus

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

illmatic
SD
LT
GS
ST
IA
NAST

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

no it was written? live nigga rap alone should get that album listed.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

heh oops. I don't actually like it that much, but yeah...above stillmatic.

Nastradamus is probably above I Am, but the best tracks on I Am always make me overrate it.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

if nas makes his full album with dj premier as promised, that could be in the running for top position.

on a sidenote, i just found out q-tip 'produced' american way.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

No way, Premier hasn't updated his style since 97.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

when q-tip was producing "One Love," motherfucking DJ Pooh made a better beat than American way out of the same sample!

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

imagine ten premier beats as hot as the best tracks on the last gang starr album and nas next album could be superb. 2nd childhood alone was excellent. nas will just have to make sure he doesnt pick any of premier's choppy-stab-beats-by-numbers beats. but knowing nas, he will probably pick ten of those.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think Ownerz was that hot, nor do I think most of the beats on this album were bad.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

who the hell wants an all-premo produced *anything* in 2005? you can't go home again!!

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:50 (twenty-one years ago)

m. otm.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

- not that the occasional recent premier beat doesn't make me excited (see: Pitch Black's "Got It Locked" w/ Foxy Brown)

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

its better than what he was saying about getting large professor to do his whole album a few years back!!!

i think nas could do with having just one producer behind him. i think nas should get necro to produce an album for him. or kanye even. maybe alchemist, but hes too hit and miss.

premier is about to release stuff on his own label. i think he might have some special stuff in him, still.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, no. i think nas needs a whole album made by mf doom.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

ownerz was average on the whole by the way, but it did have have some absolute great beats on there.

― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I think a Nas-Kanye album would be awful, and I like both of them.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

agreed, djdee. i really like the album, and would rank 'em just the same as you do above.

what bugs me? the atonal chorus of "american way." the bad sex lines. "just a moment" and "reason" (disk 1) - aimless sentimental stuff that's neither good r 'n b or hip hop. suicide bounce is pretty bad - overblown beat, worthless lyrics.

what do i like? most of it. the bottom end on a lot of tracks. the first 5 on disk 1 are great, and the last five on disk two are too. this feels like a continuation of god's son to me, and that's what i like...certain;y a lot better than stillmatic material.

― paulhw (paulhw), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

Thanks Jonesy.

― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 20 April 2008 20:50 (eighteen years ago)

five years pass...

revisiting this today (Street's Disciple) and I forgot how much I liked this.

― Neanderthal, Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:25 (twelve years ago)

in interviews lately he keeps talking about "the coonage". he said it over and over on 106 & Park. that really should've been the title of the song. or maybe the album. STREET'S DISCIPLE: THE COONAGE

― Al (sitcom), Monday, November 22, 2004 10:19 PM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

loool i forgot about this.

i have a big soft spot for this album. it has one of the only 2 songs Maxwell released for 7 years, and it's amazing.

― Some-D (some dude), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:32 (twelve years ago)

who was the OP in this thread?

― Neanderthal, Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:34 (twelve years ago)

no idea, don't think it was anyone who stuck around for any length of time

― Some-D (some dude), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:40 (twelve years ago)

yeah tho, I bought this in a crazy, busy period in my life and I probably spun this once and remember liking a handful of tracks, so I was surprised to basically throw on disc 1 again today and find myself digging most all of it (few tracks being lesser here and there).

― Neanderthal, Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:42 (twelve years ago)

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