Honestly, when we first got the dub of Illmatic we were disappointed. More or less b/c of the brevity & the fact that two of the songs were previously released singles. I think Elliott wrote a Rap Pages review BITD where you could sort of tell if you read b/t the lines.
Please to name albums ego trip NOT disappointed by when they heard the dub.
(Somewhere, I hear the faint sounds of MOP wafting through the air)
only built 4 cuban linx (ninjas)
we had to go through a lot to get these dubs - thus, maybe unrealistically heightened expectations. i remember elliott going to jive to hear 'midnight marauders', asking the publicist if it was ok to listen to it on his walkman instead of the conference room stereo, leaving the building w/ it still in his walkman, going home to queens to dub it as the publicist is calling his house looking for the cassette, going back into manhattan to return it like it was an honest mistake, then going directly to my apartment to dub it for me. espionage productions for real.
But were you disappointed by it? this is the key question.
Honestly, when we first got the dub of Illmatic we were disappointed. More or less b/c of the brevity & the fact that two of the songs were previously released singles. I think Elliott wrote a Rap Pages review BITD where you could sort of tell if you read b/t the lines.
Please to name albums ego trip NOT disappointed by when they heard the dub.
(Somewhere, I hear the faint sounds of MOP wafting through the air)
only built 4 cuban linx (ninjas)
we had to go through a lot to get these dubs - thus, maybe unrealistically heightened expectations. i remember elliott going to jive to hear 'midnight marauders', asking the publicist if it was ok to listen to it on his walkman instead of the conference room stereo, leaving the building w/ it still in his walkman, going home to queens to dub it as the publicist is calling his house looking for the cassette, going back into manhattan to return it like it was an honest mistake, then going directly to my apartment to dub it for me. espionage productions for real.
But were you disappointed by it? this is the key question.
coming off low end theory? maybe initially. but that didn't last long.
since youre here i was wondering if its true that faux rillz spritzes the cool water by davidoff body spalsh?
I ain't heard 'bout that--I thought I saw some Le Male by John Paul Gaultier in his medicine cabinet, though (the special collectro's bottle with the "body art").
Didn't Puff recycle this for an R&B track half a decade later? If I remember correctly, it featured Shyne threatening to "kidnap your parents if [he] had to" and boasting that he was "shipping keys out of Kennedy"... which I thought added a great deal to what was an otherwise unremarkable lament for lost love.
The DJ that provides the soundtrack to my private mindgarden may be blending two unrelated songs together, though.
Didnt live up to everyones expectations. Plus too much pre-game hype.
1. Album Intro 2. The Message * 3. Street Dreams * 4. I Gave You Power * 5. Watch Dem Niggas (w/ Foxy Brown) 6. Take It In Blood 7. Nas Is Coming 8. Affirmative Action (w/ Cormega, AZ & Foxy Brown) * 9. The Set Up (w/ Havoc) 10. Black Girl Lost (w/ JoJo Hailey) 11. Suspect 12. Shootouts 13. Live Nigga Rap (w/ Mobb Deep) * 14. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) (w/ Lauryn Hill) 15. Silent Murder (Bonus Track)
8. Affirmative Action (w/ Cormega, AZ & Foxy Brown) *
no
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
8. Affirmative Action (w/ Cormega, AZ & Foxy Brown) *
no
Agreed (surprisingly): Wack!!! I thought this song was butt. The album as a whole was at best. Despite being a huge Nas fan, I didn't buy it when it came out upon checkin' it at the listening station (didn't feel it). I recently bought the CD on some nostalgia shit, and I barely play it (mad skip around action too). Then again, "Reasonable Doubt" didn't blow me away either when it dropped (and still doesn't), so with me, it's sort of a stalemate. But, if I had to choose a winner, it would be "Reasonable Doubt." Nas never got past "Illmatic."
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
except that you're wrong, about Reasonable Doubt.
You know I'm not big on Jigga, Hova, or whatever he calls himself these days. It's stylistic. I recognize cat's talent, it just doesn't appeal to me. I've never understood the hype. I think he's way more style (charisma-wise) than substance (lyrically). Nas is the exactly the opposite which explains why Hov trumps Nas in sales receipts. I'm sure Nas's generally soft-serve production post-Illmatic hasn't helped him as well.
I think your dislike of Jay-Z probably revents you from finding any deeper meaning in his verses; believe me, it's there.
Nas' problem is that his production sucks and he very quickly became a parody of the brilliant rapper we heard on his first record.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
I think your dislike of Jay-Z probably revents you from finding any deeper meaning in his verses; believe me, it's there.
Nas' problem is that his production sucks and he very quickly became a parody of the brilliant rapper we heard on his first record.
No, Jay can flow I just don't find it as incredible as most say it is. Nas, lyrically, has always been infinitely better, but he lacks Jay's charisma. That's the difference. Style trumps substance, as least it does at the cash register.
I think your dislike of Jay-Z probably revents you from finding any deeper meaning in his verses; believe me, it's there.
Nas' problem is that his production sucks and he very quickly became a parody of the brilliant rapper we heard on his first record.
No, Jay can flow I just don't find it as incredible as most say it is. Nas, lyrically, has always been infinitely better, but he lacks Jay's charisma. That's the difference. Style trumps substance, as least it does at the cash register.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Stacks - I hear what you're saying and to a certain degree, I agree - like, as just a lyrical run, nothing on "Reasonable Doubt" ever impressed me in the same way as Nas flowing on "Memory Lane" for example or "New York State of Mind." But it's two different kinds of lyrics - Nas was about fucking density - like he wanted to throw a barrage at words at you and what was crazy was that...most of it actually made sense. Whereas Jay is more of a minimalist - he's not trying to stun folks with an articulate verbosity but rather, his ability to say more with less but still do it with a slick flow and some great punchlines.
But in terms of depth and evocativeness and diversity of ideas, "Reasonable Doubt" is completely amazing to me. Even his "commercial" songs had a grace to them (and in this regard, Jay-Z owes much to an incredible ensemble of producers who were as vital to his album was Nas' squad was to "Illmatic").
I'm not trying to force you to concede that Jay-Z is better/equal/whatever to Nas - if you don't like dude for whatever reason, ok, fine. But I do have to disagree with the idea that "Reasonable Doubt" was all about style rather than substance. Go back and listen to "D'evils" or "Regrets" or even "Cashmere Thoughts" or "Can I Live". Jay is dropping some serious shit AND sounding incredible in the process.
For the record, I'd still put "Illmatic" ahead of "Reasonable Doubt" simply because Nas was, to me, fucking transcendent on "Illmatic" in a way that no other hip-hop album in the '90s was but that's my bias. (Though, now that I think about it, "Cuban Linx" would be a tough competitor, especially given Nas' verse on "Verbal Intercourse" ironically enough).
This track is Nas back in observer/reporter mode, something that was really missing from IWW, an album composed mostly of stream of conscious rhymes that didn't add up to much ("you'll be aight like blood money in a pimp's cum")... if "Black Girl Lost" was over a different beat, you little dudes would recognize.
This track is Nas back in observer/reporter mode, something that was really missing from IWW, an album composed mostly of stream of conscious rhymes that didn't add up to much ("you'll be aight like blood money in a pimp's cum")... if "Black Girl Lost" was over a different beat, you little dudes would recognize.
My rating can be misinterpreted as hate, but its not. Hot lyrics, w/ mediocre beat. The story is good, but the execution iz weak.
Comments
But were you disappointed by it? this is the key question.
Never that. I was Illmatic in '94 and in '06 I personify the snap music movement.
Who you know like me?
Ah, I suddenly understand the meaning of Buttahead!
coming off low end theory? maybe initially. but that didn't last long.
since youre here i was wondering if its true that faux rillz spritzes the cool water by davidoff body spalsh?
never that - that's my job!
I ain't heard 'bout that--I thought I saw some Le Male by John Paul Gaultier in his medicine cabinet, though (the special collectro's bottle with the "body art").
Thanks! I wasn't quite sure if he was channeling you or Phill...
How anyone can listen to IT WAS WRITTEN more than once is beyond me..
Stillmatic = good
Illmatic = overrated
Nastradamus,I AM,God's Son,Street Disciple,Lost Tapes,The Firm = TRASH
Never mention this again.
Ok, so we've determined that both DigDug and EdPowers don't actually like hip-hop.
Who's next?
Not even "Phone Tap"?
Yeah, that one was okay.
Not even "5 Minutes to Flush"?
(Somewhere Whodini's career is still rolling over in its grave.)
I liked "I'm Leavin'" w/ N.O.R.E.
Didn't Puff recycle this for an R&B track half a decade later? If I remember correctly, it featured Shyne threatening to "kidnap your parents if [he] had to" and boasting that he was "shipping keys out of Kennedy"... which I thought added a great deal to what was an otherwise unremarkable lament for lost love.
The DJ that provides the soundtrack to my private mindgarden may be blending two unrelated songs together, though.
Carl Thomas w/Faith ft Shyne .....I Can't Believe (remix)
Didnt live up to everyones expectations. Plus too much pre-game hype.
1. Album Intro
2. The Message *
3. Street Dreams *
4. I Gave You Power *
5. Watch Dem Niggas (w/ Foxy Brown)
6. Take It In Blood
7. Nas Is Coming
8. Affirmative Action (w/ Cormega, AZ & Foxy Brown) *
9. The Set Up (w/ Havoc)
10. Black Girl Lost (w/ JoJo Hailey)
11. Suspect
12. Shootouts
13. Live Nigga Rap (w/ Mobb Deep) *
14. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) (w/ Lauryn Hill)
15. Silent Murder (Bonus Track)
no
Agreed (surprisingly): Wack!!! I thought this song was butt. The album as a whole was
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
You know I'm not big on Jigga, Hova, or whatever he calls himself these days. It's stylistic. I recognize cat's talent, it just doesn't appeal to me. I've never understood the hype. I think he's way more style (charisma-wise) than substance (lyrically). Nas is the exactly the opposite which explains why Hov trumps Nas in sales receipts. I'm sure Nas's generally soft-serve production post-Illmatic hasn't helped him as well.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Nas' problem is that his production sucks and he very quickly became a parody of the brilliant rapper we heard on his first record.
No, Jay can flow I just don't find it as incredible as most say it is. Nas, lyrically, has always been infinitely better, but he lacks Jay's charisma. That's the difference. Style trumps substance, as least it does at the cash register.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Stacks - I hear what you're saying and to a certain degree, I agree - like, as just a lyrical run, nothing on "Reasonable Doubt" ever impressed me in the same way as Nas flowing on "Memory Lane" for example or "New York State of Mind." But it's two different kinds of lyrics - Nas was about fucking density - like he wanted to throw a barrage at words at you and what was crazy was that...most of it actually made sense. Whereas Jay is more of a minimalist - he's not trying to stun folks with an articulate verbosity but rather, his ability to say more with less but still do it with a slick flow and some great punchlines.
But in terms of depth and evocativeness and diversity of ideas, "Reasonable Doubt" is completely amazing to me. Even his "commercial" songs had a grace to them (and in this regard, Jay-Z owes much to an incredible ensemble of producers who were as vital to his album was Nas' squad was to "Illmatic").
I'm not trying to force you to concede that Jay-Z is better/equal/whatever to Nas - if you don't like dude for whatever reason, ok, fine. But I do have to disagree with the idea that "Reasonable Doubt" was all about style rather than substance. Go back and listen to "D'evils" or "Regrets" or even "Cashmere Thoughts" or "Can I Live". Jay is dropping some serious shit AND sounding incredible in the process.
For the record, I'd still put "Illmatic" ahead of "Reasonable Doubt" simply because Nas was, to me, fucking transcendent on "Illmatic" in a way that no other hip-hop album in the '90s was but that's my bias. (Though, now that I think about it, "Cuban Linx" would be a tough competitor, especially given Nas' verse on "Verbal Intercourse" ironically enough).
You are hating.
This track is Nas back in observer/reporter mode, something that was really missing from IWW, an album composed mostly of stream of conscious rhymes that didn't add up to much ("you'll be aight like blood money in a pimp's cum")... if "Black Girl Lost" was over a different beat, you little dudes would recognize.
My
mediocre beat. The story is good, but the execution iz weak.