Best 3 Album Run In Rap History???

It Was Written is classic to me, probably because that was the album that introduced me to NaS. I don't think I really heard Illmatic until 97-98 ish I want to say. I was a kid. I heard people talk about Illmatic and remember seeing the CD in stores but when IWW dropped. That felt like the biggest record I ever heard as a kid in NY. If I Ruled the World was NY to me, that was the theme. I was like 10 so don't judge me.



I thought for sure someone would have said UGK, shocked they didn't come up.
 
if i ruled da world isn't classic?

live ***** rap isn't classic?

affirmative action isn't classic?

take it in blood?

shootouts?

Silent Murder was da ******* bonus track and it smokes pssh...i had to go back and play it now :smokin

pssh.

Nas-It-Was-Written-Album-Back-Cover-Tracklist.jpg


album is Nas's tour de force.
 
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Ballerific703 said:
It Was Written is classic to me, probably because that was the album that introduced me to NaS. I don't think I really heard Illmatic until 97-98 ish I want to say. I was a kid. I heard people talk about Illmatic and remember seeing the CD in stores but when IWW dropped. That felt like the biggest record I ever heard as a kid in NY. If I Ruled the World was NY to me, that was the theme. I was like 10 so don't judge me.
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This makes perfect sense though.
 
ninjahood said:
if i ruled da world isn't classic?

live ***** rap isn't classic?

affirmative action isn't classic?

take it in blood?

shootouts?

Silent Murder was da ******* bonus track and it smokes pssh...i had to go back and play it now :smokin

pssh.

Nas-It-Was-Written-Album-Back-Cover-Tracklist.jpg


album is Nas's tour de force.
Click to expand...

It ain't Illmatic man. Those songs on Illmatic are etched in Hip Hop stone. Every song.
 
SoleByThePound said:
Every time NH post he should hashtag.

#AlternativeRapFacts
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It was Written is still Nas's highest selling album (sold 2 over million out da gate)

beats, life, and rhymes which dropped da same year (1996) took 2 years to go Platinum.

if we're being 1000000% honest, Tribe was never on da tier that Nas was on, commerically, critically, etc.

It Was Written's only crime is being da follow up to Illmatic.
 
I like how you brought up the Tribe album that NO ONE else was discussing in the 3 album stretch, with the exception of one person who mentioned it (as an isolated album) on this page.

These struggle arguments/statements are embarrassing B.

You saying Tribe was never on "da tier" Nas was on critically. Meanwhile "critics" rate the majority or their albums higher than they rate the majority of his.

Stick to the sales argument. It's the safe fallback.

Your reality is warped. Talking about "honest" :lol:

With that said, Nas can rap circles around Tip and Phife IMO.
 
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Maximus Meridius said:
ninjahood said:
if i ruled da world isn't classic?

live ***** rap isn't classic?

affirmative action isn't classic?

take it in blood?

shootouts?

Silent Murder was da ******* bonus track and it smokes pssh...i had to go back and play it now :smokin

pssh.

Nas-It-Was-Written-Album-Back-Cover-Tracklist.jpg


album is Nas's tour de force.
Click to expand...

It ain't Illmatic man. Those songs on Illmatic are etched in Hip Hop stone. Every song.
Click to expand...

It Was Written is just as classic

 
illphillip said:
You saying Tribe was never on "da tier" Nas was on critically. Meanwhile "critics" rate the majority or their albums higher than they rate the majority of his.
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da critics you're referring to doing some revisionist history b.

and i mention sales because context matters in da 90's (not so much on this era)

Tribe wasn't messing with Nas...

Nas was in da conversation for greatest rapper of all time, king of NY, etc.

ya forgot Hate me now was on I am...?
(should've been da OG double album, and this thread would've been 1 page long)

Nas was a bonafide superstar, Tribe never got on that Superstar level.

as if you wanna just keep it group wise, Tribe was outshadowed even in their upmost prime by da masterpiece that was 36 Chambers.

i ain't trying to slander Tribe, i like those guys, but i lived thru da 90's, Tribe were darlings of backpack contingency and in hiphop circles, backpack fans tend to be da loud minority.

going back to my very first point that started this slight derailment, had Nas's I am.... included all da Lost tapes tracks combined with Illmatic & it was written would be better than anything anyone else talking bout.
 
You made a statement. I refuted it. And now you're completely changing the narrative. Stop it son.

This isn't about who the best rapper or who the biggest "superstar" was. This isn't about one big song on one album.

Low End Theory came out in 91. 36 chambers in late 93. Talking about Tribe overshadowed during their "peak"? Dog, you seem to have no idea what the **** you are talking about. And this may be a foreign concept to you. But both groups CAN co exist and succeed simultaneously.

I completely lived through the 90's but you sound like you were frozen in 96 and thawed out last year and have no concept of everything that happened before it.

There is no revisionist history. All of this sales "mattered" then and don't matter now **** is nonsense. All of this #1 albums meant something then and don't mean "jack" now **** is nonsense. They don't really matter when it comes to the greatness of albums but if you're going to pretend a group only appealed to a "subset", well them having #1 albums might tell a different story.

Literally all of the evidence supporting what I, and many in here are saying is right in front of your face. But if you want to ignore it and continue to make wildly inaccurate claims, then more power to you.

Again, the struggle statement/arugments are embarrassing B. Sit this one out and leave it to the dudes that genuinely understand and respect the history of the genre.
 
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see what i mean about loud minority? :smh: :lol:

Low End Theory came out in 91. 36 chambers in late 93. Talking about Tribe overshadowed during their "peak"? Dog, you seem to have no idea what the **** you are talking about. And this may be a foreign concept to you. But both groups CAN co exist and succeed simultaneously.
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when people had to buy, market domination mattered.

Tribe was never da a premier act commerically.

critically? absolutely.

also you're getting your lines crossed cuz im referencing 93' (Midnight Marauders)

not 91, but if i do accept da premise of 1991, you know who ran da rap world at da time?

Ice Cube with his album run.

my whole point is when you go back in time, and put things in its proper context, commerical success, buzz, critical reception, etc. Tribe wasn't da huge messianic movement that critics reframe them now as...

do they deserve da Acclaim? sure. is there alot of "damn these dudes were legends" monday morning QB's by writers and bloggers years after da fact?(ala Reasonable doubt getting that critical love YEARRRRRS later) absolutely.



immma be easy though illphillip illphillip

you not gonna get me to a place​ where i gotta prove my point by crapping on Tribe :lol:
 
Tribe was never on a superstar level? Most people who were around in the 90's put them in their top 5 groups.

Nas got Tip for his first album. Mobb Deep got Tip for their second album.

ninjahood ninjahood has no clue what he's talking about
 
You don't think typing incessantly about IWW being up there with Illmatic puts you in the loud minority?

You are full on delusional.

Again, the fact that you keep harping on what happened "commercially" is weak. Because realistically Nas wasn't the premiere act commercially at the time. Pac, Outkast etc.

You're confusing your small scope with the rest of the free world and those 2 things are not the same.

This isn't about who "ran" the rap world. This isn't about who had the most success commercially. I'm not sure why that's so difficult for you to grasp.

I am not getting my lines crossed. You said their peak. You were mistaken in that their "peak" was not just an album in late 93. Because, again, you don't really know what you're talking about.

You're just going in circles trying to make a point and failing miserably.

ninjahood said:
Tribe was never da a premier act commerically.

critically? absolutely.



my whole point is when you go back in time, and put things in its proper context, commerical success, buzz, critical reception, etc. Tribe wasn't da huge messianic movement that critics reframe them now as...
Click to expand...

You can barely go 2 sentences without contradicting yourself :lol:
 
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FWIW, I am older than the majority of posters in this thread, and Quest was definitely a force to be reckoned with, folks acting like Tribe was Heiroglyphic status and that just wasn't the damned case. Wasn't felt by critics, who in the **** are these critics, Tribe got universal critical acclaim, and maybe their sales didn't jump right out at you, but from my recollection, they did pretty damned solid numbers so I don't know what is happening .
 
Magic1978 said:
Tribe was never on a superstar level? Most people who were around in the 90's put them in their top 5 groups.

Nas got Tip for his first album. Mobb Deep got Tip for their second album.

ninjahood ninjahood has no clue what he's talking about
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critically acclaimed ≠ commerically acclaimed.
 
illphillip said:
You don't think typing incessantly about IWW being up there with Illmatic puts you in the loud minority?

You are full on delusional.

Again, the fact that you keep harping on what happened "commercially" is weak. Because realistically Nas wasn't the premiere act commercially at the time. Pac, Outkast etc.

You're confusing your small scope with the rest of the free world and those 2 things are not the same.

This isn't about who "ran" the rap world. This isn't about who had the most success commercially. I'm not sure why that's so difficult for you to grasp.

I am not getting my lines crossed. You said their peak. You were mistaken in that their "peak" was not just an album in late 93. Because, again, you don't really know what you're talking about.

You're just going in circles trying to make a point and failing miserably.

ninjahood said:
Tribe was never da a premier act commerically.

critically? absolutely.



my whole point is when you go back in time, and put things in its proper context, commerical success, buzz, critical reception, etc. Tribe wasn't da huge messianic movement that critics reframe them now as...
Click to expand...

You can barely go 2 sentences without contradicting yourself :lol:
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there's levels b.

for example,

Kanye's first album was dope when it came out, classic right?

talk to a yeezy boost Rocking 18 year old today about it.

to them they'll talk about comparing it to when Man discovered fire or something :lol: :smh:
 
Embarrassing B.

Look around you and learn something since you obviously didn't experience it for yourself.

Art Vandelay said:
FWIW, I am older than the majority of posters in this thread, and Quest was definitely a force to be reckoned with, folks acting like Tribe was Heiroglyphic status and that just wasn't the damned case. Wasn't felt by critics, who in the **** are these critics, Tribe got universal critical acclaim, and maybe their sales didn't jump right out at you, but from my recollection, they did pretty damned solid numbers so I don't know what is happening .
Click to expand...

"Revisionist history" :lol:
 
Big L's first album got universal Acclaim too...

commerical success didn't bear fruit with him though.

its like when Jordan I's retroed in 94'

they were classic back then too.. didn't stop em from being tie wrapped in bins for 20 Dollars a pop Nationwide.

Tribe was a slow burn, but once people got it, they got it.

thats allllllll im saying.
 
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