NaS has been SOOOOO desperate for APPROVAL since Ether....

[free the chief]

(This is NOT related to Jay-Z directly)

OK so maybe it's just me, but for the sake of the argument I'll divide Nas's career into two parts re-Ether and Post-Ether. That was fairy simpleright?

Well up until that "time frame" Nas and Jay-z were pretty much tied for my favorite solo artist. Nas was dropping DOPE music and really holding itdown for that NY state of mind. I damn near felt everything he was saying as if I could actually relate to it

.

Somewhere in between Nastradaumus and Stillmatic Nas lost something tho. Stillmatic is STILL my favorite Nas album, but to me, after that album Naswent from demanding respect to begging for it. His last 2 albums have been so desperate for attention that it's sad, man. HHID was quality music, noquestion, but the whole idea of naming your album Hip-Hop Is Dead is sooooooooo gimmicky. It's a cry for attention and I really struggle with respectingit. Now this new album is just crazy. Dude might as well pose nude on his cover and add some sort of glow in the dark lettering to the title or something.He's trying so hard to be accepted when skills should be able to speak for themselves.

It kinda makes you wonder if Nas was that one lame dude in HS that was talented but spent so much time perfecting his talent that he never got cool withanybody

. Dude seems so.... "I dunno" now.

I didn't really realize it until I listened to Success (American Gangster). The difference in demeanor was obvious IMO. Jay-Z hit the track with his swagon 10. Jay-Z, to me, still has a delivery that says "You HAVE to dig it, cuz it's dope" whereas Nas has that "You should dig it,cuz I deserve it" delivery now. The more I think about the line "You been in this 10, I been in it 5/ Smarten up Nas!", the more it seems likeit cut deep-- even though Jay had been in the game longer than 5 years at the time...frontin *** __

. Anyway, how much of the last 16 years has Nas beentrying to prove himself? It's kinda bad that I'm one of like 7 and a half people that don't worship his first album. How much pressure has Illmaticput on him tho? It's like the perception him since then has been one of "GREAT lyricist...good music".

Does anybody see what I'm talking about?

 

[mr subliminals]

HHID was quality music, no question, but the whole idea of naming your album Hip-Hop Is Dead is sooooooooo gimmicky. It's a cry for attention and I really struggle with respecting it. Now this new album is just crazy. Dude might as well pose nude on his cover and add some sort of glow in the dark lettering to the title or something. He's trying so hard to be accepted when skills should be able to speak for themselves.





You reaching...

Nas has ALWAYS been controversial and thats what set him apart with alot of other MC's. HHID and@+%%%+ are nothing new, unless your new to nas i dont knowwhy those titles would even cause talk. Nas has always had respect as a MC and he and the rest of the industry knows that so for him to "beg" wouldwayyy outta place. its not like hes trying to reach a new crowd. he's rappin to the same crowd his has been the past ten years

 

[free the chief]

I guess. I'm not saying he doesn't rightfully deserve all his respect and more tho.

More input, anybody?

 

[addict4sneakers]

prove himself? i dont see it as that. dood is in his "i'ma makin whatever kinda music i want to" mode. i respect him for that. what you calldesperate for attention is nothing but marketing. some call their albums Ninja, others title theirs after the biggest movie of the fall

 

[ratheruniqueb]

Nas is way past the point of needing "approval". He's got it in many peoples eyes and will always have it...he keeps getting stronger. HHID is acry for attention? nah just strictly a man speaking his mind, and doing it well.

 

[illscan]

HHID was quality music, no question, but the whole idea of naming your album Hip-Hop Is Dead is sooooooooo gimmicky. It's a cry for attention and I really struggle with respecting it.
I think Nas really does think HHID. But I have a problem with the way he handled it. 1) He started copping please when others in the industry gotupset at the title & he started making excuses about it's "true meaning". It wasn't meant to spark a conversation. Just say you think hiphop is lame nowadays. 2) He didn't drop a HHID type album. It was a boring, lifeless album with zero personality. His album should have been a eff you toeverything he dislikes about the current state of hip hop. Instead we got a studio album that was designed to appeal to a broad audience (read Fabolous justnot as bad).
If you are going to make a controversial type record, then do it. I don't see how this new album will be any good. He couldn't even stick to his gunson HHID. Only hip hop was going to get vex. Imagine when the NAACP, Obama, Clinton, Sharpton & the rest use this as a tool for their own personal gain& make a big issue out of it.
But what do I know, maybe he wants that to push a few more units. Either way; JD & Toomp on a Nas record will most likely be terrible anyway, so eff it.

 

[lb81986]

I kinda agree. To me, Nas' best album since Stillmatic was Streets Disciple. In that album, he address the state of hip hop and the state of black peopleand didn't even need to give it a controversial name to generate buzz, plus he kept it very gritty, a staple in his music. These last two albums, I feellike he gives a controversial name to get media outlets like Rolling Stone and what not to talk about his album. But only half the album ends up reallyaddressing the issue. The other half is an attempt to keep the new listeners who may just be checking for his album because they saw some headlines for it onMTV.com (production from Kanye...cool, will.i.am...maybe...Storch...nah). That was my only problem with HHID, but I hope it isn't with NI@@ER.

Edit** ^^^ Right on...dude above me was typing my exact thoughts simultaneously, hit the 'post' button first and put it better than I did.

 

[send one]

As far as the album titles I dont see them as anything more than promotion. Most rappers stir up some contreversy to attract attention to their project, somejust go about it in different ways.

Nas should have never been on either of those Jay tracks. Their styles just dont mix good.

I dont think Nas is trying to get approval. He's already proven himself.

He's at a point in his career that he can experiment. And pretty much do whatever he wants. Because when the time calls for it, Nas can get back to thatgrimyness.

 

[ezflash26]

It kinda makes you wonder if Nas was that one lame dude in HS that was talented but spent so much time perfecting his talent that he never got cool with anybody

.
I dont think Nas even made it to high school...

Well up until that "time frame" Nas and Jay-z were pretty much tied for my favorite solo artist. Nas was dropping DOPE music and really holding it down for that NY state of mind. I damn near felt everything he was saying as if I could actually relate to it

.


aint tryna get at you or nothin, but didnt you say you aint heard Illmatic till recently sometime? What you basing his music on up until that pre-Ether time tobe your favorite rapper? I know he wasnt mines at that time...

Nas has ALWAYS been controversial and thats what set him apart with alot of other MC's. HHID and@+%%%+ are nothing new, unless your new to nas i dont know why those titles would even cause talk. Nas has always had respect as a MC and he and the rest of the industry knows that so for him to "beg" would wayyy outta place. its not like hes trying to reach a new crowd. he's rappin to the same crowd his has been the past ten years


yup, guess they forgot about the "Hate Me Now" video and all the controversy behind that, aint nothin new, its followed his whole career, every sinceIWW...And I dont believe HHID was "gimmicky" more as thats what he felt needed to be heard. It woulda been different if it had just been that albumtitle and no songs on the album discussed why he felt that way... This new album title however, even tho I feel its corny, with all that surrounding how hardBill O'Rielly & Fox News kept going at him, I dont blame him for being like "*%$$ it, Im goin in". Ive never not seen it be a method to themadness and him on some +%%* just because, we'll see when the music is released...

And really, you off with in general with "begging for attention" cuz after-Ether, he actually went into the direction of just making the musiche's wanted to make. Look at what was released after that, God's Son, and really look at SD. He came out with prolly the most non-radio friendly singlehe's ever dropped and followed it up with a blues-rap song dad and +%%* lol...the music on those projects looks the complete opposite of what you sayin.Remember that Jay & Nas interview he said even thought he went too far left with SD...

I didn't really realize it until I listened to Success (American Gangster). The difference in demeanor was obvious IMO. Jay-Z hit the track with his swag on 10. Jay-Z, to me, still has a delivery that says "You HAVE to dig it, cuz it's dope" whereas Nas has that "You should dig it, cuz I deserve it" delivery now

maybe because they have completely different flows? Itsthe exact same difference you see in "Black Republicans", thats HIS flow, just like thats Jay's flow.

 

[airjus23]

HHID was quality music, no question, but the whole idea of naming your album Hip-Hop Is Dead is sooooooooo gimmicky. It's a cry for attention and I really struggle with respecting it.
I agree with this statement. I think the fans have demanded so much from him and expects him to fall in a certain role that he feels he has to"outdo" himself with every album. When he should be outdoing himself through skill, he does so with weak concepts like this as an attempt to be a"conscious rapper". I'm all for having a mission, but it seems ingenuine to me.

 

[x Buddha Bless x]

I dont agree with everything you said but

It kinda makes you wonder if Nas was that one lame dude in HS that was talented but spent so much time perfecting his talent that he never got cool with anybody

. Dude seems so.... "I dunno" now.

This is something thats the closest to fact. This dudes dust head ways has took a turn for the worse, the way at times he ostracizes himself fromhis hip hop peers. A lot of my crew n dudes I went on to meet in college looked at it as NaS is a great lyricist but as a person dude is not just funny stylebut just outright a herb in the way he approaches things. This dude doesn't always know what he wants to say and what the right thing to say is, leavinghim to be the way he is now. I cant bring up any examples at the moment cuz my memory is hazy but its like dude doesn't always know what he's doingwhen he's talking in interviews. There's a lot of truth in the Blueprint 2.

How much pressure has Illmatic put on him tho? It's like the perception him since then has been one of "GREAT lyricist...good music".


Yea thats another good point. Illmatic took its toll on his career for the good n the bad, but at this point in his career there aint no turning back. Rillaexactly how do you feel about SD cuz thats one of the reasons I dont see the beggin for respect that you speak of. that album let me know that atleast he'sback on track to making good music and solid albums. 1 thing I was worried about was that Stillmatic woulda been a flash in the pan album n dude woulda ranback in his hole. HHID is probably more commercial than IWW but its a solid effort. Some may see it as lookin for approval cuz some think NaS is just playingthe role of that type of rapper but it was about time somebody said it.

 

[free the chief]

Originally Posted by EzFlash26

It kinda makes you wonder if Nas was that one lame dude in HS that was talented but spent so much time perfecting his talent that he never got cool with anybody

.

I dont think Nas even made it to high school...

Well up until that "time frame" Nas and Jay-z were pretty much tied for my favorite solo artist. Nas was dropping DOPE music and really holding it down for that NY state of mind. I damn near felt everything he was saying as if I could actually relate to it

.


aint tryna get at you or nothin, but didnt you say you aint heard Illmatic till recently sometime? What you basing his music on up until that pre-Ether time to be your favorite rapper? I know he wasnt mines at that time...

Nas has ALWAYS been controversial and thats what set him apart with alot of other MC's. HHID and@+%%%+ are nothing new, unless your new to nas i dont know why those titles would even cause talk. Nas has always had respect as a MC and he and the rest of the industry knows that so for him to "beg" would wayyy outta place. its not like hes trying to reach a new crowd. he's rappin to the same crowd his has been the past ten years


yup, guess they forgot about the "Hate Me Now" video and all the controversy behind that, aint nothin new, its followed his whole career, every since IWW...And I dont believe HHID was "gimmicky" more as thats what he felt needed to be heard. It woulda been different if it had just been that album title and no songs on the album discussed why he felt that way... This new album title however, even tho I feel its corny, with all that surrounding how hard Bill O'Rielly & Fox News kept going at him, I dont blame him for being like "*%$$ it, Im goin in". Ive never not seen it be a method to the madness and him on some +%%* just because, we'll see when the music is released...

And really, you off with in general with "begging for attention" cuz after-Ether, he actually went into the direction of just making the music he's wanted to make. Look at what was released after that, God's Son, and really look at SD. He came out with prolly the most non-radio friendly single he's ever dropped and followed it up with a blues-rap song dad and +%%* lol...the music on those projects looks the complete opposite of what you sayin. Remember that Jay & Nas interview he said even thought he went too far left with SD...

I didn't really realize it until I listened to Success (American Gangster). The difference in demeanor was obvious IMO. Jay-Z hit the track with his swag on 10. Jay-Z, to me, still has a delivery that says "You HAVE to dig it, cuz it's dope" whereas Nas has that "You should dig it, cuz I deserve it" delivery now

maybe because they have completely different flows? Its the exact same difference you see in "Black Republicans", thats HIS flow, just like thats Jay's flow.
1.

Yeah yeah.... you knew what I meant tho... whether h made itto HS or not, I think it's safe to say that he made it through his teen years. I stand by what said. Add to that the rumors of Nas's "shaky"past, and I'm convinced.

2. Like Illmatic was the only album Nas dropped before Ether...ya'll kill me with that. Not to mention he did numerous features (I still love his verse onHot Boys

). A guy misses one album for a decade and a half and all of a sudden his opinion is void...? I guess...

3. I'm not talking about flow, I'm talking about delivery. There's a serious difference. Nas's flow has NEVER been a problem. But you can'ttell me Esco of yester-year and today's Nas have the same confidence. There once was a time when Nas had his nose in the air. I miss THAT Nas, back when heused to KNOW he was the shhh.

 

[star time]

It doesn't take much to see the decline in Nas' music since Stillmatic. The beef with Jay definetly took alot out of son. Alot of people, includingmyself will agree that Nas did win that battle. However, it left him sorta "shell shocked" in a sense. Here is someone that was always like that"low key Don". Never really in the spotlight like that. When the battle happened with Jay, it brought Nas to the surface without him having anycontrol of it. It also occured during what was probably one of the most troubling times in his life with the stress of his Moms dying & all of that. So hewas dealing with both of these situations & as a result, somethin' had to be compromised, which in this case I think it was his ability to thinkrationally like a regular person. I'm not saying he's crazy, but he has always been sorta "fickle" & hypocritical & what he'sbeen through only made those characteristics worse. I honestly don't think Nas knows what he wants to do, nor does he really care. I think Nas is justexisiting, he's just keepin' it moving. He's without a doubt my all time favorite artist, but I don't respect him at all with the decisionhe's made with this upcoming album & I absolutely won't support it....

Good post BTW FTC.....

 

[free the chief]

Thanks... I figured you'd see what I was trying to say. I won't argue with you on who won the battle..even tho...

.

This is a very bad anology, since I HATE the Pats...BUT... Nas is like what would happen if Eli Manning put upPeyton Manning's numbers. Get it? It's not the lyrics and flow, it's the demeanor and everything else. He (Nas) carries himself like...Idunno...the Eli Manning of rap, yet he's OBVIOUSLY got "Peyton of Rap" skill. Whereas Jay-Z has that Tom Brady appeal (I +$%##*$ hate TomBrady...this is so hard for me to say

). He puts up AMAZING numbers (=quality music) and he looks like a star doing it. When you see Brady(son of a %%%##...) on the field, he looks like a champion. He demands that respect with his play as well. Eli just looks like......um...Peyton's brother

... (did I mention I was a Colts fan?).

And I think that's what the problem is. Nasir Jones doesn't really know how to be "Nas" and it shows, whereas Shawn Carter makes one helluva"Jay-Z".

 

[x Buddha Bless x]

^ The only problem with that is to me Eli never will be as good as Peyton. This whole season dude hasn't really showed and proved.

I had hope his 1st season.

Nah I get what you sayin NaS is a confused underachiever but Eli will NEVER be as good as Peyton

had to stress that.

 

[free the chief]

Are you serious man.......I think you missed the point. Think hypothetically. Of course Eli ain't as good a Peyton... I said IF.

 

[buddha jape]

am i the only one that thinks HHID is garbage?
album was so all over the place...the beats didnt flow well and the messages were so jumbled. and then he had the nerve to call it hip hop is dead and then hadsome wack shhh on there.



and stillmatic without ether ...not classic
blueprint without takeover .... still classic.

jay without takeover ....still where he is right now.
nas without ether...done for

 

[starvin harlem]

Some of the best hip hop albums have had gimmicky titles, and the word gimmick means something to attract attention to a product you intend to sell, so its nota bad thing, in business its a necassary tool . . . Look at NWAs 2nd album title *****Z4LIFE, 2Pac's secong album Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z., BIG ReadyTo Die, and so on and so on, you create change, you must first attract an audience's attention . . . If you're in the business of selling a product youneed attention . . . All his titles have been appropriate for the time, HHID is just the way a lot of heads have been feeling, I don't think the album didanything to help that, but thats another story . . . With his new album, people are acting offended, but the word is older than ANYone complaining about itsusage . . . Its like white people are more offended by the term than blacks . . .

 

[free the chief]

HHID was petty solid IMO, but I know what you're talking about. It's the irony...like __ HOW DARE you drop an avg CD with that title?The audacity...

 

[buddha jape]

how was ready to die gimmicky?^
that title had meaning and purpose.
HHID had no signifigance in Nas's album.

now if nas woudlve called it HHID and had the abum produced by premo it wouldve made sense.

It's the irony...like __ HOW DARE you drop an avg CD with that title? The audacity
exactly. especially when an average cd from nas just seems worse cause you expect so much from him. ive come to the conclusion...nas is done forand you cant expect anyhting from him. kelis is taking his edge away

 

[free the chief]

And we agree. I was gonna blame her, but it's just a hunch...completely unfounded.

 

[illscan]

am i the only one that thinks HHID is garbage?
Nope.

 

[impalaballa187]

and stillmatic without ether ...not classic

Only song on that CD that can't be listened to is braveheart party. The only other song that was below a 8 was flyest gangstas. All therest was straigh

*!$#.....2nd childhood was a top 5 Nas track imo

 

[ezflash26]

^yea I dunno what dude talkin bout. Ether was out I dunno how long before Stillmatic was released too, its not like that song made the album. Its not even atop 5 song on the album...(and God's Son was damn near as good)

HHID had no signifigance in Nas's album.

now if nas woudlve called it HHID and had the abum produced by premo it wouldve made sense.
Off top, from the top of the album until the Jay collab, those songs were dedicated to his feeling on hiphop being dead, plus that second singleand the acapella at the end, how did the title have no signifigance? What would Premo being on the album do to change the signifigance in his album?

1.

Yeah yeah.... you knew what I meant tho... whether h made it to HS or not, I think it's safe to say that he made it through his teen years. I stand by what said. Add to that the rumors of Nas's "shaky" past, and I'm convinced.

2. Like Illmatic was the only album Nas dropped before Ether...ya'll kill me with that. Not to mention he did numerous features (I still love his verse on Hot Boys

). A guy misses one album for a decade and a half and all of a sudden his opinion is void...? I guess...

3. I'm not talking about flow, I'm talking about delivery. There's a serious difference. Nas's flow has NEVER been a problem. But you can't tell me Esco of yester-year and today's Nas have the same confidence. There once was a time when Nas had his nose in the air. I miss THAT Nas, back when he used to KNOW he was the shhh.
Nah I aint the one to look to deep into who these rappers are and aint outside of the music too much, cuz I wasnt around these N's (the onlyway you would know), Ive always said that, starts to tread into lame/corny territory there...wasnt sayin by him droppin out gives him 'points' todiscredited w/e theory you have, I been there, !!!% aint cool lol. But you had that pic painted, I was just tryna help the ill-informed...and Im prolly thesame age as you, I aint sayin your opinion is void, but you came across as not being up on his music up until that point once, then sayin that was ya mansthen, just asking how he got there.

And I dont know what the hell you mean by with that Eli comparsion lol, thats prolly the worst sports comparison Ive seen from you...

and I agree with Nay, Nas just gets criticized for it cuz he's Nas. ODB dropped "N' Please" around 98-00'

, !!!% wasnt on CNN. I dont remember that !!!% having nothin to do with nothin.I feel aspects of it is corny (what can he say that hasnt already been said?~Mos - Mr. N'~ And it seems extra late for this topic, woulda been much morerelevant sometime in the early 90's), but I would be a hypocrite for not giving him props since my main problem with black music in this day of age is thataint no type of messages in our music anymore (in the mainstream) in any form.

 

[eastcoastpapi]

agreed...HHID and Streets D werent that piff. Im a Nas fan got every album HHID = 2.5/5...Streets D = 2/5



...no reachin