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- Apr 20, 2006
(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?
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
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 *** __
Does anybody see what I'm talking about?