Rapper Ranking Project: Rapper #4 - Nas
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The Lonious Monk
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Same rules as before (If you don't like them, move on or eat a ? .)
Nas
Lyrics (5) - Nas is always strong in this area. He can speak on a number of topics in a number of different ways and always make his points clearly and with style. There is probably no one who has been consistently better than Nas in this area.
Delivery (4) - Nas is pretty good in this area. There are tracks that he's ripped and he's shown many different types of flows or styles. However, he does sound awkward sometimes when he ventures too far from his lane and he isn't as impressive as some of the greats in this area.
Language (5) - Nas probably isn't the best at word play or complex rhyme schemes or various other things. But he's top tier in pretty much everything. Plus he has one of the better vocabularies among rappers and rarely ever gets caught recycling rhymes. His all around greatness in this area puts him among the elites.
Storytelling (5) - He has an impressive body of work as he includes 1 or 2 stories on almost all of his albums. On top of that he's demonstrated a lot of creativity in songs like Rewind and Book of Rhymes. His narratives are usually clear and well maintained, and while his subject matter is pretty diverse.
Catalog (4 4.5) - He's got classics for sure, and if you're a fan of Nas, you more than likely think his whole catalog is strong. That said, if you're just a general Hip Hop fan, with the exception of 2 or 3 albums, you probably think his catalog is just ok to good. That said those 2 or 3 albums are probably classics which means something.
Subject Matter (4.5 5) - Nas has a lane to some extent, especially early on in his career. He largely spoke from the viewpoint of a kid coming from the hood. That said, he'd apply that viewpoint to a number of different topics including politics, love, business, crime, etc... As time went on, he expanded himself even more making inspirational songs, party-ish songs, and other topics. All that said, you still kinda always know what you're getting from Nas. He's not quite as diverse as the best of the best here.
Creativity (5) - A lot of Nas' creativity comes through his stories, but even outside of those, he is also good for taking concepts and building good songs out of them whether it be rapping from the viewpoint of a gun or taking on the role of a detective in his analysis of the "death of Hip Hop." He's always good for a song or two that breaks the conventional mold.
Collaboration (4.5) - He's worked it a lot of good rappers over the years and in general he either comes out on top in the track or it's a tie. The one maybe minor knock against him is that he's kinda has limited himself in who he works with. Most of his collaborations have been with other NYC rappers from the 90s. He's strayed from the box at times working with people like Scarface or the Game, but he's been in the game well over two decades. There are others out there who have built up extremely diverse resumes for who they've collaborated with. You can't say that about Nas.
Impact (3 4) - There aren't too many true HipHop fans out there who don't know Nas and appreciate what he means to the game. That said, he hasn't made as big of a splash as others. He sell well, but isn't breaking any records. He hasn't really set any trends or anything. Probably, the period he was most significant in the game was when he was beefing with Jay. In fact, if not for that, he'd probably be one of those great rappers that never quite got the shine they deserved.
Overall Score - 40 42
I'm sure there will be some people that are butthurt by this score especially with how it compares to the others, but I think it's fair. In fact, I think there are places where I probably was too hard on him. As always, everything is open to debate. If you think the score is too high, let me know which areas I overrated.
So the way this works is I'll open each discussion for each rapper by scoring that rapper in the categories listed below. I will provide reasoning for the scores and everyone can discuss. If you believe my score for an area needs to be adjusted, make the argument for it. If you get a lot of support (i.e., cosigns or posts in agreement), I'll adjust the score accordingly and keep it up til there is somewhat of a consensus. If there is no real consensus I'll just make a judgement call. I think anyone whose seen my posts on here will agree I at least try to be objective. I'll do the same here. Each area will be scored from 1 to 5 with 1 being Wack and 5 being Elite. The areas that will be scored are:
Lyrics - The strength of writing. How complex are the rapper's lyrics? How well does he or she deliver a message? Does he or she have a unique style of lacing words or is he or she like everyone else?
Delivery - Flow, voice, ability to ride a variety of beats. Does the rapper consistently sound good when rapping? Can the rapper ride a variety of beats? Can the rapper switch flows easily and regularly between songs or even on the same song?
Language - wordplay, vocabulary, use of figurative language (e.g. metaphors). How clever is the rapper with the way he or she makes a point? Are the rapper's lines slick or are they usually plain in nature?
Storytelling - Ability to deliver a cohesive narrative. Can the rapper tell a story that makes sense? Has the rapper displayed the capability regularly? Do the stories make sense and are they interesting?
Catalog - The rapper's body of work. How many classics does the rapper have? How many trash albums? On average what is the overall quality of the catalog?
Subject Matter - What the rapper raps about. Is the rapper capable of speaking on a variety of topics? Does the rapper regularly mix up different topics? Does the rapper sound out of place when addressing certain topics.
Creativity - What separates the rapper from the pack. Does the rapper have a history for bringing a unique sound? Does the rapper make unique songs or apply unusual concepts? Does the rapper address unique topics or address topics in a unique manner.
Collaboration - Presence when rapping with others. How often has the rapper outshine others on a track? How often has the rapper been owned? Does the rapper collab with other strong rappers and hold his or her own?
Impact - How much the rapper has influenced the game. Has the rapper sold a lot or made well received albums? Has the rapper's work or style changed the culture? Has the rapper's characteristics (e.g., style, flow, persona) been copied or imitated?
Lyrics - The strength of writing. How complex are the rapper's lyrics? How well does he or she deliver a message? Does he or she have a unique style of lacing words or is he or she like everyone else?
Delivery - Flow, voice, ability to ride a variety of beats. Does the rapper consistently sound good when rapping? Can the rapper ride a variety of beats? Can the rapper switch flows easily and regularly between songs or even on the same song?
Language - wordplay, vocabulary, use of figurative language (e.g. metaphors). How clever is the rapper with the way he or she makes a point? Are the rapper's lines slick or are they usually plain in nature?
Storytelling - Ability to deliver a cohesive narrative. Can the rapper tell a story that makes sense? Has the rapper displayed the capability regularly? Do the stories make sense and are they interesting?
Catalog - The rapper's body of work. How many classics does the rapper have? How many trash albums? On average what is the overall quality of the catalog?
Subject Matter - What the rapper raps about. Is the rapper capable of speaking on a variety of topics? Does the rapper regularly mix up different topics? Does the rapper sound out of place when addressing certain topics.
Creativity - What separates the rapper from the pack. Does the rapper have a history for bringing a unique sound? Does the rapper make unique songs or apply unusual concepts? Does the rapper address unique topics or address topics in a unique manner.
Collaboration - Presence when rapping with others. How often has the rapper outshine others on a track? How often has the rapper been owned? Does the rapper collab with other strong rappers and hold his or her own?
Impact - How much the rapper has influenced the game. Has the rapper sold a lot or made well received albums? Has the rapper's work or style changed the culture? Has the rapper's characteristics (e.g., style, flow, persona) been copied or imitated?
Nas
Lyrics (5) - Nas is always strong in this area. He can speak on a number of topics in a number of different ways and always make his points clearly and with style. There is probably no one who has been consistently better than Nas in this area.
Delivery (4) - Nas is pretty good in this area. There are tracks that he's ripped and he's shown many different types of flows or styles. However, he does sound awkward sometimes when he ventures too far from his lane and he isn't as impressive as some of the greats in this area.
Language (5) - Nas probably isn't the best at word play or complex rhyme schemes or various other things. But he's top tier in pretty much everything. Plus he has one of the better vocabularies among rappers and rarely ever gets caught recycling rhymes. His all around greatness in this area puts him among the elites.
Storytelling (5) - He has an impressive body of work as he includes 1 or 2 stories on almost all of his albums. On top of that he's demonstrated a lot of creativity in songs like Rewind and Book of Rhymes. His narratives are usually clear and well maintained, and while his subject matter is pretty diverse.
Catalog (4 4.5) - He's got classics for sure, and if you're a fan of Nas, you more than likely think his whole catalog is strong. That said, if you're just a general Hip Hop fan, with the exception of 2 or 3 albums, you probably think his catalog is just ok to good. That said those 2 or 3 albums are probably classics which means something.
Subject Matter (4.5 5) - Nas has a lane to some extent, especially early on in his career. He largely spoke from the viewpoint of a kid coming from the hood. That said, he'd apply that viewpoint to a number of different topics including politics, love, business, crime, etc... As time went on, he expanded himself even more making inspirational songs, party-ish songs, and other topics. All that said, you still kinda always know what you're getting from Nas. He's not quite as diverse as the best of the best here.
Creativity (5) - A lot of Nas' creativity comes through his stories, but even outside of those, he is also good for taking concepts and building good songs out of them whether it be rapping from the viewpoint of a gun or taking on the role of a detective in his analysis of the "death of Hip Hop." He's always good for a song or two that breaks the conventional mold.
Collaboration (4.5) - He's worked it a lot of good rappers over the years and in general he either comes out on top in the track or it's a tie. The one maybe minor knock against him is that he's kinda has limited himself in who he works with. Most of his collaborations have been with other NYC rappers from the 90s. He's strayed from the box at times working with people like Scarface or the Game, but he's been in the game well over two decades. There are others out there who have built up extremely diverse resumes for who they've collaborated with. You can't say that about Nas.
Impact (3 4) - There aren't too many true HipHop fans out there who don't know Nas and appreciate what he means to the game. That said, he hasn't made as big of a splash as others. He sell well, but isn't breaking any records. He hasn't really set any trends or anything. Probably, the period he was most significant in the game was when he was beefing with Jay. In fact, if not for that, he'd probably be one of those great rappers that never quite got the shine they deserved.
Overall Score - 40 42
I'm sure there will be some people that are butthurt by this score especially with how it compares to the others, but I think it's fair. In fact, I think there are places where I probably was too hard on him. As always, everything is open to debate. If you think the score is too high, let me know which areas I overrated.
Comments
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Illmatic alone should give him a 5 in impact.
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Like Water wrote: »Illmatic alone should give him a 5 in impact.
Illmatic is as iconic as an album can get, but from a rules standpoint, Impact is about more than just the reception of his work. -
This may be the perfect rapper
I disagree on subject matter he deserves a 5 -
This may be the perfect rapper
I disagree on subject matter he deserves a 5
To be honest, that was one of the areas I thought I was too hard on him. That said I do believe that there are rappers that have explored more topics than him or have gone deeper into certain topics. So I don't think I'm completely out of line to hold back that .5. If others feel like he deserves it back or if there is a good argument for changing it, I'll definitely put him up. -
Good rating, but I have a few inquires. You gave him a 4.5 in subject matter. Nas has talk about everything from street ? , politics, social issues, parting,Black history, the music history, honoring other rappers (Rakim ) the problems with hip-hop as a whole (which he did on Hip-Hop is dead), sell outs, being married, being divorce, being a father, his father, his mother, dealing with his mother death, Africa, Obama, Aliens (We are not alone). I don't know many rappers who touch on as many issues as Nas. Nas has Collabo with Snoop, Luda, R Kelly, Ron Issly, Ameri, Mary J, Jr Gong on a whole album too, but I see your point. Impact I think people forget nas started the super producers all on one album. He was the first east coast artist to work with Dr. Dre. He had everyone talking the hip-hop being dead out side of just hip-hop fans. He made major noise with the idea of calling an album ? . I think he made more than a dent in the culture.
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just cuz you cover more topics don't mean those topics fit the essence of Hip Hop
because Hip Hop is subjective to opinion any rapper can decide i'll beat out these other rappers with a wider base of subject matter ... sometimes the subject matter is forced or out of pocket
They see a rapper like Nas and they wanna out do em some way so they force vast subject matter
someone like me would dismiss as wack rap but because Hip Hop is subject to opinion it leaves it open for people with corny taste in rap to say MF Doom covers more subjects in rap just using him as an example ... but 9 out of 10 it's nerd ? .
Not only that non of those mcs with more subject matter may ever be ranked ... your just comparing him to all the rappers ... when you may compare a J-Z to only the big rappers .....
Im sure an aspiring artist can make a larger variety of styles of paintings
but it could never be at the level of a rembrant or picasso ...
same with subject matter a rapper can rap a larger variety of topics but never reach the level of Nas
concerning the catagfory of subject matter
(thank you, thank you) -
power_wisdom wrote: »Good rating, but I have a few inquires. You gave him a 4.5 in subject matter. Nas has talk about everything from street ? , politics, social issues, parting,Black history, the music history, honoring other rappers (Rakim ) the problems with hip-hop as a whole (which he did on Hip-Hop is dead), sell outs, being married, being divorce, being a father, his father, his mother, dealing with his mother death, Africa, Obama, Aliens (We are not alone). I don't know many rappers who touch on as many issues as Nas. Nas has Collabo with Snoop, Luda, R Kelly, Ron Issly, Ameri, Mary J, Jr Gong on a whole album too, but I see your point. Impact I think people forget nas started the super producers all on one album. He was the first east coast artist to work with Dr. Dre. He had everyone talking the hip-hop being dead out side of just hip-hop fans. He made major noise with the idea of calling an album ? . I think he made more than a dent in the culture.
Ya'll are right. I'm trippin. I'll put his subject matter score up.
As for the Collaboration score, it's limited to other rappers, so I haven't given anyone too much credit for what they've done with R&B singers. Like I said in the breakdown, he's got a good history of working with people, but not the extent of others. Like Jay does a better job of working with the best of the best than Nas. I didn't give Jay a 5 either because I don't think he performs as well alongside others as someone like Nas, but there are certainly rappers who work with other strong rappers from a greater variety of backgrounds than Nas, so that's why I held back .5.
Lastly, I still think Nas impact is felt mostly by people who like his music. Again, you take away the beef from Jay, and I don't think that he as widely known as he is now. Also, a having a controversial album name isn't really an significant impact, especially when you change the name when it's released. -
Lyrics - 5 He's the best lyricist in the history of Hip Hop. Melle Mel and Rakim came first but Nas took the baton and ran with it. Nas has way more material than Melle Mel and Rakim.
Delivery - 5 if I could give him a 6 I would. His flow on If I Ruled The World let everybody know there's a new sheriff in town.
Language - 5 His use of slang and ordinary words was unique when Illmatic dropped
Storytelling - 5 His third verse in One Love had everybody saying he was the illest MC when Illmatic came out.
Catalog - 5 Dude's been around for 25+ years. There aren't too many rappers that have a catalog that can match Nas's. Even Lost Tapes was a bunch of throwaway songs that didn't make his albums and he released those. Lost Tapes is better than most rappers albums.
Subject Matter - 5 He's covered just about every topic. Illmatic was unique because he balanced so-called positive rap with gangsta rap. That was unique at the time, back in 94 you were either a gangsta rapper or a positive rapper. There weren't too many people that fit into both categories
Creativity - 5 "When I was 12 I went to hell for snuffing Jesus". Eric B and Rakim had a song called Let The Rhythm Hit Em Where Rakim was rapping in 16ths. In other words he was putting 16 syllables into every bar when every other MC was putting 4 or 8 syllables into every bar. It wasn't speed rap, he was rapping on time with the beat but there was no space to put any extra syllables. Eric B and Rakim had that one song but Nas made a career out of rapping like that.
Also Nas has a lot of songs with unique subject matter, even Ether was different in the way he approached the battle.
Collaboration - 5 He's worked with just about everybody. You could make a CD-R/Greatest hits album of all songs that Nas was featured on and it would be better than most rapper's albums.
Impact - 5 Everybody seems to agree that the MT Rushmore of Hip Hop is 2Pac, Jay, Nas and Biggie.
Overall Score - 45 A Perfect Score
You guys might say I'm a stan or I'm caping for Nas but I had Illmatic when it first dropped. A lot of people heard It Was Written before they heard Illmatic. But I heard Illmatic and played it for two years before It Was Written came out. Nas was on a different level than the rest of New York. The only people that were in Nas's league in 94 was Wu Tang. Even Big wasn't quite there until he came with One More Chance/Stay With Me, but that came out in the summer of 95, a full year after Illmatic -
Nas is pretty close to the perfect MC, but he doesn't deserve a perfect score.
Take Catalog for instance. He's got a big catalog and that is due to his longevity, so he deserves credit for that, but not every album in that catalog is strong. Nastradamus is pretty weak as albums from good artists go. And I personally think Double CDs are a bad decision in general, but even in the context of measure Street's Disciple against other Double CDs, it's one of the weaker ones. Compare that to someone like Pac. Sure, Illmatic is arguably better than any of Pac's albums, but all of Pac's studio albums are good. I don't believe he has the low points that Nas had which is why I gave him a 5.
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Before I give my score, Its impossible to give Nas less than a 5 for impact. Nas changed the way everyone who came after him rhyme. Illmatic was the first impactful album where you had a bunch of producers work on an album, it wasnt the first, but it was the album that made it cool and normalize it.
Your impact analysis is wrong, Nas sold more records before his beef with Jay if thats what you want to base it on.
I can go on and on, but I don't understand how a hip hop fan can sit and say Nas is not on the list of the top 10 most impactful artists in hip hop. -
Impact 3???
"eat a ? " -
Before I give my score, Its impossible to give Nas less than a 5 for impact. Nas changed the way everyone who came after him rhyme. Illmatic was the first impactful album where you had a bunch of producers work on an album, it wasnt the first, but it was the album that made it cool and normalize it.
I can go on and on, but I don't understand how a hip hop fan can sit and say Nas is not on the list of the top 10 most impactful artists in hip hop.
Again, ya'll dudes are only looking at the Impact category from the perspective of how important his music is. That's only part of it. He is high there. It's the other areas where he's not as significant.
First I don't think what you're saying about producers is true. Pretty much every rapper that didn't have a specific producer in his crew had to use multiple producers, and I don't think that trend changed much after Nas. People who have inhouse producers still largely use those producers. People who don't have to mix and match. I also don't see how Nas changed the way people rhyme. Can you name some rappers who rhymed one way before Nas and then suddenly rhymed another way after Illmatic dropped?
Nas is one of the greatest rappers ever for sure, but his impact in general is not like Jay's, who is a five. Jay's music is more widespread and sells more. Jay doesn't start trends, but his name alone makes them more popular. The industry as a whole adjusts itself based on moves that Jay makes. Nas isn't really on that level. His music is great, but past that he plays the cut a lot. Again, the only reason Nas' presence is what it is is because he beat Jay in the beef. Nas said himself that before that he was much more low key. -
Lyrics - 5 - Nas is in the top tier of hip hop lyricists, he is not as potent as he once was with the words, but he has gotten better at getting his message across.
Delivery - 3.5 - Dont get me wrong, Nas' flow and delivery work for him, but I cant sit here and give him a higher score when you have rappers with much better and diverse flows and deliveries.
Language - 5 - If Nas wasnt a rapper, he would be a poet. He has a way with words that not many rappers can emulate. Most rappers, including elite ones always rap by using the words I or me and always talk about something they are gonna do. Nas is one of the few artists that can rap about a subject without ever bringing himself into it.
Storytelling - 5 - "
Then I rose, wiping the blunts ash from my clothes
Then froze only to blow the herb smoke through my nose"
Catalog - 5 - I always say the hardest thing to achieve in hip hop is longetivity. Not saying everything Nas did was great, but to be rappong 20+ years later and still spit memorable rhymes is just incredible to me.
Subject Matter - 5 - Nas has rapped about almost everything.
Creativity - 5 - dude rapped from the perspective of a gun, wrote a letter to friends in jail, told a story in reverse, rapped about the black mans plight comparing it to a project roach, died and begged ? for a second chance, i mean i could keep going.
Collaboration - 5 - Rhymed with elite rappers and either did better or held his own.
Impact - 5 - Cmon man.
Other than flow and delivery, I cant take a point away from any of the catagories listed.
Total - 43.5
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Nas is all 5's except
Catalog (4)
Collabs (4) -
The Nas-Non IC ? worship score.
Lyrics - 5
Delivery - 4
Language - 5
Storytelling - 5
Catalog - 4
Subject Matter - 5
Creativity - 5
Collaboration - 3.5
Impact - 4
Score : 40.5 -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »
Impact (3) - There aren't too many true HipHop fans out there who don't know Nas and appreciate what he means to the game. That said, he hasn't made as big of a splash as others. He sell well, but isn't breaking any records. He hasn't really set any trends or anything. Probably, the period he was most significant in the game was when he was beefing with Jay. In fact, if not for that, he'd probably be one of those great rappers that never quite got the shine they deserved.
This is my only gripe. It's more to having impact than setting trends or breaking Thriller album sells record. Jay once say "I should #1 on everybody's list", well Nas usually is. Hell Jay's own artist wasn't concerned about letting him down, but Cole didn't want to let Nas down. It's been said numerous times but there aint' no Takeover reaction or a Hit Em Up reaction but there is an Ether which is now synonymous with getting dissed.
Nas' impact is at least a 4.
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The Lonious Monk wrote: »Before I give my score, Its impossible to give Nas less than a 5 for impact. Nas changed the way everyone who came after him rhyme. Illmatic was the first impactful album where you had a bunch of producers work on an album, it wasnt the first, but it was the album that made it cool and normalize it.
I can go on and on, but I don't understand how a hip hop fan can sit and say Nas is not on the list of the top 10 most impactful artists in hip hop.
Again, ya'll dudes are only looking at the Impact category from the perspective of how important his music is. That's only part of it. He is high there. It's the other areas where he's not as significant.
First I don't think what you're saying about producers is true. Pretty much every rapper that didn't have a specific producer in his crew had to use multiple producers, and I don't think that trend changed much after Nas. People who have inhouse producers still largely use those producers. People who don't have to mix and match. I also don't see how Nas changed the way people rhyme. Can you name some rappers who rhymed one way before Nas and then suddenly rhymed another way after Illmatic dropped?
Nas is one of the greatest rappers ever for sure, but his impact in general is not like Jay's, who is a five. Jay's music is more widespread and sells more. Jay doesn't start trends, but his name alone makes them more popular. The industry as a whole adjusts itself based on moves that Jay makes. Nas isn't really on that level. His music is great, but past that he plays the cut a lot. Again, the only reason Nas' presence is what it is is because he beat Jay in the beef. Nas said himself that before that he was much more low key.
Not gonna sit here and say Nas is as impactful as Jay Z. Thats impossible. But if you say Jay is a 5 and hold that as your standard, no one else can get a 5. Its kind of like Jordan is gets a 10 as a basketball player, no one else is good as Jordan, but players like Lebron, Kareem, Bird, Kobe, are still also 10s. -
Alright. Impact is in contention and I want to be fair about that score, so let me make clear the argument for the score and give people the chance to refute the score.
Here is a list of the reasons:
+ He's universally recognized as one of the best rappers ever
- His record sales are not exceptional for a good rapper
- He's not really responsible for setting any trends
- His presence in the industry is not exceptional when compared to other good rappers especially when you take away the status boost he got from his beef with Jay
Where am I wrong? Can people point out trends that Nas started in the industry? Can people point a time when artists were changing release dates according to when Nas was dropping? Can people name specific rappers who have gotten famous imitating Nas or following his path? Some of this has to be true for him to be a 5 because that's what we've seen from others who get a five in that Category like 2Pac and Jay.
If you can't really make the argument for a 5, but still think 3 is too long, just give me a good argument that is actually true. -
Revolver Ocelot wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »
Impact (3) - There aren't too many true HipHop fans out there who don't know Nas and appreciate what he means to the game. That said, he hasn't made as big of a splash as others. He sell well, but isn't breaking any records. He hasn't really set any trends or anything. Probably, the period he was most significant in the game was when he was beefing with Jay. In fact, if not for that, he'd probably be one of those great rappers that never quite got the shine they deserved.
This is my only gripe. It's more to having impact than setting trends or breaking Thriller album sells record. Jay once say "I should #1 on everybody's list", well Nas usually is. Hell Jay's own artist wasn't concerned about letting him down, but Cole didn't want to let Nas down. It's been said numerous times but there aint' no Takeover reaction or a Hit Em Up reaction but there is an Ether which is now synonymous with getting dissed.
Nas' impact is at least a 4.
Damn. lol That's a hell of a point. I know the people that think he's a 5 want a 5, but would me pushing it up to a 4 be a fair compromise? -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »Nas is pretty close to the perfect MC, but he doesn't deserve a perfect score.
Take Catalog for instance. He's got a big catalog and that is due to his longevity, so he deserves credit for that, but not every album in that catalog is strong. Nastradamus is pretty weak as albums from good artists go. And I personally think Double CDs are a bad decision in general, but even in the context of measure Street's Disciple against other Double CDs, it's one of the weaker ones. Compare that to someone like Pac. Sure, Illmatic is arguably better than any of Pac's albums, but all of Pac's studio albums are good. I don't believe he has the low points that Nas had which is why I gave him a 5.
2 bad albums out of 11 isn't a bad record. And Street Disciple wasn't as bad as Gift and a Curse. He had a lot of bangers on it too. Theif Theme, These are our heroes, Street Disciple, Disciples, Rest of my life, Moment in time, Nazereth Savage, U.B.R, War, Getting Married. I don't think it was that bad. I like it. And Nas have whole albums with themes. Hip-Hop is dead had a theme. Untitled, and ? son had a theme and so did Life is good. There are not too many rappers with 9 really great albums mix with at least 4-6 classic or critical acclaimed albums in their discography. -
power_wisdom wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »Nas is pretty close to the perfect MC, but he doesn't deserve a perfect score.
Take Catalog for instance. He's got a big catalog and that is due to his longevity, so he deserves credit for that, but not every album in that catalog is strong. Nastradamus is pretty weak as albums from good artists go. And I personally think Double CDs are a bad decision in general, but even in the context of measure Street's Disciple against other Double CDs, it's one of the weaker ones. Compare that to someone like Pac. Sure, Illmatic is arguably better than any of Pac's albums, but all of Pac's studio albums are good. I don't believe he has the low points that Nas had which is why I gave him a 5.
2 bad albums out of 11 isn't a bad record. And Street Disciple wasn't as bad as Gift and a Curse. He had a lot of bangers on it too. Theif Theme, These are our heroes, Street Disciple, Disciples, Rest of my life, Moment in time, Nazereth Savage, U.B.R, War, Getting Married. I don't think it was that bad. I like it. And Nas have whole albums with themes. Hip-Hop is dead had a theme. Untitled, and ? son had a theme and so did Life is good. There are not too many rappers with 9 really great albums mix with at least 4-6 classic or critical acclaimed albums in their discography.
But 4 isn't a bad score though. 4 means that he stands out even among good to great rappers. And if he truly had 2 bad albums, 6 great albums, and 4 classics, he'd definitely get a 5. But objectively speaking, even as a Nas fan, I don't think his discography breaks down that favorably. I Am is actually one of my favorite Nas albums, but it's not even close to classic. The same goes for ? 's Son. He's got 2 or 3 classics, 2 or 3 subpar albums, and the rest are just good. That's more like a 4 than a 5. -
"- His record sales are not exceptional for a good rapper"
8 Platinum albums (Counting the Firm album) and 2 Gold albums. Besides Jay, Pac and Em who has more? -
All 5 across the board.
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The Lonious Monk wrote: »Nas is pretty close to the perfect MC, but he doesn't deserve a perfect score.
Take Catalog for instance. He's got a big catalog and that is due to his longevity, so he deserves credit for that, but not every album in that catalog is strong. Nastradamus is pretty weak as albums from good artists go. And I personally think Double CDs are a bad decision in general, but even in the context of measure Street's Disciple against other Double CDs, it's one of the weaker ones. Compare that to someone like Pac. Sure, Illmatic is arguably better than any of Pac's albums, but all of Pac's studio albums are good. I don't believe he has the low points that Nas had which is why I gave him a 5.
Nosign.
There are tens of thousands, (if not hundreds of thousands) of rap artists.
Out of the tens of thousands of rappers:
how many have a 5 mic classic?
how many have two 5 mic classics?
how many have three 5 mic classics?
I think we can all agree that Nas has at least three 5 mic classics. We wouldn't agree on which albums, but for the sake of argument lets say Nas has 12 albums, at least three 5 mic classics and scores of collaborations
Here's a link to all of his collaborations:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwi3wJf62_LVAhWj24MKHTrvD0gQygQILTAA&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nas_discography#Collaboration_singles&usg=AFQjCNFOi4zTT_pzmjto6kRaUKwAs-9RIg
Here's a double disc I made of Nas collaborations a while back
1. Live @ The Barbeque - Large Professor, Akinyele and Joe Fatal
2. Back To The Grill Again - MC Search, Chubb Rock and Red Hot Lover Tone
3. Mo Money Mo Homicide - AZ
4. Verbal Intercourse - Ghostface and Raekwon
5. Foulness Freestyle
6. Phone Tap - AZ, Nature and Dr Dre
7. Grand Finale - DMX, Method Man and Ja Rule
8. Body In The Trunk - NORE
9. John Blaze - Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Big Pun and Raekwon
10. Its Mine - Mobb Deep
11. The Essence - AZ
12. Serious - AZ
13. Stillmatic Freestyle
1 Hot Boys - Missy Elliot, Eve and Q Tip
2 Ice King - Res feat Nas
3 The Bridge 2001
4 Second Coming
5 Don’t Body Yourself
6 My Will
7 Material Things - Jully Black
8 The Rise and Fall
9 2 Seater Produced by Swizz Beats
10 We March As Millions
11 Quick To Back Down - Lil John and The Bravehearts
12 Stay Chisled - Large Professor
13 New York State of Mind III - Rakim and Alicia Keys
14 Classic feat Kanye West, Rakim, KRS and DJ Premiere
If Nas's two worst albums are Nastradamus and Street's Disciple then he has a near flawless catalog. And considering that nobody's perfect he deserves a 5 for catalog.
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Also Nas got rappers like Cam and Jim Jones saying he was an influence on them as rappers. Prodigy said it too. J Cole, Dave East, Eziel too. They have classes on Nas lyrics in colleges. The Outlawz admitted they were happy when Pac made peace with Nas because he was one of their favorites. Game got into beef with 50 because he was a Nas fan. He got a classic movie. A couple documentaries too.
