I hear what you saying, Illmatic was never the most popular album, I heard it in its entirety only later on too, but rhyme for rhyme, beat for beat, song for song... Illmatic was historic.
I agree, but there are many historic and ground breaking albums, for someone to say a 9 song album (Genesis an instrumental, Caz shit) is the best album you ever heard in life is disrespectful.
I heard and seen too much great shit, and I got everything Nas ever put on wax or mixtape. Not too many people are bigger Nas' fans than me.
Same way, I could never call one MC the best ever, too many great ones that did it different ways, and I respect the underground kings too.
https://2dopeboyz.com/2019/04/16/mary-j-blige-nas-announce-joint-tour/
07-19 West Palm Beach, FL (Coral Sky Amphitheatre)
07-13 Tampa, FL (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre)
07-14 Jacksonville, FL (Daily’s Place) $
07-16 Atlanta, GA (Cadence Bank Amphitheatre)
07-20 Atlantic City, NJ (Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena) $
07-21 Virginia Beach, VA (Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater)
07-24 Charlotte, NC (PNC Music Pavilion)
07-25 Raleigh, NC (Coastal Credit Union Music Park)
07-28 Detroit, MI (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
07-31 St. Louis, MO (Hollywood Casino Amphitheater)
08-02 Houston, TX (The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
08-03 Austin, TX (Austin360 Amphitheater)
08-06 Kansas City, MO (Starlight Theatre)
08-09 Phoenix, AZ (Ak-Chin Pavilion)
08-14 San Francisco, CA (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
08-16 Las Vegas, NV (The Joint) $
08-17 Las Vegas, NV (The Joint) $
08-20 Albuquerque, NM (Isleta Amphitheater)
08-22 Dallas, TX (Dos Equis Pavilion)
08-25 Tuscaloosa, AL (Tuscaloosa Amphitheater)
08-31 Syracuse, NY (St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater)
09-01 Boston, MA (Xfinity Center)
09-10 Toronto, Ontario (Budweiser Stage)
07-19 West Palm Beach, FL (Coral Sky Amphitheatre)
07-13 Tampa, FL (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre)
07-14 Jacksonville, FL (Daily’s Place) $
07-16 Atlanta, GA (Cadence Bank Amphitheatre)
07-20 Atlantic City, NJ (Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena) $
07-21 Virginia Beach, VA (Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater)
07-24 Charlotte, NC (PNC Music Pavilion)
07-25 Raleigh, NC (Coastal Credit Union Music Park)
07-28 Detroit, MI (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
07-31 St. Louis, MO (Hollywood Casino Amphitheater)
08-02 Houston, TX (The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
08-03 Austin, TX (Austin360 Amphitheater)
08-06 Kansas City, MO (Starlight Theatre)
08-09 Phoenix, AZ (Ak-Chin Pavilion)
08-14 San Francisco, CA (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
08-16 Las Vegas, NV (The Joint) $
08-17 Las Vegas, NV (The Joint) $
08-20 Albuquerque, NM (Isleta Amphitheater)
08-22 Dallas, TX (Dos Equis Pavilion)
08-25 Tuscaloosa, AL (Tuscaloosa Amphitheater)
08-31 Syracuse, NY (St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater)
09-01 Boston, MA (Xfinity Center)
09-10 Toronto, Ontario (Budweiser Stage)
Are you from NYC? Nas was that shit. He went platinum faster than Biggie and Jayz on their first albums.
Illmatic did not go gold until January 1996, and did not go platinum until December 2001. Doggystyle sold 800K the first week. I remember all this shit like it was yesterday, I followed hip hop then, like I follow hip hop now. Them tall tales and folklore about the 90's do not fool me, I lived hop hop culture as it was transforming.
Don't believe everything these clowns tell you about Illmatic, I was around in 94 while hot shit was dropping weekly.
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I didn’t mention Snoop and Doggiestyle at all.
I only mentioned Nas and NYC.
I only mentioned Nas and NYC.
Ready to Die went double platinum in 1995, Reasonable Doubt went platinum in 2002( came out in 96). Tical went platinum fast because Meth was more popular Nas then, but his album was not great, but a classic and unique. Ill Communication went triple platinum pretty fast too.
My main point is, like I said, people were not kicking down doors to buy Illmatic on release.
People want you to believe that it was some type of mass hysteria when it was released, but there was not. I know a lot of people who did not like Nas mono-tone style or Illmatic and criticized the length of the album during release.
Illmatic grew on a lot of people, but its release was no national or worldwide event.
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It was written > illmatic
I agree. Crazy that he did Illmatic at such a young age though. Illmatic is good. It Was Written is my shit though.
One of my all time great rap albums!!..
..I was 14 when this album came out and I'm still bumping it now!!...Classic Album!!
Nas is one of the Greatest!!..
..I was 14 when this album came out and I'm still bumping it now!!...Classic Album!!Nas is one of the Greatest!!..
One of my all time great rap albums!!..
Nas is one of the Greatest!!..
It was ALWAYS a classic!
It received 5 mics out the gate.
You just wasn't on it or checking
For it, or wanted it to be what it is.
2 Songs of this era that when I heard
Them made me be like this is hip hop,
were it ain't hard to tell and glaciers
Of ice. Illmatic was, is, and will forever
Be classic. Tical and r2d were excellent
albums, but not quite illmatic! Btw,
Mr sandman is the dopest song on
Tical, good pick.
It was only 9 tracks and a sampled 80's instrumental, most people heard most of the album months before release. Halftime was 2 years old. You are right, when it released, I expected it to be much longer, and have more songs that I had not already heard on old mixtapes.
So a lot of people that listened to mixtapes regularly did not need to buy the album.
The Source is not a creditable place to get music reviews, they lost their creditibility over 25 years ago
I liked Nas, then and now but Illmatic was not the heaviest on my rotation during that time, regardless of how people tried to force feed that tall tale to people, and I was not a Nas dick rider then or now.
Yes, it was classic album, but don't sell the tall tales to me, because I know what happened and followed hip hop religiously during that time period.
It took Illmatic a long time to go platinum, took 2 years to go Gold, niggas be exaggerating. Like I said, everybody nationwide or worldwide was not sweating Illmatic like that, at release.
Name one producer on Illmatic that had produced on platinum selling album before Illmatic?
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I been a hip hop head since the 80's. Doggystyle was the most anticipated hip hop album of all time. Snoop was all over everything on Death Row. Platinum shit. The production on Doggystyle was epic. Dre, Daz, and Scott Storch did that shit. Snoop raps his best with Dre's direction. Doggystyle was a classic but it's not on the level of Illmatic.
Sales has nothing to do with being a classic. I respect your point but I disagree Bro.