98-01 Era Nas

[BiggWebb79]

 

[NoHalfWay]

I know that I Am... was originally going to be released in 1998 before the leak, then it got pushed back. I don't think the track list was finalized, so that explains why some leaked tracks made the album and others didn't. Also, Columbia wanted Nas to put out another album with the leaked tracks that didn't make I Am..., but he decided to make a new album instead (even though there are leftover songs like "Project Windows").

Nas said he was going through a lot around that time and it explains why that era was full of frustration and darkness in his lyrics. I think @Awesome Wells said that Nas didn't want to pay for high-end beats after the leak, which explains why some of the production in this era wasn't the best. Then there's the stuff that he recorded like Death of Escobar that was never actually released.

I feel like Nas was overflowing with ideas during this period, but they just weren't coming together into anything cohesive. It wasn't until Stillmatic that he was able to focus again and channel his ideas into another cohesive album like Illmatic and It Was Written.

Unpopular opinion, but this is my favorite Nas era. You could tell he was kind of in a dark place and it gave his writing an edge imo.

Yeah, Nas was going through some shyt. The 1998-2000 era is intriguing

I remember Carmen talking bout the nikka being troubled because he felt that he was being haunted by spirits and other supernatural events in her book. I know for a fact she wasn’t cappin cuz there’s dozens of bars from this very era that alluded to or referenced this type of spiritual battle

Plus he was trying to balance the burden of being a successful superstar, and transitioning from the hood and the ptsd that comes from being raised there. Dealing with old friends that became enemies and bitter during his rise to stardom, nikkas asking for handouts, and all other shyt. That attempted robbery from Belly happened irl around that time too if I recall

And nikkas wonder why Nas don’t rap like it’s the 90’s early 00’s no more. Lol cuz it ain’t the 90’s early 00’s no more nikka

 

[Toe Jay Simpson]

While I Am and Nastradamus are generally considered inseparable for many reasons, enough time has passed where we should be viewing these albums and the entirely separate albums they really are.

Man the streets were so ready for I Am it wasn’t even funny when you consider how It Was Written was initially received. 96 was just a bad year as far as how we as a community were looking at the music. Redman, De La, Tribe, Nas, the whole West Coast...NY was in rare form hating on everybody not named Big. But that Single Nas Is Like had people thinking we were abound to get Illmatic with IWW level modern production.

 

[Controversy]

The one thing that stands out to me was that Nas rhyming style changed from the OG I Am records to the new Nastradamus records to Stillmatic

It's almost like a boxer who went from throwing combinations to being lazy & uninspired to perfecting an aggressive style in 3 diff training camps

I can always tell an I Am era song by the rhyming patterns

 

[SwizzLake]

JFK to Laguardia, we come through to body ya

One of Nas' hardest tracks.

This was also my fav Nas era.

Death of Escobar

 

[Stick Up Kid]

Top 25 Nas songs of all time.

 

[re'up]

Also, feature on Journey Through The Life

totally a bizarre and just wild verse, goes from digging in animals eye with a stick, sacrificing goats (probably A Devils Advocate reference)

"roll with killers and criminals, wit heroin habits they picked up in the penal"

throws some subs at Jay

"grown ladies throw themselves off the roof, nikkaz get paged then murdered at the phone booth"

 

[Controversy]

Also, feature on Journey Through The Life

totally a bizarre and just wild verse, goes from digging in animals eye with a stick, sacrificing goats (probably A Devils Advocate reference)

"roll with killers and criminals, wit heroin habits they picked up in the penal"

throws some subs at Jay

"grown ladies throw themselves off the roof, nikkaz get paged then murdered at the phone booth"

That was on Puff's second album which came out in August 99...Nas also said something on that verse like "cause in this lifetime I'm reigning"...which could be seen as another sub at Jigga

 

[Mike Wins]

That was on Puff's second album which came out in August 99...Nas also said something on that verse like "cause in this lifetime I'm reigning"...which could be seen as another sub at Jigga

"And every other nikka that rap, sound like my shyt
I wear chrome .45's with ice on the grip
I don't shoot it, I roll with killers and criminals
With heroin habits they picked up from the penal
They let you have it, all I do is give em a smile
Lifestyle of the realest, you ain't ruthless you bytch
I got a pine box just your size, I know it fit
Your whole life's a mistake, stop holding the pen
Kill yourself, come back as a man over again
Cause in this lifetime I'm reigning, slay men
Leave your whole body cold
Your nails grow long, you get gray skin
May this nikka rest in peace, amen"



Verse he wrote for Puff on that track was dope too

 

[Funcrusher]

Those Columbia days is what I want more lost tapes from, if only just for the already leaked songs in cdq on streaming.

 

[7th Letter Specialist]

I shall stay real, true, stay holdin' figgas
Neva put a bytch ova my nikkas
I shall never cooperate wit da law
Never snake me i'll always hold ya down in war
If dey take one of mine
I'll take one of there's
I never break da oath to da death
I swear

 

[ThirdAct]

 

[livindajetlife]

I think you gotta add 02 in here because Lost Tapes kinda wrapped up the I Am leak debacle and God's Son which was obviously a really personal album with the loss of his mom and also a victory lap after the battle...

It's a fascinating era though for sure. Two unreleased albums in the original I Am and Death of Escobar. I think I read once that Death of Escobar was supposed to have three songs about Escobar dying. And then another rumor that he recorded 100 songs (!) during the I Am sessions. Don't know how much that is just internet rumors though.

A personal favorite from this era:



He was spazzing on guest appearances too:







So much great unreleased shyt too:









Some of his all time best songs...

Only thing I’m feeling from that list is queens day I don’t like nas beat selection round that time make listening a chore

 

[phonthought3000]

 

[phonthought3000]