before biggie died jayz was like lil cease

[Cladyclad]

Trying to stick Nas to Big/Pac .
BTNH, Fugees were there not Nas. He was with Method Man, Outkast and on tier-2.
Jay-z was an underground rapper with a gold classic under his belt, warming up for his first major label debut which dropped AFTER Big died, months after.

It's interesting that these haters can't even imagine that Jay-z once upon a time was an up and coming rapper.
They can't imagine that he wasn't born the king, so they make a thread about it about 20 times a year to remind themselves about it.

That sums it up

 

[ManBearPig]

Bi

Jay was definitely not tier-2, I'm saying that Nas was with Cast, Busta, Cube, Meth and them but not with Fugees, BTNH, Pac... Jay was underground just below Raekwon, Gza and them. Maybe on the same level.

IWW was on top of the billboards for 4 weeks straight.

IWW sold almost as much as All Eyes on me did in 96 if AEOM wasnt a double disc album

 

[Foxmulder]

Trying to stick Nas to Big/Pac .
BTNH, Fugees were there not Nas. He was with Method Man, Outkast and on tier-2.
Jay-z was an underground rapper with a gold classic under his belt, warming up for his first major label debut which dropped AFTER Big died, months after.

It's interesting that these haters can't even imagine that Jay-z once upon a time was an up and coming rapper.
They can't imagine that he wasn't born the king, so they make a thread about it about 20 times a year to remind themselves about it.

Gtfoh IWW #1 4 weeks in a row double plat.

 

[Consigliere]

Was this before or after he owned his own label?

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

This makes no sense

If Jay was Lil Cease why is Jay a billionaire and Cease a NYCHA client

nikkas goin H.A.M. with the revisionism

 

[mobbinfms]

Jay was definitely not tier-2, I'm saying that Nas was with Cast, Busta, Cube, Meth and them but not with Fugees, BTNH, Pac... Jay was underground just below Raekwon, Gza and them. Maybe on the same level.

Nas was tier one after IWW dropped.

 

[Taadow]

I don't see the issue with the title; before Biggie died you could argue Li'l' Cease was doin' better than Jäy-Z...

 

[Malik]

Some rappers blow on their debut (50 Cent, Eminem, Biggie, Nelly).

Some rappers don't become real superstars until later on in their career (TI, Lil Wayne, Pac).

That was Jay-Z. Hard Knock Life was his "King" or his "Carter 3". Before then, he was middle of the pack.

 

[Harry B]

Bi


IWW was on top of the billboards for 4 weeks straight.

IWW sold almost as much as All Eyes on me did in 96 if AEOM wasnt a double disc album

A lot of people went double platinum.
Pac sold 3 times more than Nas first week, big sold more than 3 times more.
Pac sold 5-6 million records in 1996, Nas about was what around 1.7-1.8? just above/or on the same level as Outkast, Busta Rhymes, Pacs second album, Dogg food and others. YET less than LL, Coolio and a lot less than BTNH, Pac and The Fugees. Don't forget that super underground people like Gza were selling 8-900k in the mid 90s. It was standard, cats had cop your shyt to hear your shyt, specially if you weren't from the hood.

Not only that, but the other albums had bomb hits, award nominations, classic reviews and on unlike It was written.

All props to Nas having a #5 selling hiphop album. I can give you a lot of artists that have been #5 once.
Not enough to stick them with the biggest artists of the genre.

 

[Truality]

Th8s lame quotin record sales

this is hiphop u dumbfukk

we talkin skills and respect

nas was up there with pac and big

jay wasnt

 

[Foxmulder]

A lot of people went double platinum.
Pac sold 3 times more than Nas first week, big sold more than 3 times more.
Pac sold 5-6 million records in 1996, Nas about was what around 1.7-1.8? just above/or on the same level as Outkast, Busta Rhymes, Pacs second album, Dogg food and others. YET less than LL, Coolio and a lot less than BTNH, Pac and The Fugees. Don't forget that super underground people like Gza were selling 8-900k in the mid 90s. It was standard, cats had cop your shyt to hear your shyt, specially if you weren't from the hood.

Not only that, but the other albums had bomb hits, award nominations, classic reviews and on unlike It was written.

All props to Nas having a #5 selling hiphop album. I can give you a lot of artists that have been #5 once.
Not enough to stick them with the biggest artists of the genre.

IWW went double plat in September of 96.Before PAC died he was at around 2.5 million.

 

[Poitier]

Harry B is a known Jay Z stan, yall gotta stop givin that user attention

 

[Art Barr]

this is true,...
if, big was still alive..
jay would be major figgaz, at best.
plus, there would be no major figures types getting deals.


art barr

 

[razassin]

Jay didnt reach super star status until volume 2....

 

[Harry B]

IWW went double plat in September of 96.Before PAC died he was at around 2.5 million.

Certifications does not necessarily equal sales, they estimate shipped albums and those people at the RIAA offices work in funny ways.
It was written was certified gold, plat and double plat in the same day. Outkasts Idlewild was certified plat after like 2 weeks when it still had 500k up to plat.

And even if we go by their certification system, All eyez on me had sold 7/2 by december 96 and his second album 1.5 which is why I said 5 million.
6/2 in September.

Another point is just Macklemore, Life is Good numbers last year, doesn't mean that their albums were as big cause time doesn't end unless we talking awards.
Just a food for thought.