I saw someone post that Nas's Untitled is a 4 mic album. The first thing that came to mind is "how", considering there are zero standout cuts on that album.
In fact, Nas has zero standout cuts on any album since God's Son. So right off the bat, his albums post-God's Son can't be more than 2.5 mics if we're being generous.
And I say this as a Nas fan.
When I rate albums, I look at number of standout records. Not number of decent or mediocre cuts. An album with 3 superb tracks and 10 wack as fukk tracks is gonna be better to me than an album full of 13 average joints.
How many cuts of Nas's discography post-2004 has he added to his live set that genuinely gets the crowd as hype as his 'stamped' material? Zero.
Here's my opinion on Nas's discography:
Illmatic - 5 mics
It was Written - 3.5 mics
I Am - 3 mics
Nastradamus - 2 mics
Stillmatic - 3.5 mics
Lost Tapes - 3.5 mics
God's Son - 3 mics
Street's Disciple - 2 mics
Hip Hop Is Dead - 2 mics
Untitled - 2 mics
Life Is Good - 2.5 mics
If you're gonna neg me, know that you're negging a fellow Nas breh. If that sits well with your conscious, then I can't stop you.
How the hell are
Lost Tapes and
It Was Written only 3.5 Mics?
Both those albums are easily 4.5 Mics and don't have a single weak cut.
I Am... is 4 Mics, underrated album. Intro is classic scratching from Premo with epic shyt talking from Jungle. Then you've got joints like
NYSOM 2,
Nas is Like,
Hate Me Now, Small World, Favor for a Favor,
Undying Love, Life is What You Make It, We Will Survive, Dr. Knockboot was dope to me, Big Things with Nas hitting the double time flow was dope to me. Only joint I wasn't feeling was the Aaliyah joint and it ain't that bad.
Stillmatic only 3.5 Mics with Stillmatic Intro, You're da Man, Rewind, One Mic, 2nd Childhood, Destroy & Rebuild, The Flyest, Ether. The nikka rapped backwards, bodied Mega, Prodigy and Nature with the Slick Rick flow, ethered Jay-Z, classic AZ collab, poured his heart out on One Mic, 2nd Childhood is a classic Premo/Nasir collab one of the best songs in his catalog.
God's Son is 3 Mics? The album with Get Down, Made You Look, Last Real Nikka Alive, Mastermind, Revolutionary Warfare, Hey Nas, Book of Rhymes, Dance, Heaven? Only joint I wasn't feeling was the joint with Alicia Keys and the joint with Bravehearts, also felt Eminem's beat on The Cross wasn't on to par especially compared to some of the heat on there from Salaam Remi and Alchemist. Other than that this is a 4 Mic album.
Hip Hop is Dead only 2 Mics? The album with Blunt Ashes, Black Republican, Still Dreaming, Can't Forget About You, Hustlers, Hope, Hold Down The Block, Play on Playa? There's some skippable, just aight joints on here but overall it's a solid 3.5 Mic album.
Untitled is one of his strongest lyrical efforts. Did you listen to Queens Get The Money, Breathe, Y'all My Nikkas, Testify, Project Roach? Albums is anywhere from 3.5-4 Mics. Shyt was special especially with everything that was going on at the time like Jena 6 and Obama's election.
Life is Good is 4 Mics, great grown man rap album. How we gonna shyt on the album with Cherry Wine, Back When, You Wouldn't Understand, Stay, A Queen's Story, Loco-Motive, Daughters, Reach Out whole album is hot and a nostalgic throwback!
Only rating I could agree with is
Nastradamus, revisited that joint yesterday and it's
.
Illmatic | 5 Mics
It Was Written | 4.5 Mics
The Firm: 3 Mics
I Am... | 4 Mics
Nastradamus: 2.5 Mics
QB's Finest: 3.5 Mics
Stillmatic: 4.5 Mics
The Lost Tapes: 4.5 Mics
God's Son: 4 Mics
Street's Disciple: 3.5 Mics
Hip Hop is Dead: 3.5 Mics
Untitled: 3.5 Mics
Distant Relatives: 3.5 Mics
Life is Good: 4 Mics
If I did this for Jay I'd go
Reasonable Doubt | 5 Mics
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | 4 Mics
Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2 | 3.5 Mics
S. Carter, Vol. 3 | 3.5 Mics
Dynasty: Roc La Familia: 4 Mics
The Blueprint: 4.5 Mics
The Blueprint 2: 3.5 Mics
The Black Album: 4.5 Mics
Kingdom Come: 4 Mics (album is unfairly hated on IMO)
American Gangster: 3.5 Mics
The Blueprint 3: 3 Mics
Watch The Throne: 4 Mics
Magna Carta Holy Grail: 2.5 Mics
at least a 3.5
