KD3 and Magic 3 are the best quality wise, but in terms of being classic, it would be KD1 or KD2. KD1 because it set it all off. It is the one that got the biggest response. There's also the fact that we got a Firm reunion that included Dre. KD2 is close even though I feel KD2, Magic, KD3, and Magic 3>>>>> KD1.
How many of the Nas/Hitboy albums you think are classic/will be classics?
- Thread starter Mystic
- Start date
None of them will be hip hop classics.
They can be considered classic Nas albums as it pertains to his own catalog years down the line
Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic are the solidified hip hop classics when it comes to the culture as a whole. You have to have a certain level of impact & influence on the landscape to get that generally universal classic stamp.
They can be considered classic Nas albums as it pertains to his own catalog years down the line
Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic are the solidified hip hop classics when it comes to the culture as a whole. You have to have a certain level of impact & influence on the landscape to get that generally universal classic stamp.
Air Nikes N Hats
Poor mans Johnny Football Lifestyle!
Agreed. Magic and KD3 are the highlights in their respectable trilogies.
Piff Perkins
Veteran
I agree it can be a broad term but all classic albums have some similarities. Whether it's an album that went triple plat or barely sold anything, you should be able to point to specific ways it influenced the genre, wave, artists, the market, whatever. What's the impact of these albums in the short term? I don't see any. You mentioned Griselda who don't sell records and I've never been a big fan of but can anyone deny Flygod had a clear impact on underground rap? I'm always going to rep Roc Marci and Marcberg as being the most important/first album in that wave, but Flygod clearly had impact too.
Don't care if an album is perfect or not. If you can't make a compelling argument on its impact, how it influenced albums that came out afterwards, etc then it's not classic in my eyes. The argument some seem to be making is that these albums showed an older rapper making good albums and being active. Ok. Black Thought was doing that before KD1 came out. I fukk with those Black Thought projects...they aren't classic either. Older rappers release albums every year, that's not a new phenomena.
Feel like all 3 are arguably AOTY in their respected years of release. I think albums like Alfredo, CMIFYGL, May The Lord Watch, Astroworld, POTIC, etc are modern day classic.
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
An album doesn't have to be perfect to be a classic, but the thing with these Nas/Hit-Boy albums, is that I only see them spoken about this much online. A classic album is an album that shifts culture and moves on a level that's much higher than other standard projects. Nas is one of my favorite MC's of all-time, but I can honestly say that I barely revisit any of these. Magic was the dopest one, to me. And I haven't really played that a lot recently either. What I have played a lot forever, is Illmatic and It Was Written because those are true classics. Classic albums create moments in Hip Hop. Sad to say, but these KD's and Magic's come and go. When an actual classic drops, it runs sh*t forever. That hasn't happened with any of these projects. Too many people think they're wack for Nas standards.
True classic albums are universally loved and respected, like OB4CL. If someone told you they couldn't get into that album, you'd think something was wrong with them, lol. That's when you know something is classic. It's almost weird when someone doesn't like it. Way too many people don’t like these albums with Hit-Boy. That's not what "classic" looks like. It's mad dope to see Nas still active and dropping music, but this is far from his best work. They haven't hurt his legacy or help it either. It's just good to see the OG still at it.
True classic albums are universally loved and respected, like OB4CL. If someone told you they couldn't get into that album, you'd think something was wrong with them, lol. That's when you know something is classic. It's almost weird when someone doesn't like it. Way too many people don’t like these albums with Hit-Boy. That's not what "classic" looks like. It's mad dope to see Nas still active and dropping music, but this is far from his best work. They haven't hurt his legacy or help it either. It's just good to see the OG still at it.
tremonthustler1
aka bx_representer
The answer is zero. We really need to stop calling an album we really like a classic. And a good album doesn't need to be a classic in order to still be really enjoyable. I'm happy the first KD got Nas a Grammy. I'm glad he's still making good music into his 50's. Maybe other artists won't feel like it's time to stop at 50 (then again, we used to feel that way about rappers in their late 30s and 40s and now you got rappers even coming up at that age).
Lloyd Banks's COTI series has been fuego. Classic? fukk no, but enjoyable.
Lloyd Banks's COTI series has been fuego. Classic? fukk no, but enjoyable.
Piff Perkins
Veteran
Also an album doesn’t have to be classic to have classic songs, but classic albums tend to have some classic songs. I’m not sure there’s a song on any of these albums that will be casually referenced, bumped or adored in a decade. There are many tracks I love, like Speechless. But when I heard God’s Son I immediately understood Made You Look was a classic Nas track and time proved that to be the case. What is that track for these albums?
Ironman
#Knickstape
I'd say KD2 and Magic 1 are the closest ones but they're not classics.
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
True too.
I was just talking about these albums recently with some people in music. Hardcore Hip Hop heads. Most of them can't even remember when some of these projects dropped. I couldn't either, lol. Because they're dropping them constantly and there's no "moment" attached. Like you said, where's the track that was everywhere and killing sh*t? I couldn't tell you. Which is weird to say about Nas albums.
Most of us are just happy to see bro is still recording. But none of these albums have anything on them that are mad memorable or so dope that they're undeniable. I would've been cool with them just doing Magic and leaving it at that, to be honest. This run has been quantity over quality, for me.
T.he I.nformant
1st Ballot HOF Teller
Where are you getting this especially when you say it’s only online that people are talking about these albums?
How haven’t these albums helped his legacy? Y’all just be saying anything.
What classic album don’t have classics?
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
....or, we're just saying sh*t you don’t like to hear.
How many new Nas fans has he made with these albums? These joints have divided his 20-30+ year long fans. A lot people who've been lifelong Nas fans since pre-Illmatic do not f*ck with these albums. Are any of these shifting culture or killing sh*t anywhere? Did these projects save his career? His legacy was set before any of these dropped. They haven't hurt him, but they haven't raised his legend status either. He was good before these.
I worked with Nas for years. So I'm around the same people he's been around forever, and in the same spots. I don’t hear anyone talking about these albums. And like I said, when they do, it's always, 'That dropped?" or "Damn, I haven't even f*cked with any of those yet". When people say sh*t like that, it's because the music ain't resonating at large. And when that's happening, it ain't classic.
KD3 and in time i think Magic 3
Based on impact a STRONG case can be made for KD1 but the music on KD3 and Magic 3 is stronger.
KD3- Whats the impact?
KD3 is the album that tied Nas with Jay-Z as the only two rappers to have 16 top ten debuting albums.
www.billboard.com
KD3 is also the album that brought to the forefront the conversation centered around the “relevance” of older legacy artists through the 21 Savage situation. That became a big time conversation within the Hip Hop community and beyond
Whats the classic moment?
I’ll leave this here for you, perhaps you forgot
Nas Performs Sold Out Concert At Madison Square Garden In NYC - Ground Up Radio
Whats the classic song(s)?
How about having the highest acclaimed rap album of the year? Thirty years INTO your career? Is that not a classic enough compiling of songs to meet the threshold?
www.metacritic.com
Based on impact a STRONG case can be made for KD1 but the music on KD3 and Magic 3 is stronger.
KD3- Whats the impact?
KD3 is the album that tied Nas with Jay-Z as the only two rappers to have 16 top ten debuting albums.
Nas Ties Jay-Z for Most Top 10 Albums on Billboard 200 Among Rappers
Nas ties Jay-Z for most top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 among rappers.
www.billboard.com
KD3 is also the album that brought to the forefront the conversation centered around the “relevance” of older legacy artists through the 21 Savage situation. That became a big time conversation within the Hip Hop community and beyond
Whats the classic moment?
I’ll leave this here for you, perhaps you forgot
Nas Performs Sold Out Concert At Madison Square Garden In NYC - Ground Up Radio
Whats the classic song(s)?
How about having the highest acclaimed rap album of the year? Thirty years INTO your career? Is that not a classic enough compiling of songs to meet the threshold?
King's Disease III by Nas
King's Disease III by Nas album reviews & Metacritic score: The third King's Disease album from rapper Nas was produced by Hit-Boy....
www.metacritic.com
Awesome Wells
The Ghost of Jack Tripper
Classic moment as in when an album has a chokehold on the culture. Like how The Chronic did, or TPAB, or Ready to Die, or It's Dark and Hell is Hot, or OB4CL, etc. Universal classics, not just sh*t we like.
I was at The Garden show. Right on the side of the stage with his people. That's how I got tickets. The crowd went NUTS once "NY State of Mind" came on. And that wasn't until halfway through the show. When he got into the old tracks, that's when the energy changed. Brought out Slick Rick for "Hey Young World" a couple tracks later and the building went crazy because those are actual iconic and monumental Hip Hop classics. The crowd wasn't on that level early on, for the KD joints because most people there don’t even know those songs. He wrapped the show with the classics. Something like 16-17 songs that real Nas fans love. Wisely. Because those are the songs that define his career and what the people wanted to see.