How many of the Nas/Hitboy albums you think are classic/will be classics?

[DrHackenbush]

Hitboy is a good producer but his beats have no replay value to me for some reason. Will prob go thru all these and make one solid tape out of them

 

[prophecypro]

Sure classics can become more evident over time. But I would argue that you can kind of look around and sense an album has the potential to be classic pretty early. Either because it's ahead of its time, or the influence is seen later on, or it's a slow burn until people realize the impact, or people are scared to admit it's classic, etc.. That's been my question for the Hit Boy records. What's the classic pathway, where you can say it may not be 100% clear right now but I'm pretty sure xyz is gonna happen and we will point to this album as the start of it. Reasonable Doubt wasn't a classic when it came out, yet is viewed that way now.

This is six albums worth of songs. None were hits, none received much of any radio play, and 1-2 tracks charted iirc. I wouldn't care if this was an underground artist but it has to be pointed out for Nas. I'm not sure any of the tracks really get a crowd going. None of the new songs from Magic 3 are currently in the top 10 most streamed Nas songs on Spotify right now, one week after release. You never see that happen for noteworthy artists when a new project drops. I don't bring up numbers to argue classics are always about numbers. I bring it up to say...we know what Nas classic albums look like, how they impact, what they do, etc. This isn't that. These are a collection of good to great albums that a segment of Nas fans enjoy a lot. Good for us, we got fed! We can celebrate that without making this more than what it was/is.

I think part of that also be because he’s not on a major and getting a stream boost. It does remind me of some of these older R&B acts that have acclaimed albums but then you don’t feel the presence

But yeah it’s weird, after the first 2 KDs these albums don’t get the love they deserve. Maybe also raising awareness. Once you start putting them out there with no build people don’t know.

 

[JuvenileHell]

all of them

 

[Consigliere]

This is not the 90’s, the only albums and rappers having ‘impact’ are mainstream ones with the machine behind them.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Spitta is one of the most influential rappers over the last decade. Minimal industry machine support. And the last project he did on a major was probably the one that resonated the least with the world.

Even the run Nas is on now feels inspected by Curren$y in a couple of obvious ways.

 

[NoirDynosaur]

So judging by criteria, a classic is an album that has a breakthrough, classic replay songs and impact?

To set the record straight, most hip hop heads are gonna consider "Illmatic" or even It Was Written -- Nas magnum opus. Illmatic changed the bar.

From that debut, a majority rappers started to level up their pen game due to Nas' intricate rhyme scheme. Also from Illmatic, we also discovered another notable emcee, AZ.

The KD and Magic Series confirms there's still life, bars and skill in him. Nas ain't stopping soon, y'all better catch up!

 

[CrimsonTider]

0 and I m a Nas Stan

 

[ItWasWritten]

I think it’s an insult to Nas’ actual classics to call any of these records the same

 

[Cladyclad]

So judging by criteria, a classic is an album that has a breakthrough, classic replay songs and impact?

To set the record straight, most hip hop heads are gonna consider "Illmatic" or even It Was Written -- Nas magnum opus. Illmatic changed the bar.

From that debut, a majority rappers started to level up their pen game due to Nas' intricate rhyme scheme. Also from Illmatic, we also discovered another notable emcee, AZ.

The KD and Magic Series confirms there's still life, bars and skill in him. Nas ain't stopping soon, y'all better catch up!

u said all that just to say

None of ‘em are classics

I know these albums not it when dudes are saying Motion is one of the better songs of the 6 albums

Nas standards have went to shyt if that’s considered a great song let alone one of the best out of 6 albums

 

[nieman]

Do people use the term 'classic' in terms of quality for music now?
Or does classic mean timeless, essential and impactful? Because this is what I consider a classic to be.
And similar to Jazz, R&B, and Rock music, hip hop music has reached a point where there are very few classic albums being made.
That's a long way of me saying 0. None of them are impactful enough to be considered classics.

I've always consider classic based on the quality. We called Cuban Linx a classic in '95-'96. Timelessness speaks to the quality.

And "impact" is questionable as criteria. Anything can have an impact. Hell, damn near every 1-hit wonder made an impact, and every quick fad did, as well.

 

[Supa]

Illmatic and 36 Chambers are instant classics by your definition. Not every classic work is going to hit immediately. How many artists put out projects that don't get any love when they come out, then get reappraised later? "RD, classic, shoulda went triple" and "Every CD, critics gave it a 3/Then three years later, they go back and re-rate it" are lines that exist for a reason.

Relapae is a perfect example. I don't think it's a classic album and it has a weird place in Eminem's catalog because he hasn't made anything like it before or since, but there are a lot of people that do consider it a classic. Mark Batson spoke about how nobody got Relapse when it came out, but now, there are people who praise it up and down. Salaam Remi said that when "Thief's Theme" came out, nobody was talking about it. Busta Rhymes thought the bassline was retarded, but it didn't get any attention. Years later, people came up to him and told him how much they loved the song. How many classic books or movies or TV shows were unappreciated in their time, then were looked at years later and given a higher status? A lot of classics get recognized throughout the years, not within five minutes.

You letting Jay's revisionist tactics to put RD on Illmatic, Ready to Die level cloud your judgment. Classics were called that when they dropped. No one had to sit on those albums for a year to come to that conclusion. The music was undeniable, it had an impact upon release, and you saw more results from that impact later through influencing other artists.

We can't compare music to film and TV. It takes 40 minutes to listen to Illmatic. It took 6 years for The Wire to complete and streaming wasn't there, you had to watch live, and you had to have HBO. Music doesn't require that amount time or have hurdles.

To bring it back to Nas and Hit Boy you're not seeing any of the telltale signs of a classic. The music isn't resonating like that.

 

[Budda]

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Spitta is one of the most influential rappers over the last decade. Minimal industry machine support. And the last project he did on a major was probably the one that resonated the least with the world.

Even the run Nas is on now feels inspected by Curren$y in a couple of obvious ways.

Currensy doesn't have any classic albums maybe covert coupe at a stretch but the average rap fan isn't going to consider it one.

 

[I'm Blackman]

Define classic?

Quality or large cultural game changing impact?

Hip hop discourse too hung up on "classics" and nobody use the same definition

I mean you got albums that's landmarks that might be a 3.5/5 or 4/5 if you go song by song, but they changed the game and got historic tracks so they recognized as classics

Then you got albums that's basically flawless 5/5 but ain't really have a big or lasting impact

So if a true classic is a landmark album that's also a 5/5, then there's very few of those

You also got to look at the era and environment the album dropped in

For me Magic 1 my favorite hip hop album from the time it dropped to now. Will be listening to that forever. So it's a classic to me. But is it a classic in the way The Chronic, Doggystyle, Illmatic, Cuban Linx are classics? Hell no. But it don't need to be either. Nobody else dropping albums like that right now either. No rapper Nas age and stature ever had a run like this

Great post.

 

[Stick Up Kid]

Classics: KD2 and KD3.
Great albums: KD1, Magic, Magic 3.
only miss was Magic 2

 

[Awesome Wells]

There are a bunch of songs on these albums better than nikkas in Paris, corny song, you basing what a classic is based on what surbaban cac teenagers like is funny asl.

We're talking "classics". I don’t even like "N*ggas in Paris", but I'm not gonna lie and say it's not a classic song.

The question remains, like everyone else is asking in this thread and others. Where are the classic songs on any of these albums with Hit? I'm hearing mad random sh*t, but not an answer to that question, fam.

 

[Budda]

We're talking "classics". I don’t even like "N*ggas in Paris", but I'm not gonna lie and say it's not a classic song.

The question remains, like everyone else is asking in this thread and others. Where are the classic songs on any of these albums with Hit? I'm hearing mad random sh*t, but not an answer to that question, fam.

That’s my point Ice Ice Baby is a classic song too.

Nobody Store Run Composure Nas Is Good are some of Nas best ever songs but cause they don’t have enough streams radio and club play, mainstream appeal, they can’t be classic songs?

On the flip side I hope you’d admit on the same token songs like You Owe Me and Oochie Wally are completely classic songs for their impact culturally, based on the same logic.