If you condense ‘Reasonable Doubt’ down to an ‘Illmatic’ size track list … what tracks would you take off and would it be better than Illmatic?

[Surreal]

Pac had TWO top twenty hits and a gold album by 1994 breh, ain't no fukking way Nas was a bigger star

He was a star on the West and for fukkery purposes but he blew up when he got locked up and that Temptations video dropped with cameos from much bigger, at the time, artists

 

[FunkDoc1112]

He was a star on the West and for fukkery purposes but he blew up when he got locked up and that Temptations video dropped with cameos from much bigger, at the time, artists

Pac was just as NY-based during those years as he was West Coast, stop it

Two borderline top 10 nationwide hits ain't no regional star. By any measure dude was more known than Nas.

 

[Surreal]

Pac was just as NY-based during those years as he was West Coast, stop it

Two borderline top 10 nationwide hits ain't no regional star. By any measure dude was more known than Nas.

Bruh he wasn't a star

He was dope and lauded for fukkery purposes

Now Snoop was the star back then and Nas was the most anticipated

Big was unsigned hype that blew up from remixes a year later

 

[Surreal]

Shyt we was still fukkin with Easy and Bone more than Pac

Kast were getting more love here

 

[TheNig]

Cashmere Thoughts, 22 Twos and Aint No nikka can go. Mid tracks.

D'evils is probably the best Hov song ever.

I like 22 Twos. Especially when he starts talking that pro-black shyt. But it's really just an interlude so yeah it can probably go. I would cut Jaz verse on Bring It On. Just didn't fit to me.

nikka lost me when he said D'Evils can go. I don't think a rap fan alive would consider that.

 

[Surreal]

I like 22 Twos. Especially when he starts talking that pro-black shyt. But it's really just an interlude so yeah it can probably go. I would cut Jaz verse on Bring It On. Just didn't fit to me.

nikka lost me when he said D'Evils can go. I don't think a rap fan alive would consider that.

Jaz verse?

Whatever nikka, Fahrvergnugen

 

[iLLusoYuN_Da_Adidas_King]

Before the stans come out of the woodworks; First thing we must consider is we are comparing lyrical work of a 17 year old versus a 26 year old who may of been highly-influenced by the work of the 17 year old


Second thing we must consider is that we are comparing the production of a signed artist working a production dream team to the product of an self-financed independent artist


Now as I go through the track list


D’Evils
22 Two’s
Coming of Age
Cashmere Thoughts

Am I really gonna pull THESE tracks off?



I think this proves Reasonable Doubt is better than Illmatic


What do you stanleys think?

Reasonable doubt is a dope album but jay-z don’t got it in him to make anything better than stillmatic let alone iLLmatic.

 

[JYoung24]

I have to vehemently disagree. The revisionist overrating of IWW is near the level of RD at this point. Lyrically IWW is incredible, but there are some lags, there's some over-produced songs (Nas is Coming) and some skips (Black Girl Lost). Trackmasters are meh, especially compared to Q-Tip, Premier, Pete Rock, Large Pro, etc.

Black girl lost is fire

 

[TheNig]

Jaz verse?

Whatever nikka, Fahrvergnugen

From the stories that were told, he halfway wanted to do the verse and it kinda sounded like it when he came thru on the backend of the record.

Just didn't seem like it fit.

 

[⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

Culturally in hiphop.
Nas was bigger.

You talembout pop permeating. Of which hiphop should not even be subject to. Yet you bringing up big and juicy is all that needs to be said.
Of which the real explosion for big started. After the reprocessed big L mvp loop on big poppa.
made its rounds. During big l worst record delay in the history of rap for a debut rap album.
In sonic landscape timeline one mo chamce was a long time away from the release of illmatic and the debut of rtd. So trying to lump all of big singles and rtd against illmatic culturally. Is a firm indicator.
To know you were not cognitive or culturally aware.
nor prescient about hiphop culture.


Art Barr

This is an observation worthy of discussion

Maybe someday you bless is Coli brehs with some more Art Barr songs. If anyone could convey the history of Hip-Hop on a track without falling into the preachy teacher pitfalls that plague other conscientious rappers, it would be you


Thank you for your passion and contributions Art Barr

 

[Westbama Heartthrob]

You mean you can't see the bride come out to this

 

[7th Letter Specialist]

Id take off Friend or Foe and maybe...D'Evils. But, I dont look at these as one being better than the other. They're complimentary imo.

 

[maxamusa]

does roc nation have paid posters on the coli

 

[FunkDoc1112]

I like 22 Twos. Especially when he starts talking that pro-black shyt. But it's really just an interlude so yeah it can probably go. I would cut Jaz verse on Bring It On. Just didn't fit to me.

nikka lost me when he said D'Evils can go. I don't think a rap fan alive would consider that.

Jaz had the best verse nikka

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

Id take off Friend or Foe and maybe...D'Evils. But, I dont look at these as one being better than the other. They're complimentary imo.

Friend or foe is so raw…short and sweet.

D’Evils is a top 5 Jay-Z song…

Y’all really feelin ain’t no nikka over gems feom DJ Premier?