Is Lost Tapes superior to Illmatic?

[ThirdAct]

LT is my favorite Nas album so

 

[Tres Leches]

no

 

[NoHalfWay]

Yes. The Lost Tapes is Nas at his greatest

Illmatic is Nas at his rawest

It Was Written is Nas at his hungriest

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

I'll listen to Lost Tapes over Illmatic.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

is Lost Tapes a real album or compilation? It was released as a compilation of unreleased tracks that we all had on white labels and mixtapes. So that's really a cheat code. There are a lot of joints that go unreleased from the mixtape era and anyone could have done their own version of a Lost Tapes. It was flawless, but kind of a cheat code with years of officially unreleased tracks compiled into an album. Imagine what a Fabolous Lost Tapes would have been like in 2004.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Not crazy at all. Really depends on how you grade

Illmatic is only 9 songs. Imo 1 weak song (relative to the others), Halftime

Lost Tapes is 12 songs with 2 weak songs (relative to others), Everybody’s Crazy and Drunk By Myself

So illmatic is the more flawless album, but there may be better, more potent songs on Lost tapes

Also your age and when/how you were exposed to both albums matter. I’m old af and even I was only 12 when Illmatic dropped. So most of my experience with it came after the fact. Whereas Lost Tapes dropped in my musical prime I was like 21. I was able to experience it in real time.

So for me Lost Tapes is the one. If you count it as an album it’s the greatest album of all time in my book

Everybody's Crazy?? huh??? That was one of the best joints on the album. It was actually on Stillmatic European version. I have the Stillmatic cd with bonus tracks of Everybody's Crazy and no ideas original(original version). It was actually released in Europe before the US. I also have the Jay Z vol 3 european version and it has 3 extra tracks not on American versions.

 

[spliz]

is Lost Tapes a real album or compilation? It was released as a compilation of unreleased tracks that we all had on white labels and mixtapes. So that's really a cheat code. There are a lot of joints that go unreleased from the mixtape era and anyone could have done their own version of a Lost Tapes. It was flawless, but kind of a cheat code with years of officially unreleased tracks compiled into an album. Imagine what a Fabolous Lost Tapes would have been like in 2004.

Lost Tapes was only within a 3 year span of music. And the music was SUPPOSED to be released but circumstances happened. shyt Jay put Ignorant shyt on American Gangster and I had that song since 03-04.

 

[spliz]

Lost Tapes isn’t better than Illmatic


But It Was Written and Life Is Good are

No way is LIG better than Lost Tapes. Lol. It just isn’t. And it damn sure ain’t better than Illmatic.

 

[Nabs]

I wouldn't look at someone the wrong way for feeling like it is.

 

[Sean7]

No way is LIG better than Lost Tapes. Lol. It just isn’t. And it damn sure ain’t better than Illmatic.

I agree, IWW an argument but LIG no. I guess everyone has their own taste though so maybe he feels LIG more personally for some reason or another.

 

[Trace]

Lost Tapes was only within a 3 year span of music. And the music was SUPPOSED to be released but circumstances happened. shyt Jay put Ignorant shyt on American Gangster and I had that song since 03-04.

Interesting, never knew that. I wonder if that was a Black Album leftover at that point.

 

[Escobar305]

Amazing body of work

 

[RichYung]

Please Stop… But IWW > both

 

[Da King]

Might get some negs for this but fukk it..

I'm ALMOST feeling like it is..being that it is a more advanced, mature Nas, properly executing on all tracks...but this debate in itself can be bias being we comparing all the throwaways from albums 2-4 to the 1st album...

Drop your thoughts...

Cohesive album >>> Random tracks

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

Illmatic is top 3 for me.

I really didn’t like Lost Tapes all that much, lyrically sharpe, but the production wasn’t there imo.

I’ll have to re listen bc it’s been years