Albums Nas & DJ Premier - Light-Years (Discussion Thread)

[tweezy]

Gave it a full listen and it was pretty underwhelming.

If the production is this minimal and the focus is meant to be on the lyrics, they need to hit harder.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

They will tell you that but how many of them could write Nas verse on Verbal Intercourse? Not a single one.

For most of its history hip hop was different from every other pop music genre in that lyrics and verses was the focal point. Once lyricism got minimized and pop hooks plus catchy melodies became the focus it lost what made it unique and became like every other pop genre. Which is why so much of the genre now is disposable garbage far as what get label support.

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Being able to make dense, complex lyricism palatable for the masses IS a skill, something that Biggie and Jay are probably the GOATs at. Nas' limitations with this has always been pretty exaggerated...but he is Hit Or Miss at it; for every If I Ruled The World he has a Dr. Knockboot, a lot of "Whut da hell is a Polar Bear doin in Arlington, Texas???" moments...dont make me run back the "Nas has weird sex bars" thread

Like somebody brought up You Owe Me but like...that nikka had reparation bars on a hook about Getting Head for ice, that's some "p*ssy tighter than the conditions of us black folks" level of and not in a "See hes kicking deep shyt on a commercial record" way but just a total nonsequitir, "Not reading the room" shyt; a conscious rapper caught in unfamiliar territory. A polar bear in Arlington Texas lol

Of course, Nas' strengths are so strong that it makes it a moot point, but it is a leg up that Kendrick has on him.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

If MJ could return to the bulls right now and average 18 for the season, he'd win mvp going away.

Ok this is just absolutely ridiculous ......no Michael Jordan would not get the MVP averaging 18 pts a game today


Sure he would get respect, but by no means would anybody pretend that he's still an elite player.

 

[tweezy]

We’re entering a dangerous phase here. Nas seriously needs more diversity in his catalog, because his last ten albums sound almost identical.

 

[tweezy]

I'm now seeing people say Nas should have retired years ago cuz the recent output confirms Jay > Nas

 

[the cac mamba]

I could see that. But fukk I wish it hit immediately

nothing stood out. i figured outta 15 tracks, only 2-3 would be classics, and i was fine with that

but there's not even one

 

[Cladyclad]

You're right. A lot of people talk about how insane Nas stans are, but in reality, the people who complain about them are far more insane.

I see a crazy motherfukker butt naked in the middle of street in -10 temperatures

We call him crazy

But we are truly the crazy ones for pointing it out

Anyone who rates this album 8/10 or up is mentally gone

 

[Overpss]

I see a crazy motherfukker butt naked in the middle of street in -10 temperatures

We call him crazy

But we are truly the crazy ones for pointing it out

Anyone who rates this album 8/10 or up is mentally gone

How would you rate it?

 

[Cladyclad]

How would you rate it?

5/10

His worst album ever

Nasir is much better

 

[NormanConnors]

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Being able to make dense, complex lyricism palatable for the masses IS a skill, something that Biggie and Jay are probably the GOATs at. Nas' limitations with this has always been pretty exaggerated...but he is Hit Or Miss at it; for every If I Ruled The World he has a Dr. Knockboot, a lot of "Whut da hell is a Polar Bear doin in Arlington, Texas???" moments...dont make me run back the "Nas has weird sex bars" thread

Like somebody brought up You Owe Me but like...that nikka had reparation bars on a hook about Getting Head for ice, that's some "p*ssy tighter than the conditions of us black folks" level of and not in a "See hes kicking deep shyt on a commercial record" way but just a total nonsequitir, "Not reading the room" shyt; a conscious rapper caught in unfamiliar territory. A polar bear in Arlington Texas lol

Of course, Nas' strengths are so strong that it makes it a moot point, but it is a leg up that Kendrick has on him.

Jay has a lot of bullshyt/cringe in that regard, wouldn't say he does better than Nas there.

Big was nice at it no doubt.

 

[Overpss]

5/10

His worst album ever

Nasir is much better

I don't know about his worst album ever though, that's probably Hip Hop Is Dead or SD

 

[ajnapoleon]

Real question

What type of beats you wanted nas to rap over?

Real question

Put the instrumentals from other songs you THINK nas should have rapped over


I’m super curious because this is a great album maybe 3 are off kilter but what’s the problem??

Put it here

 

[spliz]

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Being able to make dense, complex lyricism palatable for the masses IS a skill, something that Biggie and Jay are probably the GOATs at. Nas' limitations with this has always been pretty exaggerated...but he is Hit Or Miss at it; for every If I Ruled The World he has a Dr. Knockboot, a lot of "Whut da hell is a Polar Bear doin in Arlington, Texas???" moments...dont make me run back the "Nas has weird sex bars" thread

Like somebody brought up You Owe Me but like...that nikka had reparation bars on a hook about Getting Head for ice, that's some "p*ssy tighter than the conditions of us black folks" level of and not in a "See hes kicking deep shyt on a commercial record" way but just a total nonsequitir, "Not reading the room" shyt; a conscious rapper caught in unfamiliar territory. A polar bear in Arlington Texas lol

Of course, Nas' strengths are so strong that it makes it a moot point, but it is a leg up that Kendrick has on him.

Dr Knockboot is a problem. But Biggie can make Player Hater? Other nikkas can make songs and joke n shyt like that but it’s a problem when Nas does it? Nas has written some of the greatest hip hop songs ever created. There’s no “middle” way about it.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Jay has a lot of bullshyt/cringe in that regard, wouldn't say he does better than Nas there.

Big was nice at it no doubt.

The worst you can say about Jay is he dumbs it down too much but Ghetto Techno and the Ha remix are probably the only times he actually looked unnatural and out of place, and the latter can probably be chalked up more to regionalism than commercial limitations

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

I dunno why this song is some "Checkmate" for Kendrick critics. Dude has one or two songs every album where he leans into the weird idiosyncrasies of his voice; it's supposed to be silly, just him saying a bunch of words that allow him to do an over the top Cali nikka accent, no different from an NY verse that's just a bunch of "Word is bond what up dun" shyt

I'm not from NY. I'm from the south. Dissing NY rhetoric does nothing to me . Even if you diss a lot of this silly southern shyt, I'd agree with you. . Kendrick is a global icon now more concerned with his white/female fanbase than anything else. The same shyt yall dissed drake for(and I've never heard a Drake album in my life and plan on never listening to one), is everything he desired to become.. It's 50 cent/Ja rule all over again. If you can accept Kendrick dumbing down his songs to a 3rd grade level and singing on every other track, why couldn't yall accept it when Drake was doing it?