Well its hard to compare the hip hop climate of Nas releasing his second album in 96 to Outkast releasing their sixth album in 2006. The climates in Hip Hop were MUCH different but to Nas credit, he followed his inclinations, allowed Steve Stoute to guide him, was a team player and worked with the Track Masters, and ended up becoming a superstar in his own right. And the facts of the matter is that now more than twenty years later It Was Written is almost universally looked at as a classic album. Rolling Stone went from giving it s 2-Star review in 96 to including it on their list of 500 Greatest Rap Albums and re-rating it 4 stars (the same the rating they gave Illmatic) in 2022. Nas music and discography as a whole has stood the test of time beautifully. In ten years time people will go back and re-evaluate the Hit-Boy era as one of the greatest runs of albums by an artist in modern music history. Nas has done a phenomenal job of future proofing his legacy.
Idlewild won’t be re-evaluated so fondly, and even though the movie itself is an underrated gem, Outkast really didn’t have to do “much” after they’d already cemented their legacies with the astronomical success of Speakerboxx/The Love Below. There wasn’t much riding on the success of Idlewild the way Nas literally had his career on the line with the release of IWW. He took a gamble and, even though some dusty boom bap backpackers felt slighted, the masses embraced it. I’ve always contended that without IWW, Nas is in Europe right now opening up for Jeru The Damaja and O.C. In some London nightclub. I’m glad he took the moment to maximize his potential as an artist.
What other rapper can legitimately claim they have FOUR bonafide classic albums in their discography? Its a short list i’ll tell you that. Nas, Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and who else? Scarface? Cube? Hov? Whichever you’d argue is their fourth would be debatable.
To say Nas discography is “flawed” and then concede he’s got four CLASSIC albums is a weird argument to make. Especially considering the 7 album run of quality he just went on in half a decade.
Some rappers have none. Biggie doesn't have 4 classic albums or even 4 albums period. DMX doesn't have 4 classics. Wutang Clan(as a group) doesn't have 4 classics. And neither does Eminem.
