Nas's discography had the potential to be so much better...

[productofrakim]

Nas’s discography rightfully gets alot of shyt , since he has had so many slip ups, however his discography had so much potential.

We can all agree that his first two albums are fukking incredible and GOAT level. However, it was on I Am where he started to make slip ups. I am is a decent to great album no doubt, but with songs like dr.Knockboot and Big things it was really all over the place. The album however had a handful of FANTASTIC songs, and the first and last track are so GOAT. After I am, he had nastradamous, which apart from a couple of tracks was a trainwreck. Then you had lost tapes which is honestly an amazing album, being probably his 3rd best album for me. However, few people know that the original track list of I am, was much different and was actually a double CD concept album…

Here it is

I Am… The Autobiography:

Disk 1

Fetus (Belly Button Window) (from Lost Tapes)
NY State Of Mind Pt. II (I Am)
Life Is What You Make It (I Am)
Small World (I Am)
Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive (unreleased)
Poppa Was a Playa (Lost Tapes)
Nas Is Like (I Am)
Blaze A 50 (Lost Tapes)
Favor For A Favor (I Am)
We Will Survive (I Am)
Some Of Us Have Angels (Nastradamous)
Project Windows (Nastradamous)
Day Dreaming, Stay Scheming (Unreleased)
Sometimes I Wonder (Unreleased)
Undying Love (I Am)
Disk 2

After Life (Intro) (Unreleased)
Amongst Kings (Unreleased)
Life We Chose (Nastradamous)
Drunk By Myself (Lost Tapes)
Pray (I Am)
God Love Us (Nastradamous)
Ghetto Prisoners (I Am)
Last Words (Nastradamous)
Family (Nastradamous)
Come Get Me (NAstradamous)
Find Your Wealth (QB’s Finest)
U Gotta Love It (Lost tapes)
Wanna Play Rough (Unreleased)
The Rise And Fall (Unreleased)
My Worst Enemy (Unreleased)

It is a mixture of a handful of the GOAT tracks on I Am, a handful of the best tracks on Lost Tapes, a handful of some of the good tracks on Nastradamous, and a handful of great to alright unreleased tracks. If he wouldve released this album, and sacrificed the release of nastradamous and only 5 songs from lost tapes, his discography would've been alot better. His first 3 albums would've been one of the best 3 album runs in hip hop, especially since it hold a concept.

Illmatic to It Was Written to I Am to Nastradamus would mirror the progression of a “boy” to “man” to “king” to “prophet”. Nas is growing, as a man and as an artist… he started as a young dude on the corners of QB observing, dreaming and writing poetry. Then he became the man, living a Scarface/Pablo Escobar type life of excess… then the king, the seasoned lyricist, the post-BIG king of NYC… and finally we had the prophet. If you eliminate nastradmous and keep I am in its original from as a double CD (the 2nd disk is the “afterlife” part or prohet stage), then the concept would've remained and the albums would've been better.

Then after that he would've had Lost tapes (missing only 5 of the 12 songs, which can be replaced) which we all agree is dope, then stillmatic (which we can all agree was great), then gods son (which we can all agree was fantastic). It would be one of the greatest 6 album runs in history containing 3 albums following a concpet ending in a GOAT double disk.

If nas’s discography went like this then it wouldve been so much more GOATer, and less of a criticism of his career. However, nas- if you want to admit it or not- tried to sell out and go mainstream and it failed. Miserably, costing him alot of criticis to his discography and legacy…

 

[H.S.]

stfu

 

[productofrakim]

stfu

Lmao I love nas and he's top 5 for me, but his discography/Consistency (along with ear for beats) are literally his biggest weaknesses.

 

[prophecypro]

At the same time, people look at 10 albums and enough solid cuts that its also one of the more decent discographies in the game at least amongst fans

What happened with I am is the biggest what if, but I wonder if we get Stillmatic from that and we dont get Lost Tapes.
Also wonder what would have happened with Streets Disciple and Untitled had their cuts that were left off the table for the ones put on the retail. But at the same time I think both those albums are good despite the heat they get

 

[mobbinfms]

Nas still has one of the greatest discographies of all time. And Stillmatic dropped before the Lost Tapes.

How old are you?

 

[mikishere]

facts... i could do without all his albums in between of God Son until Life Is Good

 

[productofrakim]

Nas still has one of the greatest discographies of all time.

Not in consistency.

And Stillmatic dropped before the Lost Tapes

My bad, when I was talking about the albums, I messed up the order by accident

How old are you?

I don't like talking about personal details about myself. Sorry

 

[tuckgod]

Nas still has one of the greatest discographies of all time. And Stillmatic dropped before the Lost Tapes.

How old are you?

I agree with him breh

Nas's discography could've been way better

fukkin with Steve Stoute put Nas in the position that he's in today, but robbed hip hop fans of some potentially earth shattering albums from Nas in his prime

 

[tuckgod]

facts... i could do without all his albums in between of God Son until Life Is Good

and the albums between It Was Written and The Lost Tapes

Nas's discography is pretty shaky compared to his peers

 

[KravenMorehead™]

His music is true to self.

 

[mobbinfms]

Not in consistency.

Most rappers aren't consistent. Plus he has one of the GOAT albums. His highs, which is generally what we remember rappers by, is better than most.

My bad, when I was talking about the albums, I messed up the order by accident

I figured that's what it was.

don't like talking about personal details about myself. S

Ok. I was just asking to get a sense of whether you were around for the I Am era.
Also, it's the first step in stealing your identity

I agree with him breh

Nas's discography could've been way better

fukkin with Steve Stoute put Nas in the position that he's in today, but robbed hip hop fans of some potentially earth shattering albums from Nas in his prime

Sure it could have been better. But it's still one of the best discographies.

and the albums between It Was Written and The Lost Tapes

Nas's discography is pretty shaky compared to his peers

Stillmatic

 

[productofrakim]

Most rappers aren't consistent. Plus he has one of the GOAT albums. His highs, which is generally what we remember rappers by, is better than most.

Very true.

Even if you look at the top 5 disocgraphies OAT (in my opinion, in no order):
The roots
Scarface
GFK
Common
MF DOOM

I dont think any of them can match nas's high's (illmatic).

 

[Inspect Her Deck]

Nas discography is not in the upper echelon, and anyone suggesting otherwise needs to get with the facts.

But it's good enough to make him a GOAT contender coupled with his incredible skills.

 

[productofrakim]

Nas discography is not in the upper echelon, and anyone suggesting otherwise needs to get with the facts.

Lmao I still remeber when you did this:

Why Nasir Jones (NAS) is the most overrated rapper of all-time | Genius

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Napster tarnished Nas legacy and cost Mobb Deep a 3rd consecutive classic.