"Old" Nas vs "New" Nas?

[Awesome Wells]

Just spun at an adidas Originals event this afternoon, and did my usual Nas set. I always start in the middle of his career and then shoot back and forth from newer to early joints. Today, I started with "It's Mine" and went into "Verbal Intercourse". Those two back to back never lose, but cats didn't want to hear the HHID shyt or any of the Untitled or LIG shyt. Any DJ's on here will tell you that readin' crowds is really 90% of what it takes to get the house right. I spoke about this with Rich Medina who's one of my mentors, and he said that he's seen the same thing at his spots. He said, "people want that old Nas, not the new one". So I thought about that afterwards, and listened to more shyt try'na find differences that would matter.

One cat earlier said to me, that he wanted to hear "Nas back when he was Nas". I kinda understood what he meant, but what's missin' today from Nas' music that has people sayin' that he's not the same cat anymore? "Made You Look" still works heavily at spots, even "Nazareth Savage" BODIES shyt regularly! I've been usin' that for damn near a decade! But a lot of the newer stuff doesn't hit people like the older shyt, but we all know that Nas is still Nas and still has a ridiculous following.

But honestly, was he better when he was talkin' about chicks, money, mob shyt and ballin'? Threw the Funk Flex freestyle from '97 on earlier, and fools lost their mind. That old Nas is timeless and never fails. Was the good homie better when he rapped more recklessly?

[ame=http://youtu.be/RnL4NIpryNM]Nas freestyle from FunkMasterFlex - 60 minutes of funk - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BuyandSave]

I didn't read but fukk Nas.

 

[Allah]

the rhymes have been more or less consistent but the beats, especially on hhid, havent always kept up

 

[Awesome Wells]

the rhymes have been more or less consistent but the beats, especially on hhid, havent always kept up

I kinda always felt that way too.

But do you think that maybe HE'S not the same now too? Production is always up and down, but he's sorta changed his direction lyrically too. "It's Mine" sounds like a whole different dude, I mean, granted that was like 14 years ago. You think maybe that changed how people view him now?

 

[T.he I.nformant]

In before "Nas lost"

Edit: You Know my Style, Thief's Theme, Nasty, and The Don get no love?

Edit 2: I can see why joints from HHID and Untitled get no play. Just a different kind of vibe and mood.

 

[Richard Wright]

Na. it aint about back when he was Nas, its about back when he was NASTY

 

[DANJ!]

I've said this for a while... Nas has two groups of fans- people who love him all the way up to "Made U Look", and people who've hung around for the last 10 years on the strength of his first 10.

I think when he became a critic on hip-hop and started really immersing himself in nostalgia, he lost those people who liked him when he was adapting to the times and rolling with the punches. And at the same time, he seemed to win back those people who thought he sold out in '96.

And even tho' his first 10 years have their share of missteps, his better shyt def. comes out of those years. SD, HHID, ******, Distant Relatives, all that shyt just doesn't have that same spark. LIG was a good move back in that direction and easily his best album in years, but he was a whole 'nother thing back then in his prime years.

 

[Majestic Pape]

My only answer is that Nas has matured with his age in his music (unlike some other rappers who I won't name) and not everybody can always appreciate that. Lyrically, he's NEVER been weak at ANY point in his career, it's just that his music and subject matter is a little more "grown up" as he goes through different life experiences. I can't say that Nas was a better rapper in '94 or a better rapper in '12 or a better rapper in '01 or anything like that, just the music is different during each of those time periods.

And it may just be a nostalgic thing for a lot of people. I'm one of those people who prefers to hear the music that I liked when I was HEAVILY into new music. Nas doesn't fit the bill, but hip-hop music tends to be made for teenagers, and people typically really enjoy whatever was hot when they were a teen.

 

[Allah]

I kinda always felt that way too.

But do you think that maybe HE'S not the same now too? Production is always up and down, but he's sorta changed his direction lyrically too. "It's Mine" sounds like a whole different dude, I mean, granted that was like 14 years ago. You think maybe that changed how people view him now?

music reflects your life (or what you observe) so naturally as your life and surroundings change your music will do so as well. obviously nas is different than when he was first starting out but thats not necessarily a negative. i wouldnt call it progress just because i dont like people associating any change in styles as progress but i think it is development

 

[4Eyez]

People have always said Nas was better lyrically before than now. I never really believed it, but I can understand where they're coming from.

I was driving bumping Loco-Motive with my bro the other day, he was clowning me for thinking the song was just cool. He believes its the best song on the album...
I told him chill, its cool, its not even too crazy.

The fact that Nas made that song to sound like a modern NY state of mind
(train in the beginning, first song on the Lp, he brings up "90's ninjas)
shows just how much he doesn't rap similar anymore.

I think Nas has definitely lost a bit of his penmanship, but it causes no harm!
In this day and age, dumbing down is acceptable. Besides, theres advantages and disadvantages to being a wordsmith, and I think hes found that balance


Edit: Nas has made better "music" post Stillmatic.

Also, his lyrical gift can STILL be found on his latest record...

Reach Out
You Wouldn't Understand
Back When
The Don

miscellaneous tracks:

Triple Beam Dreams
Ghetto Dreams
Let Nas Down (Remix)

 

[the rhyme king]

old nas for me is illmatic to i am stillmatic.

 

[Awesome Wells]

And even tho' his first 10 years have their share of missteps, his better shyt def. comes out of those years. SD, HHID, ******, Distant Relatives, all that shyt just doesn't have that same spark. LIG was a good move back in that direction and easily his best album in years, but he was a whole 'nother thing back then in his prime years.

Dude told me today that HHID wasn't "the real Nas". LOL!! These are veteran Hip Hop "journalists" feelin' this way. it's like Nas lost a whole generation of fans at some point. It's hard for me to tell when that happened.

I'm an underground dude, so I'm not big on lighter records, I like hard records. So I'm throwin' on white label shyt that I like! "Triple Threat" with him Nore and Nature ALWAYS KILLS!! I think that's the Nas that people want to see again. But when did he stop bringin' that level of quality?

 

[Ronald]

Life Is Good is like his 3rd best, don't know why people wouldn't fukk with that album

 

[Awesome Wells]

Life Is Good is like his 3rd best, don't know why people wouldn't fukk with that album

More like 6th, to me.

Illmatic
It Was Written
I Am
God's Son
Stillmatic

All better, in my opinion.

 

[Ziggiy]

The thing is that Nas doesn't really make "Bangers" anymore. Even his harder, more boom bap sounding tracks (The Don) aren't really something simple you can just mindlessly zone out too.



"New York is like an Island a big Rikers Island
The cops be out wildin, all I hear is sirens
It’s all about surviving same old two step
Tryna stay alive when
They be out robbin, I been out rhyming
Since born knowledge like prophet Muhammad
Say the ink from a scholar
Worth more than the blood of a martyr"

Nas's last 5 albums have all revolved around a certain concept. Street's Disciple was about him fusing all of his different rap personas (Nasty, Escobar, Nastradamus, God's Son) into one man, maturing and settling down. Hip Hop Is Dead was him channeling his frustration with that era's EXTREME dumbing down and disrespect for the culture into a musical cry for Hip Hop's collective artists to wake up and take responsibility for the damage they were causing to the genre. Untitled and Distant Relatives were poignant observations on Race relations and Black identity in America and the greater influence on African culture throughout the world. Life Is Good was the work of a man entering middle age reflecting on the ups and downs of life and existence. NONE of these concepts alone, really would offer you the type of music that a crowd could "get hype too" whereas his earlier work offered sprinkles of that.

In my opinion I prefer New Nas, simply because the Nas of THIS era as an elder statesmen who is unafraid to use his platform to create entire albums centered upon a unified theme is fascinating. I'd rather be impressed by an album as an entire body of work then have a few "bangers" here and there to satisfy a fleeting moment in a club or DJ set. There are plenty artists who serve that purpose but only few artists (in my opinion) who can craft an excellent to classic album surrounding the themes of ones own personal growth. We'll ALWAYS have Illmatic, It Was Written, I Am and all the classic Nas freestyles to give us that old feeling of when he was a young, hungry MC, who just wanted to kidnap, torture, and rape any beat he spit on. The catalogue isn't going anywhere, but Hip Hop is better off when artists of Nas's talent and pedigree utilize their lyrical gifts to craft albums that are true to who they are at a certain time period, instead of going after the "banger" or the "Hit". Hip Hop doesn't need Nas for that any longer, Hip Hop needs Nas to continue to BE NAS



"Unforgettable, unsubmittable, I go by N now
Just one syllable, it's the end cause the game's tired
It's the same vibe, Good Times had right after James died
That's why the gangsta rhymers ain't inspired
Heinous crimes help record sales more than creative lines"

That's the Nas of today. You can't tell a person that HHID isn't the "real Nas" as in actuality, Nas has been telling this that this is in fact the him of TODAY. Either you rock with it our you don't, but as we ALL know the 18-25 year old version of ourselves will be drastically different from the 30-40 year old versions of ourselves. What Nas has done is simply funneled all of that growth, maturity, and experience into his music. Hip Hop Is Dead-Life Is Good is the most honest version of that.




#TPC