"Old" Nas vs "New" Nas?

[prophecypro]

Depends on the region too

Nas lost a few people after Streets Disciple but if you look at Life is Good he kinda came back

But over here in the UK he still gets love. As We Enter, Theifs Theme and The Don still get play in Hip Hop spots

 

[prophecypro]

Also to answer the OP's question, the bigger might be regionalism. New York Hip Hop as a whole is getting the cold shoulder outside of the internet in the US (different story in the UK) unless you make records of a 808s persuasion

So here's Nas still making great records but of a time that younger audiences and majority of folks all based in the midwest and the South dont rock with no more. I feel like other states tolerated East and West Hip Hop (Maybe more for the west cause of the similarties to the South) but now that they've got their own music the dont wanna hear good boom bap Hip Hop

You look at a record like the Don..10 hell maybe even 5 years ago that's a hit record for Nas. It sounds like a record that would set off the Tunnel back in the day. And in a places like NY and the UK it got radio love last summer. But people are more and more into the spacey 808s and chopper beats and sadly a record that repeats "Inna New York City, inna New York City" is gonna get dismissed.

So in some ways, he's not doing anything wrong, his big fanbase grew up and moved past Hip Hop (Generally I find people who dont listen to Nas anymore also are sort removing themselves from daily peeks at the Hip Hop scene) and the younger audience while respected view him like our generation did trying to KRS on 99-01. We'd give it a shot but not a priority.

Luckly for dude he's with a team now that seems to want to at least preserve his legacy and stop poor people forgetting about him (Hence ads, special tours, publized ventures) but he needs to get that radio push again outside of the East coast.

 

[MissNeeks]

Nasty Nas never fails to bring quality lyrical delivery to the table (although sometimes confusing, but ultimately intriguing). I enjoyed Nas from Illmatic to Life Is Good and even Distant Relatives. Who's a Nas stan, you already know.. To me, he belongs right up there with the greats, the fact he was never murdered like the rest of them only prolonged his chances of falling off although shhh he never did. His raps just got more mature as he did.

 

[BossMobb]

Also to answer the OP's question, the bigger might be regionalism. New York Hip Hop as a whole is getting the cold shoulder outside of the internet in the US (different story in the UK) unless you make records of a 808s persuasion

So here's Nas still making great records but of a time that younger audiences and majority of folks all based in the midwest and the South dont rock with no more. I feel like other states tolerated East and West Hip Hop (Maybe more for the west cause of the similarties to the South) but now that they've got their own music the dont wanna hear good boom bap Hip Hop

You look at a record like the Don..10 hell maybe even 5 years ago that's a hit record for Nas. It sounds like a record that would set off the Tunnel back in the day. And in a places like NY and the UK it got radio love last summer. But people are more and more into the spacey 808s and chopper beats and sadly a record that repeats "Inna New York City, inna New York City" is gonna get dismissed.

So in some ways, he's not doing anything wrong, his big fanbase grew up and moved past Hip Hop (Generally I find people who dont listen to Nas anymore also are sort removing themselves from daily peeks at the Hip Hop scene) and the younger audience while respected view him like our generation did trying to KRS on 99-01. We'd give it a shot but not a priority.

Luckly for dude he's with a team now that seems to want to at least preserve his legacy and stop poor people forgetting about him (Hence ads, special tours, publized ventures) but he needs to get that radio push again outside of the East coast.

I agree with this post. His new team is doing a great job of preserving his legacy and creating exposure which has led to a resurgence in respect for Esco. I think his management did a great job with the rollout of LIG. Only minor change I would have made would be using the Miguel feature for a Cherry Wine type of record, that might have resulted in radio play and pushed the album further.

 

[prophecypro]

I feel like even though Nas is largely praised by newer artists, he's kinda going thru the same thing Rakim went through during the 90s. Lemme explain...

In the mid/late '90s, nikkas like Nas, Jay, Wu-Tang, Buckshot, Canibus, etc. gave props to Rakim all day. BUT, Ra's peak years had already happened. The most he could do is just put out good records (once he resurfaced), but it was never gonna be like those "Eric B Is President"/"Follow The Leader"/"Paid In Full" type joints. That urgency and importance those songs had weren't being matched by his newer stuff. He hadn't really lost a step, but he hadn't gained any either. On top of that, there was a new era in rap going on and he didn't really fit in there... it was like he made joints good enough to pop up on the radar, but even a nikka like Noreaga was more in-demand at the time cause there was a new wave going on. Even as the older heads and journalists weren't ready to stop holding him (and others from his era) in regard as the greatest of all-time, rap was moving on and new greats were entering that GOAT contention.

Now when you look at a Nas, it's hard to put him in with the Kendricks and J.Coles and Drakes, even though they themselves draw inspiration from stuff Nas did in his prime. The mid-90s/early-2000s is to him what the late-80s/early-90s was to Rakim. It's that time during which he earned his spot in the GOAT conversations... but the new songs are just new songs.

The problem with the Rakim comparison you make is Ra kind of ended his own prime by choosing to dissappear for 5 years and ultimatley only release 2 albums in a 17 year span

With Nas from a critical standpoint, people still put him in the mix but the J Coles, Kendricks and Drakes when talking people who can still rap (MTV putting him #4 on the hottest MCs list and the fact there's always more than a couple of people who mention him when talking about today's scene and whos the best)

The reason Nas doesnt sell more than those other guys is because those other guys came up in the last 4 or 5 years and a new generation of kids currently in college or high school and in the age fandom support thei guys more. OG Hip Hop fans arent active like that. But we'll download or find a way to get the record for free and support by going to the concert

 

[up in here]

Good post.

Faith Newman, who I've known for years, and who signed Nas initially, said a couple years back, that "Nas has lost his ears in not allowing the right people in the studio with him". She spoke about his beat selection, and how he sounds like he's lost inspiration, and almost seems like a shadow of his former self. Premier said that he was try'na get Nas to do the whole album thing with him, but Nas never got around to committing to it. He does appear to be in some sort of funk. And I think it may be harder for a newer fan to see that, if they only know him this way and weren't around to see the impact that he had back in the day.

If you weren't there for those years, like literally growing up on his music, then your standard for him is naturally gonna be lower than an OG fan's. You can go back and listen to the records, but it's never gonna be like actually be there for when they dropped. It's no one's fault, but if you don't know what you're missin', then you might not be able to see why people are sayin' he fell off or whatever. I just don't get what happened or when it did.

You sir are an idiot. Back to back paragraphs about this shyt. SMH. I been a nas fan since illmatic and Life Us Good is easily one of nas best albums. And you bring up Faith Newman? Son, her biggest career accomplishment was signing Nas to Columbia. And Primo actually said that Nas best work in recent years has been the songs he done with Salaam Remi. But go head, do you. I understand its just confused admiration

 

[up in here]

The problem with the Rakim comparison you make is Ra kind of ended his own prime by choosing to dissappear for 5 years and ultimatley only release 2 albums in a 17 year span

With Nas from a critical standpoint, people still put him in the mix but the J Coles, Kendricks and Drakes when talking people who can still rap (MTV putting him #4 on the hottest MCs list and the fact there's always more than a couple of people who mention him when talking about today's scene and whos the best)

The reason Nas doesnt sell more than those other guys is because those other guys came up in the last 4 or 5 years and a new generation of kids currently in college or high school and in the age fandom support thei guys more. OG Hip Hop fans arent active like that. But we'll download or find a way to get the record for free and support by going to the concert

Ra didn't exactly choose to leave the game for 5 years, he was in a legal bind where contractually he wasn't able to release music.

 

[TheJet]

The problem with the Rakim comparison you make is Ra kind of ended his own prime by choosing to dissappear for 5 years and ultimatley only release 2 albums in a 17 year span

With Nas from a critical standpoint, people still put him in the mix but the J Coles, Kendricks and Drakes when talking people who can still rap (MTV putting him #4 on the hottest MCs list and the fact there's always more than a couple of people who mention him when talking about today's scene and whos the best)

The reason Nas doesnt sell more than those other guys is because those other guys came up in the last 4 or 5 years and a new generation of kids currently in college or high school and in the age fandom support thei guys more. OG Hip Hop fans arent active like that. But we'll download or find a way to get the record for free and support by going to the concert

That's exactly what I was saying in my post. Nas has been dope for the entire span of his career. He's getting older and maturing as an artist. He's not changing with the times, if anything he's trying to change the times. After all his ups and downs in the game, he can still get on any new artist's track and torch they ass. Imagine if Big and Pac weren't killed, would we be having this same discussion about them?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mb5Fq6a3Fk"]Nas - Surviving The Times - YouTube[/ame]

 

[L_c__]

call me old fashion but i prefer "No" Naz

 

[up in here]

call me old fashion but i prefer "No" Naz

Considering nas been in the game for twenty years, I'm gonna have to call you extremely old fashioned.

 

[L_c__]

Considering nas been in the game for twenty years, I'm gonna have to call you extremely old fashioned.

i was born in 1990 im too young to be listening to that old ass nikka

 

[up in here]

i was born in 1990 im too young to be listening to that old ass nikka

Also, to a lot of these kids out here, you 24, you an old ass nikka yourself

 

[L_c__]

Also, to a lot of these kids out here, you 24, you an old ass nikka yourself

when did this become about me and my age? you tryna take me out on a date fakkit

 

[razassin]

You gotta define or limit ''old'' and ''new'', patna...

Old Nastradamoues Nas? hell naaa... Illmatic and It Was Written Old Nas... Hell yeah...

I get why a lot of nikkaz find Nas borin'... I love Nas music but sometimes I'm not in the mood to listen to his shyt... When I'm chillin' at the crib, or in my car n Im just relaxin' I'll throw some Nas on, but not when Im hyped or when Im partyin'...

he can come thru whenever he feels like it - he knows it. But sometimes he stays into that introspective shyt for too long and ignont nikkaz like myself not always in the mood for that...

 

[TheJet]

i was born in 1990 im too young to be listening to that old ass nikka

who you fukking with lately breh?