Questlove defends Vol 1, Jay-Z responds

[Monoblock]

Same problem as Nas’ I am album...could’ve been their best but tried to make a bad boy album instead smh

Say what now? How is I Am trying to be a Bad Boy album? I get that Hate Me Now was a single with Puff but that album did not sound like a Bad Boy/Trackmaster (fishing for a hot single) attempt especially when the leaked playlist dropped and it was supposed to be a double album. One of the singles was Nas Is Like with Primo.

Spoiler

1998 leak tracklisting[edit]

• 01. Fetus (Belly Button Window) (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 02. Small World (later on I Am...)
• 03. Money Is My bytch (later on I Am...)
• 04. Project Windows (later on Nastradamus)
• 05. Poppa Was a Player (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 06. Dr. Knockboots (Do's and Don't) (later on I Am...)
• 07. Day Dreamin' Stay Schemin'
• 08. Sometimes I Wonder
• 09. The Hardest Thing to Do Is Stay Alive
• 10. Drunk by Myself (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 11. Wanna Play (later on Dame Grease's "Live on Lenox" The Album)
• 12. Blaze a 50 (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 13. We Will Survive (later on I Am...)

Other leaked songs include Find Ya Wealth (later on QB's Finest), U Gotta Love It (later on The Lost Tapes), My Worst Enemy, Amongst Kings and The Rise & Fall.

 

[Spidey Man]

Vol.1 is one or two missteps from being classic but "I know what girls like" is hot garbage

I still can't figure out who that song was even for? bytches didn't like it, heads didn't like it
most jay stans don't fukk with it.....who was suppose to rock with that shyt? song shouldn't even exist
the beat isn't bad nor is the rapping it just makes no sense as a song if quest thinks its was something more
to that shyt he needs to break it down cause I really don't see it

After reading this thread
nikkas who don't like 'Lucky Me" got horrible taste that song is a work of art and the beat is

"Lucky Me" is also the only song Jay said he made as "SC"
his Jay-Z persona is nowhere to be found on the track its one of a kind and fukking classic

oh and anybody who thinks vol.3 is more lyrical than vol.1 is smoking crack that opinion is retarded
Jay even admitted he phoned that album in

its a good seven to ten songs on vol.1 thats the best shyt Jay-Z ever put out

replace sunshine and I know what girls like with these two and its classic!

I'm bout to add those two to the album and see how it flows without sunshine and I know what girls like.

Vol. 1 was always a top 5 to me. The highs on this album can stand with the highs on any of Jay's work.

 

[etrofllenrod504]

Y'all really think lucky me is trash? At least lil wayne fukks with it, he got the lyrics to the song tatted on him..

This is my thought..Lucky Me is a classic song imo. I've never heard anyone in real time say they thought the song wasn't good.

 

[Heavy_Handz]

This sounds like revisionist history.

I'd like to see proof of that. Because you're basically making the Illmatic --> It Was Written argument and that it one of the most celebrated album from it's actual release date. Not the RD shyt where ppl call it classic years later.

There's a reason Jay did a 360 from RD to Vol 1 back to Street's Is Watching

The shyt almost derail his career and he had to hop on trends until atleast Dynasty (where the modern Rocafella sound was born, IMO).

Wrong. Reasonable Doubt was universally praised right out of the gate by real Hip-Hop heads. To this day it’s still by far and away his most lyrical album & the production was top tier. He wasn’t mainstream yet even though Ain’t No nikka was being played all over the radio. He was still seen as a real Hip-Hop street rapper because most of his album was raw as fukk. RD might not have originally gotten 5 mics when it released but it was definitely seen as a true classic by real heads.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Wrong. Reasonable Doubt was universally praised right out of the gate by real Hip-Hop heads. To this day it’s still by far and away his most lyrical album & the production was top tier. He wasn’t mainstream yet even though Ain’t No nikka was being played all over the radio. He was still seen as a real Hip-Hop street rapper because most of his album was raw as fukk. RD might not have originally gotten 5 mics when it released but it was definitely seen as a true classic by real heads.

You’re making two different arguments now. RD was not a successful album in real time, commercially. Jay has admitted this himself on records. So the idea that his second album was heavily anticipated or that people thought he was next up after Biggie is false. Jay clearly thought he was next up, which is why half the album sounds like a Bad Boy imitation. But I’m not buying that he was seen as “that guy” yet.

Album came out and did ok, eventually going plat with no hit records. Jay didn’t become JAY until Hard Knock Life.

 

[Walt]

Questlove remains an all time bozo herb.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Say what now? How is I Am trying to be a Bad Boy album? I get that Hate Me Now was a single with Puff but that album did not sound like a Bad Boy/Trackmaster (fishing for a hot single) attempt especially when the leaked playlist dropped and it was supposed to be a double album. One of the singles was Nas Is Like with Primo.

Spoiler

1998 leak tracklisting[edit]

• 01. Fetus (Belly Button Window) (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 02. Small World (later on I Am...)
• 03. Money Is My bytch (later on I Am...)
• 04. Project Windows (later on Nastradamus)
• 05. Poppa Was a Player (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 06. Dr. Knockboots (Do's and Don't) (later on I Am...)
• 07. Day Dreamin' Stay Schemin'
• 08. Sometimes I Wonder
• 09. The Hardest Thing to Do Is Stay Alive
• 10. Drunk by Myself (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 11. Wanna Play (later on Dame Grease's "Live on Lenox" The Album)
• 12. Blaze a 50 (later on The Lost Tapes)
• 13. We Will Survive (later on I Am...)

Other leaked songs include Find Ya Wealth (later on QB's Finest), U Gotta Love It (later on The Lost Tapes), My Worst Enemy, Amongst Kings and The Rise & Fall.

I was heavy in the record pools back then and I still have the vinyl with some of those songs on it. I AM was a supposed to be a double album from what I remember in the rap magazines and then a lot of stuff got leaked. I still have that vinyl and the Murda Muzik one of leaked songs. I still don't know wtf Nas was thinking with the Kurtis blow influenced "stay scheming".

 

[CaughtInTWebb]

That's what's up I think dude is a lame but he's right about this album.

This.

Album is actually nice as hell.....the video for Sunshine was responsible for the hate....the song is dope.

 

[ORDER_66]

Vol 1.


Intro: A Million and One Questions / Rhyme No More (Ft. Pain In Da Ass)
The City Is Mine (Ft. Blackstreet)
I Know What Girls Like (Ft. Diddy & Lil' Kim) Wack
Imaginary Player
Streets Is Watching
Friend or Foe '98
Lucky Me
(Always Be My) Sunshine (Ft. Babyface & Foxy Brown)
Who You Wit II
Face Off (Ft. Sauce Money)
Real nikkaz (Ft. Too $hort)
Rap Game / Crack Game
Where I'm From
You Must Love Me
Wishing on a Star (Ft. Gwen dikkey)???

 

[head shots101]

Album was trash in 97 and trash big
Now

nikkaz need to stop trying to change history man

niggsz was not fukking with this lp when it dropped

 

[gldnone913]

Y'all really think lucky me is trash? At least lil wayne fukks with it, he got the lyrics to the song tatted on him..

This is my thought..Lucky Me is a classic song imo. I've never heard anyone in real time say they thought the song wasn't good.

I'm shocked by the Lucky Me takes. That's probably one of my favorite Jay tracks. But it was a lot of wack/weak songs on this album....no denying it.

 

[mr. smoke weed]

Albums is almost 30 years old.....who cares

 

[FunkDoc1112]

It fits the sentimental lyrics of the track perfectly as well as the singing and Jay’s backing vocals.

I mean yeah but it's just a boring ass song that like I said, belongs on an easy listening jazz album. Sterile, saccharine sentiment.

It's one of the strangest songs Jay's ever made and just as indicative of his artistic confusion on that album as I Know What Girls Like. Compare it to Feelin It, which has that same classy yacht party vibe and Regrets, which has the same sentimental, intimate sound and then you'll kinda see how much it falls short of what it's going for.

Edit: Just realize you're probably responding to Love Bizarre whom I have on ignore. Yeah he's always hated on Jay Z. Said Headsprung was better than Dirt Off Your Shoulder

 

[FunkDoc1112]

But does Vol 2 have the highs of Vol 1? Where's Vol 2's Where I'm From, A Million and One, You Must Love Me, Streets Is Watching and Imaginary Player?

Vol 2 don't have the highs of Vol. 1 but is just a smoother overall listen. Worst track is Paper Chase but that's not even close to as awful as Vol 1s lows. My breakdown would be this

Vol. 1:

Intro - 10
City Is Mine - 6.5
I Know What Girls Like - 1
Imaginary Player - 9.5
Streets Is Watching - 10
Friend or Foe 98 - 8.5
Lucky Me - 6
Sunshine - 7
Who You Wit - 8.5
Face Off - 5.5
Real nikkaz - 7
Rap Game/Crack Game - 8.5
Where I'm From -10
You Must Love Me - 9

Vol 2:
Intro - 9
Hard Knock Life - 8
If I Should Die - 7
Ride or Die - 9
nikka What nikka Who - 9
Money Cash Hoes - 7.5
A Week Ago - 10
Coming of Age - 8.5
Can I Get A - 9
Paper Chase - 6
Reservoir Dogs - 8.5
It's Like That - 9.5

More cohesive, better sequenced, and consistent

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

I fukk with Volume 1.
fukk c00n love, btw.