The Importance Of Nas’ “Untitled” And How It Was Way Ahead Of Its Time

[Wild self]

I had to download a digital copy of this recently. The album is fire flames and I get the same vibes as Kendrick bringing today. We need more black militant music tbh, let these angry draco carrying gangstas stand up for something worth dying for

Facts!

 

[H. Selassie]

Yeah. It's funny, because a lot of the same critics that are praising Kendrick, Solange, D'angelo, Beyonce, etc for their recent militant shyt were shytting on Untitled back in '08. There was an overall sentiment of "why does he have to rap about THIS stuff / he's trying to do too much.

Also, there was a lot of hope and optimism with Obama coming into office, and Untitled is pretty bleak for the most part. It can be a downer if you're not in the mood for it.

All very true. The album's content is very thick and can be a heavy listen, especially in 08 when all cats wanted to hear was Lil Wayne and chicks were busy doing Beyoncé's "single ladies" dance.Funny how some of the same people I knew in school who used to call rappers like Nas boring are oozing over the albums mentioned earlier (TPAB, Lemonade, etc.) and embracing "consciousness".

I kid you not, the biggest Wayne Stan I know is now a Hebrew Israelite. And those girls who were constantly perming their hair and fukkin every dude in school are now rocking naturals and talking "queen" talk. Shallow-minded people always gravitate towards what is trendy.

 

[Wild self]

All very true. The album's content is very thick and can be a heavy listen, especially in 08 when all cats wanted to hear was Lil Wayne and chicks were busy doing Beyoncé's "single ladies" dance.Funny how some of the same people I knew in school who used to call rappers like Nas boring are oozing over the albums mentioned earlier (TPAB, Lemonade, etc.) and embracing "consciousness".

I kid you not, the biggest Wayne Stan I know is now a Hebrew Israelite. And those girls who were constantly perming their hair and fukkin every dude in school are now rocking naturals and talking "queen" talk. Shallow-minded people always gravitate towards what is trendy.

Funny, I always see most black artists c00ning it up, until they run outta inspiration from negativity. Then, when racism out in the open, they jump the formerly "boring" stuff.

 

[Turk]

This was the first Nas project I listened to from start to finish. I was 14 when this dropped and didn't understand a lot of the shyt he was talking about..but looking back now this was one of my first introductions to black thought too

 

[H.S.]

All very true. The album's content is very thick and can be a heavy listen, especially in 08 when all cats wanted to hear was Lil Wayne and chicks were busy doing Beyoncé's "single ladies" dance.Funny how some of the same people I knew in school who used to call rappers like Nas boring are oozing over the albums mentioned earlier (TPAB, Lemonade, etc.) and embracing "consciousness".

I kid you not, the biggest Wayne Stan I know is now a Hebrew Israelite. And those girls who were constantly perming their hair and fukkin every dude in school are now rocking naturals and talking "queen" talk. Shallow-minded people always gravitate towards what is trendy.

"Because it's trendy to be the conscience MC..."

 

[Anti-Anime]

You can't stop us now.

Keep trying cacs, u can't hold us down forever

 

[IllmaticDelta]

A conceptually good album...and the "conscious" one of the bunch...but as for production, word play etc... it's mediocre and underwhelming compared to his other albums.

On skill level..it just didn't live up to other Nas albums imo.

untitled wasn't suppose to be a skill/typical nas poetic album..he basically took the chuck d/ice cube straight forward approach to get his message(s) out

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Yeah. It's funny, because a lot of the same critics that are praising Kendrick, Solange, D'angelo, Beyonce, etc for their recent militant shyt were shytting on Untitled back in '08. There was an overall sentiment of "why does he have to rap about THIS stuff / he's trying to do too much."

cat's thought nas was too preachy/complaining back in 2008, considering the optimism of having the first black president at that time so the album went under appreciated. nas was being political when it wasn't trendy...all these other people who became recently "woke" are following the militant wave because it's easy now with the modern climate. people will look back at this album and be like

 

[filial_piety]

untitled wasn't suppose to be a skill/typical nas poetic album..he basically took the chuck d/ice cube straight forward approach to get his message(s) out

I highly doubt that was his intention, a straight forward message has never been his strength.

A song like "If I ruled the World" off IWW is just the type of style this album could have used.

That song gets the message across, is light years ahead of anything on this album, and it's nearly 15 years older.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

I highly doubt that was his intention, a straight forward message has never been his strength.

A song like "If I ruled the World" off IWW is just the type of style this album could have used.

That song gets the message across, is light years ahead of anything on this album, and it's nearly 15 years older.

untitled was an atypical nas album so he came with an atypical approach

 

[filial_piety]

untitled was an atypical nas album so he came with an atypical approach

lol sorry man... that just sounds an excuse for making a subpar album...

plus Nas being atypical is hardly out of his norm...he's been spittin conscious style raps since the mid 90s

 

[IllmaticDelta]

lol sorry man... that just sounds an excuse for making a subpar album...

plus Nas being atypical is hardly out of his norm...he's been spittin conscious style raps since the mid 90s

the best way to deliver messages that you want people to soak in immediately is to be straight forward so it doesn't go over their head.

 

[CapitalforCapital]

I don't even think Nas himself wants to remember this album.

 

[filial_piety]

the best way to deliver messages that you want people to soak in immediately is to be straight forward so it doesn't go over their head.

sometimes the opposite happens.

I think as far as messages go...I think most people think that complex poetic flow gets it across the best.

 

[BiggWebb79]

We gotta also give Nas props for dropping The ******Tapes as a preview to ******/Untitled. He had so much material he created around that time, he definitely was focus.