Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 'Stillmatic'

[Mike Wins]

I was in college when Stillmatic dropped & I remember SOHH going crazy with the Jay-Z vs Nas threads especially after Stillmatic dropped! I always said Jay-Z brought back Nas from the dead because in real time a lot of heads thought Nas was falling off after he dropped Nastradamus & took a hiatus until Jay-Z dropped The Takeover. Stillmatic was such an excellent record. That Intro truly is one of the best ever & Ether following that on the album was CLASSIC. So many really good/great songs on Stillmatic. I ranked it a 4.5 mic album when it dropped because The Blueprint is 5 mics & I just don’t think Stillmatic is on that level from front to back. Great memories

Stillmatic and Blueprint both represent what Nas and Jay are about as artists and what they do well. Even though neither is their best album, they're the best albums to use to compare the two especially with the rivalry and the timing of the releases. IWW and RD probably next on that list

Although as a certified Nas stan I hate the Nas fell off narrative. Nastradamus was a dud and hurt his rep no question but the "real" I Am... double album that wound up spread across I Am, Nastradamus, QB Finest and Lost Tapes was elite and he was murdering guest spots in 00 and 01 leading up to Stillmatic

 

[Mike Wins]

i'm sorry but to all the haters that would say this wasn't 5 mic or "Overrated", 20 plus years, this is the GREATEST SEQUEL OF ALL TIME, matta fact, it stands as a perfect album on it's own. I can THROW the word CLASSIC cuz after 20 YEARS, this right here SET THE BAR

Only people I've seen discredit it are the stone cold Nas haters, most of them are Jay or Mega superstans who still bitter about events 20+ years ago. Or the "Illmatic Fans" who shyt on everything else he done

 

[Cladyclad]

Only people I've seen discredit it are the stone cold Nas haters, most of them are Jay or Mega superstans who still bitter about events 20+ years ago. Or the "Illmatic Fans" who shyt on everything else he done

The album was good. It’s not a classic at all

 

[Mike Wins]

The album was good. It’s not a classic at all

I love you breh. Never Change

 

[Cladyclad]

I love you breh. Never Change

Too many just “cool” 9-13 is the reason the album not classic. Not to mention smoking being super mid

intro
Ether
Your da man
Rewind (don’t really like it, but it’s very creative)
2nd child hood
One mic
What goes around

If a couple more records from 9-13 was this level. My mouth would be shut. But that’s not how the album played out

 

[Mike Wins]

Too many just “cool” 9-13 is the reason the album not classic. Not to mention smoking being super mid

intro
Ether
Your da man
Rewind (don’t really like it, but it’s very creative)
2nd child hood
One mic
What goes around

If a couple more records from 9-13 was this level. My mouth would be shut. But that’s not how the album played out

Real question, what Jay albums outside RD and Blueprint you consider full on classics?

 

[Cladyclad]

Real question, what Jay albums outside RD and Blueprint you consider full on classics?

Vol 2 & black album

ag & 444 teetering

but to me he got a certified 4, not including watch the throne

 

[Mike Wins]

Fair. But if you gonna give it to Vol 2, you gotta let us Nas stans have Stillmatic. Because Vol 2 has classics but also some filler trash and some tracks that production aged like cottage cheese

 

[semicko82]

 

[re'up]

I had my Mom drive me to Circuit City to get the extra tracks lol

I was 16, I remember that day exactly, what a year.

I think I waited to hear it and didn't listen to the leaks, besides "One Mic", "Got Yourself A Gun", and "Ether".

I remember the barking dogs version too. Wow. That brought me back.

Favorite verse had to be the second on "Every Ghetto". Some tracks I never liked as much as everyone, and still think aged badly, but there's some real classic Nas on "Stillmatic", that holds up 20 years later, which is really impressive/ As we all age, I think more and more, this song is 25 years old, or this album is 19 years old. And still, we love it.

Never was a perfect album, but the highs hit really high all these years later. There's some bad or lackluster production, a bad hook or two, (My Country) comes to mind but when Nas got into the zone

You're The Man
Every Ghetto
Stillmatic intro


it still is amazing. and that whole year and winter was amazing to live through, and reflect on, as an adult now. That was pure hip hop hip hop, one year we had

Jadakiss solo
Jadakiss vs Sigel
Beanie Sigel The Reason
Lox Vs ROC
The Blueprint
Stillmatic
Cormega Tha Realness
Jay Vs Nas
SP Vs Nas
Dip Set tapes
G-Unit tapes

and the winter when all those songs were leaking and premiering. Everyone was on the edge of their seat in anticipation.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

They thought he’d make another illmatic

 

[semicko82]

Dope album. Some of Nas' best work. I had the OG copy with Braveheart Party before they took it off on future copies

 

[Controversy]

Stillmatic is my personal fav rap album of all time

Ether & Got Urself A Gun had me hype for this album before it dropped...and the album didn't disappoint

The album cuts on this are hard

 

[Mac Ten]

I've brought mad copies of Stillmatic and It Was Written over the years
..

It's one of the albums that I can play on a rainy day.

 

[Yecht]

to Nas' last good album