Who got more mid in his catalog? Jay or Nas

[Mike the Executioner]

After Nastradamus, I honestly only f*ck with the first Magic, where I bang the WHOLE album.

Lost Tapes doesn't count for me, because we all had those songs in the 90's, lol. I'll take a Nas loosie here and there from the later projects, and throw it on my Nas homemade playlist. Like "Nazareth Savage" from Street's Disciple. But that's a quick example, double album, and I only liked 2 songs on it. It's been the way with Nas's albums since 1999, for me. Too inconsistent.

Now, his sh*t from '93-'99. That's ALL day, for me. But it got too shaky after that.

Jay has some weak sh*t too, in there. But definitely not as much as Nas. Some of Jay's wackest sh*t ever, is right next to his best sh*t ever on some of his albums, lol. It's weird, but Jay was way more consistent though.

Damn, your standards for Nas are pretty high. Two songs on the whole album? What was the other one, even though I know "Thief's Theme" is the other one?

To me, Jay's discography falls off a cliff after The Black Album. After that, he only has two albums that I can play front to back (AG and 4:44). The rest of them are either top-heavy and should have been cut down (KC, BP3) or shouldn't have been made to begin with (MCHG). I enjoy Watch the Throne, but that album doesn't have a strong ending ("Murder to Excellence" should have been the closer).

Nas' work became more conceptual and ambitious after God's Son, and that could definitely alienate people. He also had a bad habit of leaving great songs off the albums ("Talk of New York," "Foul Breeze," "Where Y'all At," "You Mean the World to Me"). Life is Good is a classic in my eyes, nearly a perfect album. And the Hit-Boy run was consistent quality. A lot of the problems earlier Nas albums had don't exist from King's Disease onwards.

I think Nas and Jay's discographies are closer in their primes, but looking at the last twenty years, Nas easily has better projects than Jay. With something like HHID, I'll cut three tracks ("You Can't Kill Me," "Who Killed It," "Blunt Ashes") and fix the sequencing. With Kingdom Come, I have to stop after "I Made It" and pretend the second half doesn't exist.

 

[Mac Ten]

playing big girl in the big 2025 is insane

Nas was having fun with those songs including Dr. Knockboot….


Im a Nas fan and I understood that he rushed the album.

Nastradamus may have been a disaster back then but over time, the album aged well.


Nastradamus isn’t Immobilarity

 

[BronxFleeZ]

1. Who Killed It?
2. Dr. Knockboot
3. Big Girl
4. Zone Out (feat. Bravehearts)
5. Nastradamus
6. Summer on Smash (feat. Miguel & Swizz Beatz)
7. Braveheart Party (feat. Mary J. Blige)
8. American Way (feat. Kelis)
9. Me & You (Dedicated to Destiny)
10. Blunt Ashes

 

[Ziggiy]

Nas was having fun with those songs including Dr. Knockboot….


Im a Nas fan and I understood that he rushed the album.

Nastradamus may have been a disaster back then but over time, the album aged well.


Nastradamus isn’t Immobilarity

Nastradamus problem with being rushed is the sequencing is MAD off so it feels rushed. Its his most uncohesive album. Understandable given what we know about the original double album concept being scrapped because half the damn album leaked but still he released it commercially so he’s got to take the criticism that comes with it.


I think Streets Disciple has actually aged better in reception than any of his Columbia albums except for It Was Written, which is universally recognized as a classic now from its polarizing initial reception. Nas discography as a whole has aged extremely well if you look at the newer generation’s reactions on YouTube to hearing albums like Gods Son and Hip Hop Is Dead they really go crazy for those projects.

I love that Nas after Stillmatic never chased the mainstream sound and embraced what inspired him to write and create. Albums like Distant Relatives are truly timeless and have only grown in acclaim and prestige throughout the years.

Hell i’m glad Hov embraced the same thing, it just took him a HELL of a lot longer and included true stinkers like MCHG but he course corrected nicely with 4:44.

 

[Drake's Tan]

H...O-V-A
I got my mojo back baby, oh be-have!

 

[Reptile]

S-dot-Carter y'all must try harder, competition is, nada
Ladies scream, papa, nikkas can't stop ya, competition is, no, no, no

One of the worst hooks in rap history who the fukk approved wrote this bullshyt a 5 year old

nikka this is hard wtf

 

[Reptile]

Swiss Beatz is fukking trash dawg

 

[Reptile]

Ten years ago I would have said Jay but in 2025? NAS

I wasn't feeling nothing he did after "Life Is Good"

but shout out to you stans that be blasting "Jarreau of rap" in the whip

This is the WORST 3 count beat I ever heard in my life. Which is crazy because aint that many bad ones.

 

[Mac Ten]

Nastradamus problem with being rushed is the sequencing is MAD off so it feels rushed. Its his most uncohesive album. Understandable given what we know about the original double album concept being scrapped because half the damn album leaked but still he released it commercially so he’s got to take the criticism that comes with it.


I think Streets Disciple has actually aged better in reception than any of his Columbia albums except for It Was Written, which is universally recognized as a classic now from its polarizing initial reception. Nas discography as a whole has aged extremely well if you look at the newer generation’s reactions on YouTube to hearing albums like Gods Son and Hip Hop Is Dead they really go crazy for those projects.

I love that Nas after Stillmatic never chased the mainstream sound and embraced what inspired him to write and create. Albums like Distant Relatives are truly timeless and have only grown in acclaim and prestige throughout the years.

Hell i’m glad Hov embraced the same thing, it just took him a HELL of a lot longer and included true stinkers like MCHG but he course corrected nicely with 4:44.

Nas stayed true to himself,

Streets Disciple was an era where Nas was just getting married and being mature.

People gave Nas flack for signing to Def Jam when Jigga ran it but squahsing that beef was a thing for Hip Hop. I really thought that Nas was gonna kill Jay as a kid


No matter what , he is the realest since Chuck D.


Nas sacrificed mainstream success in 2008 to put out an album that required black folks to think.





Ive learned more from Nas about Black History listening to his music.


I can believe Nas’ intentions when it comes to the black plight than others

 

[Mac Ten]

Swiss Beatz is fukking trash dawg

Swizz Beatz was Good but Dame Grease was better…

Even those early Irv Gotti/Ja Rule songs were better

 

[BigTyme Records]

Just not a fan of most of Nas albums past IWW

 

[JustCKing]

I hate these threads because its subjective. Jay Z fans are going to say Nas and Nas fans are gojng to say Jay Z. This will be the argument from both sides:

Nas- the beats were wack; something something HitBoy, something something Salaam Remi, something something "You Owe Me", something something "Oochie Wally".

Jay Z- music didn't age well, something something "Ghetto Techno", something something Beyonce, something something media, something something never was the hottest, something something carried by production

 

[I love Latina women]

Where @RennisDeynolds at

 

[FlyRy]

Nas has had 8 albums since hov's last one. and they all came and went

 

[JustCKing]

Nas

Illmatic- Classic, iconic album

It Was Written- classic

I Am...- 3.5

Nastradamus- 2.5

Stillmatic- Classic

Lost Tapes- Classic

God's Son- 4.5

Street's Disciple- 3

Hip Hop Is Dead- 3.5

Untitled- 4

Distant Relatives- 4.5

Life Is Good- 4.5

Nasir- 3

Lost Tapes 2- 3

King's Disease- 3.5

King's Disease 2- 4

Magic- 4.5

King's Disease 3- 4.5

Magic 2- 3

Magic 3- 4


Jay Z

Reasonable Doubt- Classic

Vol. 1- 4

Vol. 2- 4

Vol. 3- never listened to all of this

Dynasty- see above

Blueprint- Classic, iconic album

Blueprint 2- 3

Black Album- Classic

Kingdom Come- 2.5

American Gangster- 4.5

Blueprint 3- 3

Watch The Throne- 4

Magna Carta- 3

The Carters- 3 (forgot the title)

I never listened to either Best of Both Worlds album.