JerseyFinest!
All Star
But in reality...Is it really a pop record
in the streets nobody was calling that record "pop"
only backpackers had a issue
Why didn't Nas work with Pete Rock again after Illmatic ?
- Thread starter Metal Face
- Start date
But in reality...Is it really a pop record
in the streets nobody was calling that record "pop"
only backpackers had a issue
True, but that's why it took two years for Illmatic to go gold and It Was Written went platinum two months after its release. Stoute ended up being right.
that whole back pack era were the worst fans ever..
It Was Written was a sellout album where Nas was trying to pretend to be a tough guy, lol. Anyone can have any album as their favorite. But favorite doesn't mean it's the best.
Nas was chasing commercial success and jumping on mafioso rap lane doing all that escobar trash. The other two albums that came out after IWW were some of his worst albums in his discography. He made it more comfortable for other rappers to go at him, like Jay-Z, even though Nas won the battle with Ether.
Also IWW doesn't really have a great replay value. Why should I listen to that album when I can go bump albums like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Even Reasonable Doubt did a better job at being a mafioso rap album.
Nas was chasing commercial success and jumping on mafioso rap lane doing all that escobar trash. The other two albums that came out after IWW were some of his worst albums in his discography. He made it more comfortable for other rappers to go at him, like Jay-Z, even though Nas won the battle with Ether.
Also IWW doesn't really have a great replay value. Why should I listen to that album when I can go bump albums like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Even Reasonable Doubt did a better job at being a mafioso rap album.
Goat poster
KANG LIFE
Insufferable Backpackers are the WORST.
I love Illmatic, I believe it's Nas crown jewell
But I'm not mad at anyone who says IWW was better, and it's QUITE A FEW folks that feel that way.
IWW is an amazing album and Trackmasters laced him, it was more accessible but it was still DOPE!
Nas flow was better on IWW, he had grown as an MC
A Pop song can have depth and still be a Pop song. Michael Jackson is an example of this. "Human Nature" is still a Pop song even though its a GOAT level song.
In 1996, Hip Hop had a divide. Lauryn Hill singing on "If I Ruled The World" and the blatant Whodini samplr automatically made it Pop to ears that associated "real Hip Hop" to a sound that was more gritty and grimey.
Awesome Wells
The Bobby Womack of Crack
It was seen as a "commercial" record, back then.
People didn't use the word "pop" for it then. Nas didn't want to do the record. He felt it sounded like a reach for radio, which wasn't what he wanted to do. Poke from Trackmasters said they had to convince Nas to make the record, and this was before Lauryn was even on it. That beat was the first beat TM played for Nas for IWW. And he didn't like it. But TM said the intention was literally to "cross him over". It wasn't just backpackers. A lot of people in Hip Hop didn't think he should do it. Q-Tip told Stoute that he was killing Nas's career, lol. A lot of heads just didn't want Nas making "radio records". It was '96, that was seen in a certain light back then.
Most people don’t know, but Columbia was so nervous to drop it as a single that they tested the record on white label first. They sent it to radio and people would call the stations and tell them it was wack. Nas said people weren't f*cking with it because they didn't like that he had someone singing on the record. They didn't know it was Lauryn yet because it was just a white label. So Columbia was gonna scrap it. But Stoute said to promote it and highlight that Nas had Lauryn on it, and that's when the record grew legs. Fugees was mad hot at the time. So when people saw it was Lauryn, the record took off. Nas said he made "Hate Me Now" for the people who called him a sellout for making IWW.
Last edited:
Atsym Sknyfs
Superstar
I'll love illmatic and IWW ....
I'm gonna say IWW was a better album...
i say that because i view illmatic and 10 dope songs (unrelated .. no real album theme)
IWW had a "theme" that the songs tried to stick to
I'm gonna say IWW was a better album...
i say that because i view illmatic and 10 dope songs (unrelated .. no real album theme)
IWW had a "theme" that the songs tried to stick to
IWW is up there as far as Nas albums go, that is easily one of his best albums..... I agree with you he went double platinum and the album was still solid besides a few singles (If I Ruled The World was actually nice too especially at the time). Some say that is their fave Nas album (Lupe is one).
chunky_mcdaniels
All Star
The full circle irony that 'Hate me now' featured the exec that Stoute/TM emulated for 'If I ruled the world', only to have that same exec smash Stoute in the face with a champagne bottle because of the music video.