Why has Nas never made it properly in mainstream ?

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Mainstream to me means the general public can appreciate your music. Drake is mainstream, Flo rida is mainstream. theres nothing mainstream about NaS or his music. After 2 decades active in the game hes had MAYBE 3 records that are well known by the general public.

- If i ruled the world
- i can ??

whats his biggest single? if i ruled the world peaked at 53 on the billboard chart. if memory serves me, that was a huge record for nas and the one that had the most rotation. and it peaked at 53. It was written went double platinum because people just caught on to nas after hearing if i ruled the world because after illmatic people were trying to give him the crown. but even listening to IWW its not mainstream music at all.

mainstream art*ts make hits, nas's career has never been about hits and he really doesnt even have any real hits when we talking about "“0 To 100" and "loyal " type hits. a song that performed well dont = a hit.

nas aint never been mainstream.

:ohhh: you're right
 

C-Styles

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this thread is full of sh*t

so if Nas being a multiplatinum rapper isn't "mainstream enough" then WTF is RICK ROSS who NEVER WENT PLATINUM, much more had any TOP 10 HIT SINGLES?? smh
 

Rapmastermind

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8 Platinum albums

3 Gold Albums

5 Number 1 Debuting albums

13 Grammy Nominations

1 Emmy Award

A fellowship in his name from Harvard

A Documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes


How much more mainstream does it get?:dahell:

Ziggiy you didn't have to murder it that bad, lol. You could of stopped at 8 Platinum albums as NaS is Top 5 All Time in Platinum albums for a rapper in History. You can't name but 4 other rappers with that many Platinum albums. NaS been mainstream. This "NaS isn't mainstream" talk makes no sense. If anything, NaS has passed his Mainstream phase.
 

Rapmastermind

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NaS Mainstream/commerical Phase was 96-2002. I feel by "Street's Disciple" you could argue he lost the mainstream and began to return underground but "It Was Written" Through "God's Son" NaS was Mainstream as Ever.
 

MartyMcFly

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I swear if OP was born in the mid 80s I'm going to bury my head in the sand somewhere because I'm embarrassed to be a part of that age demo at this point. @Ziggiy already said it best with science and facts but how in the hell are we having a discussion where a rapper with several platinum or multi platinum plaques, a program in Harvard named after him, a documentary on his first album touring the country as we speak, and several grammy nods NOT mainstream? What is proper mainstream? That's vague as fukk and an extra Mr. Fantastic-style reach to discredit the brother. He had his peak in the mainstream, he moved on to another phase of his career and his music has been better in the 2nd half than the 1st. I get a lot of you cats don't like Nas for some reason, cool. I get a lot of you are kids (and I mean that literally) or some of you are still holding on to a 13 year old grudge that both Jay and Nas have let go because they're grown ass men, but give the dude his props.

You can be a fan of both (I am) and still be critical of the music and moves each have made but damn this shyt has to be a parody at this point because any subjective person has to say that the dude has had a pretty great career and he's gotten plenty of mainstream love. Someone silly said that his albums sold that many because of his diehard fans....:mjlol: so all those diehard fans that didn't buy illmatic because they bootlegged it, all of a sudden got a change of heart and went out to get It Was Written? Oh ok I got you. He became a crossover artist which is what a lot of his diehard fans crucified him for, get over the shyt
 

Rapmastermind

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Mainstream to me means the general public can appreciate your music. Drake is mainstream, Flo rida is mainstream. theres nothing mainstream about NaS or his music. After 2 decades active in the game hes had MAYBE 3 records that are well known by the general public.

- If i ruled the world
- i can ??

whats his biggest single? if i ruled the world peaked at 53 on the billboard chart. if memory serves me, that was a huge record for nas and the one that had the most rotation. and it peaked at 53. It was written went double platinum because people just caught on to nas after hearing if i ruled the world because after illmatic people were trying to give him the crown. but even listening to IWW its not mainstream music at all.

mainstream art*ts make hits, nas's career has never been about hits and he really doesnt even have any real hits when we talking about "“0 To 100" and "loyal " type hits. a song that performed well dont = a hit.

nas aint never been mainstream.


This makes no sense. You ain't selling millions and millions of albums without being mainstream. "If I ruled the World" was a huge Mainstream hit was well as "Street Dreams". "I Can" peaked at #12. NaS was also featured on many Mainstream hits including Missy's "Hot Boyz" which peaked at #5 and he even got a #1 single being featured on the Mariah "Thank God I Found You" remix and single. His feature with R. Kelly "Did you Ever Think" hit #7 on the charts. His track with J. Lo "Everything going to be alright" hit #10. So has NaS's singles blown the charts open? No but he's had plenty of huge hits on the charts as well as Big feature. Also NaS has had 8 Top 10 album debuts on the charts. It's ridicolous to say someone with that much chart success isn't mainstream cause he didn't have a solo #1 single? Well guess what, Drake doesn't have a solo #1 single either.
 

Rapmastermind

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NaS had to make a song about people critizing him for being "Too Mainstream", remember? It was called "Hate Me Now" with the King of Mainstream Puff Daddy. It's clear NaS a mainstream rapper cause Mainstream rappers GO PLATINUM mutiple times. If you aren't mainstream you ain't moving units like that period.



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Goat poster

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Mainstream to me means the general public can appreciate your music. Drake is mainstream, Flo rida is mainstream. theres nothing mainstream about NaS or his music. After 2 decades active in the game hes had MAYBE 3 records that are well known by the general public.

- If i ruled the world
- i can ??

whats his biggest single? if i ruled the world peaked at 53 on the billboard chart. if memory serves me, that was a huge record for nas and the one that had the most rotation. and it peaked at 53. It was written went double platinum because people just caught on to nas after hearing if i ruled the world because after illmatic people were trying to give him the crown. but even listening to IWW its not mainstream music at all.

mainstream art*ts make hits, nas's career has never been about hits and he really doesnt even have any real hits when we talking about "“0 To 100" and "loyal " type hits. a song that performed well dont = a hit.

nas aint never been mainstream.

But Nas has more platinum albums and has sold more records then Drake. :leostare:
 
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