Why has Nas never made it properly in mainstream ?

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

Great rapper, but he lacks superstar level charisma

 

[Rapmastermind]

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

NaS has also sold more records than Lil Wayne.

 

[mobbinfms]

Neg train on @epaR for using a dumb phrase like "make it properly in the mainstream?"

Who's in?

I already negged him.

 

[MartyMcFly]

NaS has also sold more records than Lil Wayne.

Nah that doesn't count because he's been in the game for 20 plus years and he's got more albums and never been mainstream.

 

[Goat poster]

we gonna compare 20+ years to 5 for records sold

Not comparing.

Just pointing out how ridiculous it is to say Nas ain't mainstream and then use Drake as an example of someone who is.

 

[Mike Wins]

abuse the term "massive hits" brehs.

Nah not really. If I Ruled The World video was in constant rotation, still gets radio spins, hit top 5 on numerous worldwide charts which was extremely rare for rap songs at that time.

Street Dreams went #1, video was revolutionary (one of the first big budget hip hop videos) and in constant rotation.

Nas Is Like hit #3, video in constant rotation

Hate Me Now hit #8, one of the biggest/most controversial hip hop videos of all time

Oochie Wally hit #2, video in constant rotation

I Can, can't stand the song but that was a radio staple for a long ass time

All these songs were some of the biggest rap songs on radio and video the year they dropped. How do they not qualify as a massive hit?

 

[Ian1362]

It's like half the posters here can't remember hip hop pre 2003, very embarrassing

 

[MartyMcFly]

It's like half the posters here can't remember hip hop pre 2003, very embarrassing

Shyt is sad right? How can you say you love hip hop and have no sense of context or history?

 

[No_bammer_weed]

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.

You stole my thunder here, because I feel that pinpointing Streets Disciple is the correct place to locate where, when, and why Nas isnt considered a superstar, and more like a second tier star.

People look at 99-01 as a deficit in Nas' career, and although it was probably a critical low point for him, it was a necessary evil because he had to keep up with commercial NY rap that was changing the landscape. It added another dimension to him as an artist (break from the underground tag), and it was quite financially lucrative.

But in '04 the stage was set for him to assert that he was in fact that HNIC. NY rap and the NY sound was dominant (this was just before the south started to take over), and social consciousness and making a classic record still mattered (remember Jada and "why"?). Plus he was mature enough in his artistry, and still young enough to have relevancy with the entire industry, and hip hop fans. He dropped a fukking wack ass record, and it really tarnished his legacy because it was a pivotal spot for him. He recovered, obviously, and LIG...was one of his best albums, but Streets being such a dud cost him a lot of momentum. I think we would talk about Nas in a much better light than we already do had Streets been a dope album, with a bona fide hit or two..

 

[vampire xtc]

Bolded is definitely generally true. I wouldn't have expected If I Ruled to be #1 or something like that - but I would have absolutely expected it to have cracked the top 40.
Props on the picture. That really does explain a lot and makes perfect sense. That must be why the CD and cassette had different tracklisting.

i get the crack top 40

but at that time the billboard chart was FLOODED with pop and R&B acts and alternative

in 96 tops acts on billboard were

mariah
keith sweat
celine dion
alanis morisette
mary j blige
r kelly
smashing pumpkins
ll cool j(hey lover was BIG and doin it)
quad city dj
ghosttown dj
hootie and the blowfish

etc..

thats off the dome


1996 was an INCREDIBLY tough year to crack top 10 on billboard those acts alone had MULTIPLE hits in the top 100 at any given time

shyt hootie and alanis alone had 99% of their album chart on the singles billboard lol

so imagine who ive left out

as for the pic yea a lot of cd/casettes had alt track listings or just a bonus cut like GZA liquid swords had bible as a bonus not on casette as insentive to cop the CD instead

but this to my knowledge is the only reported case where a bonus cut only caught fire and they had to later the bonus to a standard lp cut

 

[Rapmastermind]

"Oh you went Platinum, Yeah that's nice. Now let me see you do the same thing twice. Two Times, Three Times, Then a Couple of more times, Please your amateur night it's show time." - NaS


NaS isn't mainstream but rappers with less platinum albums are? Where's the logic people.

 

[MartyMcFly]

"On you went Platinum, Yeah that's nice. Now let me see you do the same thing twice. Two Times, Three Times, Then a Couple of more times, Please your amateur night it's show time." - NaS


NaS isn't mainstream but rappers with less platinum albums are? Where's the logic people.

 

[Self_Born7]

it was officially after this track, I stopped fukkin with Nasir..

 

[O.T.I.S.]

Nas doesn't need to be mainstream, he's a legend. respected by real hip hop heads no matter what race, color, or nationality and recognized outside the hip hop world by his peers

 

[MilesTeg]

sorry nas, a pop station in North Dakota doesn't give you any spins.

you'll never be the artist nelly is.