Why is Kanye getting a pass? Nas caught hell when he "sold out"

[lachreyatarbabypits]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW NAS SOLD OUT? I WANT TO KNOW THIS.

 

[DANJ!]

On the topic of "Kanye used to be humble" Heeeellllll no. He was humble to y'all cause you were seein' him talk for about 45 seconds, and reading a lil' tiny-ass article about him. I remember the first time I read a full-length article on him, he was talkin' about "I feel like what I just said, y'all need to put that in bold print" and Before College Dropout came out, he was talkin' bout "any magazine that doesn't give this album their best rating loses credibility". Nahhhh nikkas, Kanye didn't change, Y'ALL changed cause now it annoys y'all more than it did when he was sayin' the most arrogant shyt even back then. The nikka had an arm-length tattoo of songs he produced when he was in the "Izzo" video and nobody knew who the hell he was... you think somebody like that wouldn't become MORE of what he already was being?

Far as his subject matter- Kanye has made clear since the first album (for y'all that listened) that he was on that line between a Benz and a backpack. He was never some strictly underground-type nikka... he was kinda the gap between that and the more mainstream artists from the get-go. Who else's album in 2004 had Jay-Z, Freeway, Ludacris, Twista... AND Mos Def, Kweli, and Common at the same time? So all this shock that he's fukkin' with Ross and 2Chainz should be no surprise, any more than how he's also workin' with Q-Tip and Mos. That's been his M.O. since forever. How many mainstream artists in 2010-11 worked with Tip, Pete Rock, and The RZA?

All that "he changed" shyt is true in some aspects... but wrong in most aspects. He changed like any artist ready to stay ahead of the game should. I don't think it was ever Kanye's intent to be in one box, because there's not a point in his career where he ever did/said anything to suggest that.

 

[Michael Knight]

Don't rap about shyt no more?
Do you really need someone to break down shyt?

Dark Fantasy - General thoughts about what he had observed over the past few years and overcoming it. Which also serves as the main theme of the whole album.

Gorgeous - discussing the racial situation of fame and/or success for black men.

POWER - Discussing different types of Power, the power of the government, man, music, fame, white man and on.

All of the lights - General thoughts again mixed with narrating about a person living in the fukked up economic times that we are/were in.

Monster - Concept track with him and 3 other MC's rapping from different perspectives of monsters. About them, like them etc. Also a club track.

So Appalled - Being appalled with unnecessary shyt materialistic and shallow shyt but still loving it.

Devil In A new Dress - A track about loving dangerous female.

Runaway - Kanye examining himself in the most honest way.

Hell of a life - This track is all over the place, could be about nothing or everything. With lines like

"Tell me what I gotta do to be that guy
Said her price go down, she ever fukk a black guy
Or do anal, or do a gangbang
It's kinda crazy that's all considered the same thing
Well I guess alotta nikkas do gang bang
And if we run trains, we all in the same gang
Runaway slaves all on a chain gang"


Blame Game - the title is self-explanatory, it's about a song discussing relationships, equality in relationships, honesty and the other shyt those things contains.

Lost in the world - Kanye feeling lost in the world, feeling like the world is moving in the wrong direction, that our generation is lost and discussing around this broad subject with not to much lyrics but ends with a powerful speech from Gil Scott Heron.


I know a lot of lazy nikkas say music is about nothing cause the artist doesn't spell it out for 9 years olds to understand it. I appreciate simplicity like Kanyes first album but I appreciate complexity like mbdtf just as much if it's as good.

I agree with the bolded. You're reaching with the rest.

 

[Michael Knight]

To me Kanye's beats have not evolved but DE-volved from those ill soul samples like on Through the Wire and I Wonder to that trap Sh!t he's been playing around with lately.....Theraflu? Mercy? Cmon now....

Where are Ye's conscious songs? The "All Falls Downs" or the "Jesus Walks" type songs.....he doesn't do those anymore....

Nah you're just uninformed. Ye didn't produce Mercy or Theraflu.

 

[Icewatermetallik]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW NAS SOLD OUT? I WANT TO KNOW THIS.

Oochie Wally??.....You Owe Me??.....

Just to name a few....

I'm not sayin now he is dude sounds hungry as ever now but he had that period from like 99-01 right around when Stillmatic came out that his direction was questionable.....

 

[DANJ!]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW NAS SOLD OUT? I WANT TO KNOW THIS.

Around the late-90s while Nas was still kinda-hot on the street level, he was catching flack for what was viewed as him selling out. When people didn't get an Illmatic sequel with IWW, there was grumbling. When he started working with The Trackmasters more than Pete Rock and Large Professor, he was accused of going commercial. When he did records with Puffy, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, and appeared on R&B joints, he was seen as going pop.

There's a reason why he made songs like "Hate Me Now", because there was a lot of criticism headed his way. It was criticism others didn't get cause they didn't have the same expectations put upon them as Nas did. Illmatic was kind of a cloud that's followed him for years, because whenever he's stepped out of that shadow, it's been seen as a sellout move. People wanted Nas to be the illest street/underground MC forever, and Nas didn't always want that himself, so that was the backlash he got.

Some people tend to sweep that period of his career under the rug today, but it definitely happened, and he definitely caught flack over it.

 

[Harry B]

You know damn well you reaching with AT LEAST half this list

Georgeous of course no denying that

Monster is literally about nothing.

Devil in a blue dress is just about a chick. Its nothign deep about it

All of the lights: Even the part you quoted talkign about gangbanging a chick

Sp Appalled is another track just everybody bragging

cmon bruh.................

The thing here is I've got about 200 reviews to back me up , but lets act like I didn't.

Devil In a new dress - Is a story about loving a poisonous woman, which a lot of us can relate to. I don't know what the fukk Ross is talking about though. It's a great love story.

"All of the lights" Just about gangbanging a chick? This is one of the dopest tracks on the album. He's narrating a random character going through times when the lights are off in the bad times economic times we were living in. And yet making perfect references to his own celebrity life when the life were off with basically every single bar.

And how is so appalled just about bragging? He even ends his verse with.

nikkas be writing bullshyt like they gotta work
nikkas is going through real shyt, man, they out of work
That's why another goddamn dance track gotta hurt
That's why I'd rather spit something that got a purp'.

If you ever had that good summer when you had more cash than usually, and you just went ham with it. You loved it but you still knew that it was some stupid shyt. And this probably applies even more to socially conscious dukes like Rza and Kanye.


I give up, I thought the album had some complex lyrics but easy enough for most people to understand. nikkas are too lazy, only trying to understand punchlines and subliminal disses these days.

 

[Harry B]

I agree with the bolded. You're reaching with the rest.

How am I reaching with Monster? Would you care to inform me what it's about?
And I think a lot of people are sleeping on All of the lights cause it has Rihanna on the hook and Fergie with a verse.

You could also inform me about Dark Fantasy, how is it not general thoughts about what he had gone through and overcoming it?

 

[10:31]

Wait this is KingofKings

aww man

 

[lachreyatarbabypits]

Yea if you REALLY listened to Kanye, he was never humble. He had a song with a hook that said "Everywhere I go Ima star" you guys didnt really listen to Kanyes shyt if you think he was humble in 2005

 

[lachreyatarbabypits]

Around the late-90s while Nas was still kinda-hot on the street level, he was catching flack for what was viewed as him selling out. When people didn't get an Illmatic sequel with IWW, there was grumbling. When he started working with The Trackmasters more than Pete Rock and Large Professor, he was accused of going commercial. When he did records with Puffy, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, and appeared on R&B joints, he was seen as going pop.

There's a reason why he made songs like "Hate Me Now", because there was a lot of criticism headed his way. It was criticism others didn't get cause they didn't have the same expectations put upon them as Nas did. Illmatic was kind of a cloud that's followed him for years, because whenever he's stepped out of that shadow, it's been seen as a sellout move. People wanted Nas to be the illest street/underground MC forever, and Nas didn't always want that himself, so that was the backlash he got.

Some people tend to sweep that period of his career under the rug today, but it definitely happened, and he definitely caught flack over it.

But THATS NOT SELLING OUT. Selling out is kind of a myth in hip hop. Selling out is what lame backpack fans say when their favorite artists finds a new strategy or method and subject matter to discuss. People are soooo difficult to adapt i notice. I just digged up You Owe Me. Noone can tell me that song wasnt fire and that was viewed as Nas "selling out" My question for all of you lame elitist backpack chewstick fans, why would you want your favorite rapper to rap the same if it is a detriment to his success? And why would you want your favorite rapper to rap about things he isnt around anymore? You want Nas to rap about the hood and street shyt when he's a rich rapper traveling the world not seeing any hood shyt he saw before? Then that means all in all that your selfish and control freaks who think the world should revolve around what you think is best when you dont even know shyt. Nas didnt sell out, Jay didnt sell out, Kanye didnt sell out, LET IT GOOO. A true fan will like their fave artist whether they rap about sand or salads. As long as the lyricism stays why does it matter what they talk about? You nikkas want Jadakiss ass rappers and not even realize Jadakiss hardly eats anymore. nikka had to go back to a corner in Yonkers to eat. WHy would any rapper want that? So they can look "real" to their fans? Real dont pay the bills.

 

[Michael Knight]

How am I reaching with Monster? Would you care to inform me what it's about?
And I think a lot of people are sleeping on All of the lights cause it has Rihanna on the hook and Fergie with a verse.

You could also inform me about Dark Fantasy, how is it not general thoughts about what he had gone through and overcoming it?

I meant to highlight Monster. I think its a weak song but there is obviously a concept.

You're explanation on DF is kind of bland. What rapper doesn't speak on what they've been through? It's a good song but there's nothing special about that song except the RZA beat and the sample he used.

 

[OG Talk]

He sold out when he apologized to George Bush and gave him a pass for shytting on poor black people...

Nas sold out when he cosigned Gwyneth Paltrows ignorance and gave her an imaginary hood pass..

Both them nikkas are sellouts... But Nas is a far superior artist and lyricist.. Kanye should never be mentioned in the same sentence with him...

They live under a different set of expectations..

 

[10:31]

Kanye nanahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[JayBaldacci]

i'll probably catch flack for this but outside of a few bad songs, 99 was nas' best year if you make a comp of all his good tracks released and unreleased. find your wealth, project windows original, fetus, rise and fall, worst enemy, drunk by myself, ny 2, stay alive, sometimes i wonder, blaze a 50, wanna play rough, small world, ghetto prisoners, favor for a favor, the life we chose, nas is like, undying love, amongst kings etc. all those songs >>>> illmatic, iww, and stillmatic easily.

but for the topic at hand, kanye was never respected as an emcee the way nas was in 1994. backpackers wanted nas to stay "pure". alot of nas' later work is lyrically and conceptually greater than illmatic but it got hate because it didn't sound like illmatic. kanye always had the advantage of never being a "hip hop savior" so the "selling out" wasn't as bad.