Stillmatic was decent, but plagued by inconsistancy. I only really fucked w/ Rewind, 2nd Childhood... *checks iTunes*
Yup, that's it.
The good songs were so much better than the not so good songs.
Illmatic, It Was Written and God's Son = Nas @ his best.
I Am, Nastradamus, Stillmatic = Nas trying to re-establish himself.
Hmm. It Was Written? Really? The Message, I Gave You Power, Affirmitive Action, Shootouts, and If I Ruled the World were all great songs. But too often on the album Nas seemed to be fumbling for rhymes. I can just picture him hovering over his notepad with a strained look on his face,
"What can I rhyme with 'then they came'? Something clever and not too obvious... umm... fuck it, I'll just rhyme 'came' with 'name'. Much of his lyrics just sound forced. That wouldn't be all too bad though, except for the fact that these lyrics screwed up his flow. That's why I don't consider it to be that great of an album. It is good, though.
Stillmatic was his most consistent, IMO. His flow was perfect, and his rhyme schemes were more complex than they had ever been. Nearly every song on the album was great... the intro, Ether, Got Yourself A Gun, You're the Man, Rewind, One Mic, 2nd Childhood, Destroy and Rebuild, and The Flyest. Now that I think about it, ESPECIALLY The Flyest. That song is pure gold. And for some reason, You're the Man stirs some deep emotions in me... very dramatic track IMO. It's mostly due to the beat, though. Nas' flow perfectly compliments it.
I will say that I think of Stillmatic as being one of the greatest rap albums I've ever heard. Not sure where it would place, though. I just know my #1 of all time is Makavelli. Nobody beats 2Pac in my book (as far as rap is concerned, anyway).
I'll pretend I didn't just fucking see that. I Am is not only one of his best albums, but one of the best albums of all godamned time. No way that it should be lumped with Stillmatic or Nastradamus.
Ugh. I Am is Nas' 2nd worst album IMO (just ahead of Nastradamus). The only good tracks are Hate Me Now, that one with Scarface, and the closer one where he kills his cheating wife. Remember that fumbling for rhymes I was talking about in It Was Written? I Am has it in fucking spades. The Biggie/2Pac tribute is almost enough to make me gag.
"Will we ever see another MC as nice/ Will you return to us like the ressurection of Christ"
*shudder*
I'm glad that somebody can enjoy it, though.
