Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Benteke
Not the whole of IWW was Nas on the Mafioso bandwagon, the content is a bit harder but the production definitely doesn't sound Mafia-esque (listening through now, toward the end it does kinda go that way). He does it well though, nobody is saying he was a pioneer of that style, if you're gonna use that against Nas then you should do the same w/ Reasonable Doubt, that was just another Mafioso type New York CD that was average when it came out and Nas is a better lyricist than Jay and does it better imo (I Gave You Power is a classic imo.)
I think I was discussing IWW on here not long ago and said I didn't like If I Ruled the World and the song with Dre but other than that the CD is very strong.
Blueprint 2 was awful imo and a flop in comparison to it's predecessor. I listened to it at the time and didn't rate it at all, maybe I'll give it another go but doubt my opinion will change. I didn't like Untitled either. Street's Disciple was crap as well.
What is your opinion on the other Nas albums, say between Illmatic to Life is Good? Fair ratings?
Tbh the point I was trying to make was that when you analyse the discographies a bit, Nas has the stronger discography, thus trumping Jay-Z at what he apparently does best.
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In terms of using the same argument against Jay on RD, I don't think you can. I'm saying Nas jumped on a bandwagon and that's easily recognizable because Nas had a preceding album that was a completely different style. If you look at RD even, it had more than just Mafia joints. It was almost an examination of the mind of a hustler, rather than just stories of debauchery. Even if it was just mafia stuff, Jay didn't have a preceding album that gave him a foundation. RD was a foundation. I also don't think "Mafioso rap" has a defined sound. Life After Death, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and Reasonable Doubt/It Was Written all sound completely different, despite all being grouped under the umbrella of mafioso rap. When that title is given to something, it is more indicative of the lyrical content.
Nas may have been a better lyricist on Illmatic than Jay. But on RD, Jay was a much more interesting lyricist than Nas. The only lyrically interesting joints on there were "I Gave You Power", "The Set Up", and "Take it in Blood". Even "I Gave You Power" was sort of a rip off of "Stray Bullet" from Organized Konfusion's second album.
Here's my ratings of their discogs:
Nas
Illmatic: 5
Lost Tapes: 4.5
It Was Written: 3.5
Stillmatic: 4
Life Is Good: 3.5
I Am: 3
God's Son: 4
Untitled: 3
Hip-Hop Is Dead: 3
Nastradamus: 2.5
Street's Disciple: 3
Average: 3.63
Reasonable Doubt: 5
The Blueprint: 5
The Black Album: 4.5
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1: 3.5
American Gangster: 4.5
Vol. 3... The Life and Times of S. Carter: 4
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life: 3.5
Kingdom Come: 3
Magna Carta Holy Grail: 3
The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse: 3
The Blueprint 3: 2.5
Average: 3.77
It's close, but Jay is still better by my ratings.