Nas' first four albums famously wore portraits of the MC in a different light.
He was a kid on Illmatic.
He was an adult on It Was Written.
He was a pharaoh on I Am...
He was Nostradamus on Nastradamus.
The uniformed imagery paired with the super-strong material he was laying down creates a consistency that no other MC has matched. Not to add fuel to a dead fire, but Jay Z's Volumes just weren't quite as strong as Nas' first four albums...let's face it.
We could easily load up a list with 10 Illmatic joints, but that would be lazy. So, along with a cut off the best album in rap history, we're digging in to Nas' other 'portrait albums' to feed you some tasty gems from the MC's earlier work.
Nas - It Ain't Hard To Tell
Illmatic is a through-and-through, tried-and-true classic piece of hip-hop history. There isn't really a deep cut on the album due to its legendary status. However, it just wouldn't be right to do a #TBT list of Nasir Jones' work without including at least one cut off the album.
"It Ain't Hard To Tell" finished the album on a high-note. The Michael Jackson-sampling beat is amongst the best on the perfect album, and Nas' bars are hot fire.
Nas - The Message
So how do you follow up an album of Illmatic-caliber? Most MCs participate in some sophomore slumpin', but not Nasir.
"Fake thug, no love
You get the slug CB4 Gusto
Your luck low, I didn't know 'til I was drunk though"
Nas comes out of the gates HARD. Trackmasters laced him with a proper beat that includes all sorts of rich sounds, including nylon guitar. The chorus samples Illmatic too, just to add a little insult to injury for the haters and naysayers.
It Was Written is generally acclaimed as Nas' second best work, but some artists such as Lupe Fiasco are actually more influenced by the change in styles.
Nas featuring Foxy Brown - Watch Dem Niggas
Nas featuring Foxy Brown - Watch Dem Niggas
"Imagine that, that's why I hardly kick the bragging raps
I zone, to each his own and this ghetto inhabitant"
Nas linked up with The Firm, a supergroup that included Foxy Brown, AZ, Nature and (for a brief period) Cormega under Dr. Dre's production. One of the products of this relationship was "Watch Dem Niggas," a reminder that you can never place too much trust in someone in the hip-hop world.
Nas - Take It In Blood
The storytelling capabilities of Nas brings another dimension to street life. He has soul when he talks of the struggle, and without glorifying it (too much), he makes it relatable for everyone. "Take It In Blood" is a perfect example of this ability, as he tells the tales of the street life in a truly heartfelt way.
Nas featuring AZ, Cormega & Foxy Brown - Affirmative Action
The legendary lineup for The Firm didn't last long, but at least they dropped off this mafioso classic for us to jam to. With 5-star verses by AZ, Cormega and Nas, leave it to Foxy Brown to really shine on this one. Absolutely legendary.
Nas - Black Girl Lost
Before Kanye gave us "All Falls Down," the struggle-story of the black female, Nas gave us "Black Girl Lost." It was less tongue-in-cheek and with a chorus of Jo-Jo of K-Ci & Jo-Jo fame, this is one of the finest hip-hop/R&B crossovers of the 90s.
Nas - Nas Is Like
Nas - Nas Is Like
I Am... wasn't quite as strong as It Was Written, but there's definitely some noteworthy cuts on Nas' (first) 1999 album.
"Nas Is Like" is one of the finest joints on the album. With some DJ Premier production that is unmistakably his, the scratchy, sampled chorus complete with meaningful bars makes this one a classic.
"Some'll fall, but I rise, thug or die
Makin choices, that determine my future under the sky
To rob steal or kill, I'm wondering why
It's a dirty game, is any man worthy of fame?
Much to success to ya, even if you wish me the opposite
Sooner or later we'll all see who the prophet is"
Nas featuring Scarface - Favor for a Favor
A true manual for street code, "Favor for a Favor" has Nas trading bars with Houston's Scarface, proving that geography didn't always mean rivalry in the 90s. The two talk guns and murder on one of the hardest tracks on I Am...
Nas featuring Ron Isley - Project Window
A stark contract from the previously-listed "Favor for a Favor," "Project Window" shows the other side of street life. It's true that the beat dictates the mood of the track, and the grand piano-driven tune, met with Ron Isley's signature croon, feels like a pining for a better life.
Nas featuring Mobb Deep - Family
The Queens connection turns in to family on this track. Havoc and Prodigy joined Nas on the 1999 Nastradamus album, spitting over triumphant horns bars of blood thicker than water, the crew shouts out their boys in the pen.