Nas
I Am...


3.0
good

Review

by michaelbchnn USER (5 Reviews)
September 26th, 2008 | 55 replies


Release Date: 1999 | Tracklist

Review Summary: On His third album Nas begins his descent into mediocrity.

The Late 90s was a great time for Hip Hop. 1998 was a commercial breakthrough for the genre with Jay- Z going quintuple platinum, hardcore rapper DMX releasing two triple platinum albums and Lauryn Hill wining album of the year at the Grammy’s. 1999 saw The Rise of Cash Money and their bling rap, the Return of Dr. Dre and his white boy protégé Eminem and the continuing of Jay-Z’s critical and commercial dominance. Lost in the Mix of all this was former lyrical prodigy Nas who released two increasingly commercial albums to lukewarm reception. The first being I Am…

Initially intended to be an autobiographical double album, Nas scrapped the idea after rampant bootlegging led the album to be one of the first high profile victims of the internet. After going back to the studio and starting over Nas returned with a seemingly compromising album that only leaves you wondering who he really is.

Lyrically he’s still good sometimes even brilliant but unlike It Was Written his flow is often lazy which doesn’t go over well when the beats are as weak as the ones provided hear. The album starts off well enough with “New York State of Mind Part 2”, another graphically detailed report of life in the hood, the song does suffer from a surprisingly weak beat from Dj Premier that makes Nas flow seem tired. Small world and We Will Survive are other highlights, the latter being written in the form a letter, dedicating the fist two verses to the deceased Tupac and Biggie. But the two best songs on the album are the Dj Premier produced “Nas Is Like” and the haunting “Undying Love. On the former, Premier Provides Nas with maybe the best beat he’s ever rapped over. This is braggadocio Nas style and on this track at least, he does it better than pretty much anyone else. It makes you wonder why they haven’t hooked up more often. Undying love is a meticulously detailed account of infidelity where Nas shows almost unrivaled skill as a storyteller.

That’s it for the highlights, of the remaining songs only "Big Things is truly awful. Everything else is at the very least listenable, "Hate Me Now" which is probably more famous for the contraversial video and the Puff Daddy drama that followed, is Nas's retort to his critics but he just sounds awkward over such a booming beat and it doesn't help that Puff is constantly screaming in the background. Songs like "Ghetto Prisoners and "I Want to Talk To You" try to be positive but suffer from weak beats and Nas's patented contradictoy rhymes.

I Am... isn't a bad album, it's just not good enough for someone with Nas's considerable talents, and only leaves you wondering why Nas has chosen to become one of the pack.


user ratings (539)
2.8
good
other reviews of this album
thecreative0ne (3)
Nas should have renamed this, I Am... Something Else, Just Not Nasty Nas Anymore....



Comments:Add a Comment 
bastard
September 26th 2008


3432 Comments


needs a conclusion plz

kthxbai.

kygermo
September 26th 2008


1007 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

"Nas is like" owns!

Pointro
September 27th 2008


14 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Primo and Nas need to be locked in a studio together...



Did you HEAR the tracks that were cut from this album?!? This would've been classic. Almost makes me feel gulilty...

---

Review is alright. I agree with bastard that the conclusion needs to be longer.This Message Edited On 09.26.08

Hollow
April 9th 2009


263 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Nas Is Like is one of the best tracks I've ever heard, it's not so bad overall but I agree, it gets kinda different and boring some times, Nas can do much much better.

AtavanHalen
April 9th 2009


17919 Comments


State of Mind Pt. 2 is killer.

Hollow
July 8th 2009


263 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I kinda like NY State Of Mind II beat more than the original one, don't know why, probably because of those nice added piano sounds.

IRAI
December 13th 2009


1567 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Undying Love is my fav on this album. when i hear it, it moves me.



very deep / serious stuff.

HalfManHalfAmazing
August 17th 2010


2795 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Overall, not that bad. Plenty of great songs on this album, but a few fillers as well.

MUNGOLOID
August 17th 2010


4551 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

wasn't as bad as i expected, but that's not saying much.

Hocmat
July 31st 2011


648 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Nas is Like fucking destroys. Too bad it's swimming in a sea of shit.

ToMMyMiL116
October 13th 2011


1474 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

No way. This album is really good. I can't believe this has an average rating of 2.8! Nas is like, you can hate me now, dr knockboot, ny state of mind part 2, you wont see me tonight, life is what you make it! Oh, the humanity.......

Cadda
October 13th 2011


162 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I thought it was pretty good too.

ToMMyMiL116
October 13th 2011


1474 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

@ Hollow - I completely agree. Pt 2 is way better

snoopdogg6969
October 17th 2012


419 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I like NY state of mind pt 2, life is what you make it. nas is like and money is my bitch are decent too. But overall this sucks ass compared to his first two albums, so much boring trash throughout the album I couldn't even sit down and listen all the way through.

jamzyc905
December 25th 2012


1 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

4.9 a underrated CLASSIC!!

SPRFanOf5H
June 2nd 2014


874 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

"Hate Me Now" is way underrated, one of Nas' better tracks especially with Puff Daddy's feature. The screaming from Combs is bearable to an extent, but the beat is sick and its featured on NBA 2K14 too which is kinda cool.

ndhreviewsrap
April 18th 2015


15 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This might be where Nas is starting to fall off. It is still a strong album, but not his best.

Album rating: 9.6/10



Best Songs:

NY State Of Mind Pt II

Hate Me Now

Small World

Favor For A Favor

Nas Is Like

Undying Love



Worst Songs:

Dr. Knockbot

Big Things

KISSING

Money is My B****

SPRFanOf5H
April 21st 2015


874 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

The album intro needs to be given more credit, it's fantastic with the gloomy background music in the first 20 seconds then it transitions to all of Nas' hits made prior to the album. Really well done, and NY State Of Mind II is also great as well but I can't say whether it's better than the original on Illmatic.

beefshoes
April 21st 2015


8445 Comments


This album and Nastradamus should have never happened.

Storm In A Teacup
May 16th 2016


46404 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

A poor man's dream, a thug poet.



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