Bob

it seems those all are positively behind the album title...saying that if anyone can do it, it'd be nas...

but i wouldn't consider those as hiphop fans. i mean, someone like Lance Armstrong is influential but that doesn't mean he'd influence interior decorators. The audience that can be influenced by hip hop artists in fact is heavily influenced by Nas. I wouldn't count the current fans of rap and snap music part of that audience. So ya, he is as influential as you can be within your genre. I have a hard time saying rap and hip hop in the same sentence. Rapping is a tool that anyone can use. Hip Hop is the use of rapping to express something meaningful. That's at least how I see it.

"typical rap listener"? Maybe by that you mean radio listener, and then the people listening to soulja boy, mims, and hurricane chris. but they wouldn't be typical hip hop listeners. Nas is a big name for anyone who enjoys hip hop. Anyone who's listening to pop-rap, snap-rap, basically anything on the radio today wouldn't know who any hip hop artist is past kanye west and jay-z.

Whether it be the controversy over titling an album "God's Son", making Jesus metaphors in the "Hate me Now" video, making a song like "I can", or creating an entire movement off of his album "Hip Hop is Dead", i'd say he's been pretty influential. Influental in what way.. I mean, in the last 5 years there were only few names that had influence (mostly bad one, but still) but still) and thats Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z... Hate Me Now was aimed at selling records, thats al.. I mean, it got Puff Daddy on it.. Nas himself admitted that in a intervieuw. Calling a album God's son is just as wack is calling it n-word. with dance, you saw that a commercially successful rapper could be honest in the same era as the 50 vs Ja times when you couldn't show any emotion. UBR was the best rap dedication song i've ever heard. Ether redefined the "diss" so to speak. How wasn't he influential with Hate me Now? It got people talking and it continued to grow Nas's voice out there. Nas has had alot of influence in the last 5 years, and most recently with Hip Hop is Dead. Idk how many people can start a whole movement alone.

it's upsetting i missed that... :shakehead:

Whether it be the controversy over titling an album "God's Son", making Jesus metaphors in the "Hate me Now" video, making a song like "I can", or creating an entire movement off of his album "Hip Hop is Dead", i'd say he's been pretty influential. not to mention his influences on the game itself like with ether or UBR and such. Regarding Hip Hop is Dead, I think it was a ridiculously amazing album....a true hip hop album, head to toe...completely focused. Which hasn't been the case with any commercially successful record in the last five years. "Not Going Back", "Where are they Now", "Carry on Tradition", "Who Killed it", "Still Dreaming", "Blunt Ashes", "Let there be light", "Can't Forget about you", "Hope", "Shine On", "Hip Hop is Dead"...even the colab with Jay in "Black Republican" show that this album clearly was something focused. That isn't present in Hip Hop anymore. So no, it was very special in the climate of the recent industry. So other than "How to Rob" and "Ghetto Quaran", when did 50 make good songs? Like meaningful, intelligent? When I said "abilities", it's alot more than just spitting bars, it's being focused, something that 50 never does. He jumps around, even on his first album, like crazy trying to appease everyone. Nas is the most focused of the commercially successful rappers. You have guys like KRS-One and Mos Def and Talib who are more focused but I wouldn't say their words have hit as many ears.

or i could recognize he's been one of the most influential in the game in the last 5 years. if there's someone out there who can make a point, and do it well, it's nas. and there's no reason to crap on him or anyone who realizes his abilities just because it's controversial. :wickedwisdom: like i always say, "it's ok, you've got the right to disagree with the truth."

you know...i liked lost and found for the storytelling. i mean the track i play to my friends alot is "just one of those days"....so to hear will come back with ms. holly roller, scary story, if you can't dance (the storytelling verse)...it's enjoyable. I LOVE the storytelling rap. I wish that was more prevalent in rap...even just fun storytelling. just one of those days is definitely playing now. and again. and again. my friends love it...it's soo fluid and i know it has no purpose in this discussion but still haha

I think it's exactly what nas wants you to say...."What is the point?"....well, buy the album and find out.

this album will have no ties, financially or contractually to columbia. LA reid (of Def Jam that will release the album) was just shown supporting the title of the album, "and anything our artists do. Nas is prophetic and whatever it will be it will be smart." http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572402/20071019/nas.jhtml I, while I don't use nor support the word, think it's genius of Nas. As he said in an interview, it's obviously going to be intelligent, focused stuff. It also keeping him relevant in hip hop today. I mean, most guys his age have to sit back and accept people not talking about them anymore. I think it's also interesting because Jermaine Dupri was interviewed by MTV today and he said that Nas initially approached him about being a little more radio friendly for this album months ago, but since has completely abandoned that for an album with meaning. should be interesting....and ya, 50 cent, king of controversy....move aside. (50 was quoted today by hiphopdx.com saying "Nas sucks. What's the point of that being a title?")

Sorry, I had to post it real quick so I didnt get into details. Is LL really waay gone? I never said my opinion whether I want him to stay or not. I don't care what he does as long as he continues to put out quality music and not ride that backs of 50 Cent and G-Unit in order to achieve commercial success. if you go to sohh.com there's an article about how that same thing you read is really LL accusing Jay of stopping his records from being played...

eh it feels just as busy as anytime within the last year...

lovin it...

I heard the call too ....if you listen to it again, the caller isn't asking if LL is leaving. He's asking about beef in general. LL is wayyy gone dude...sorry to burst your bubble

yes, i've been through this song like 80 times today lol

Man, I've been here for a year and it's a routine....I started getting scared when Tim changed it from "we'll come back for I am Legend" to "may come back".... ahha wow, time to catch up... oh, and I was so hyped because Chamillionaire gave big props to Will in an interview last week...he was saying if he'd give one hip-hop honor to one person, who would it be? and he said if not 2pac...then Will... "I know it sounds crazy but he did his thing in hip hop and now he's doing his thing in movies...with the model image down" and i had nowhere to post about it arghhhhh

he won't...it will be street tracks

ok you just owned my mentions.. common was sick on that. used to love her also got the west mad...boohoo lol.

if it weren't for "bridge is over", "takeover", "nail in the coffin", or "ether" then mayybeee the best. maybe. :fencing:

No I have...It just seems that LL has a bravado that's only going to be heightened by his involvement with 50 Cent...and bravado is not as big as wit nowadays.

the thing is...the battling today is quite different than yester-year...LL comes from a time where you throw "fa**ot" "kill" "murder" in a diss and it's hard and on point...Jay-Z perfected that battle rhyme of today: Cleverness In today's climate, an LL diss record would sound no different than Ja Rule's "Loose Change" or 50 Cent's "Haily Mary"...and would be looked down upon as a G-Unit style dumb, bravado record...unless LL flipped his style and went clever, but he's unproven in that department of disses. Jay has it in terms of clever, rhyme-around-the-opponent-until-his-knees-buckle rapping...and that's what makes me think he'd win

I'd give Jay the advantage in this one...yes "The Ripper Strikes Back" was ridiculous....but Jay has been on point more and more every year with his energy on aggressive tracks...whether it be "Dig A Hole", "Brooklyn High", "Hustlin' Remix", "Watch What You Say"....Jay is definitely is ready to deliver if he so chooses. But the thing is, Jay won't. LL is gonna do the 50 cent thing and start the feud to build hype...and he already took some shots and Jay is just hovering over it...... And LL has ALOT to prove to me to keep his name relevant today in terms of aggressive MC's

it's a completely different artist in my opinion... there's a definite southern feel still on it, which is not my favorite thing, but his intelligence really takes over i hated his last album too...

that was the only slight at kanye...he's done it before where he's made one song and then recycle the lyrics... that song was about going off to war as a troop... there's another song he did the same with...on his january 2006 mixtape he did a verse over an old school beat by clinton sparks and featured with busta rhymes.... and the same lyrics he used later for Rhymefest's "Brand New"

It's the right move for him...in many ways it's what the Black Album was going to be before he made dirt off your shoulder and change clothes... kingdom come was awesome and yes it was sophisticated...but this should resonate...as long as jay doesn't get pop-single happy again... WOW NAS AND JAY-Z RELEASING ALBUMS AT THE SAME TIME AGAIN ONLY A YEAR LATER!!!!! WOOOO...Nas said his new album should be in stores in december...and his greatest hits will be out soon with two new tracks...one with C-Lo from the Rush Hour 3 soundtrack...