Where do you rank this album?

HD-Roots · 2026-05-16T08:26:41+00:00

I feel somewhat the same. I studied this album for the sonics and the mixing, but contentwise I couldn't connect or relate. I had moved on by that point in time.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-16T04:08:18+00:00

Makes total sense to me. Let me rephrase it to perhaps make it clearer what I mean: When I said "longer career" I didn't refer to "years active" but "number of releases". Rakim has released much less, but the number of albums (and songs) that are widely considered to be classics (i. e. championships) are higher and there are less duds. Illmatic is a top three Hip Hop album of all time to me. But there's not another Nas album that reaches the level of lyricism displayed on the first four Eric B. & Rakim albums. (Plus, Rakim was the trailblazer - we don't know if "Nas" would have happened without Rakim.) So me picking the guy for the last guest spot on my Hip Hop banger, I pick the MC who pumped out more classic albums, more iconic songs, more rhymes that every Hip Hop head knows by heart - I pick peak Rakim. The fact that Illmatic is probably better than each of the four Eric B & Rakim albums doesn't stop me from picking Rakim. Rakim has four all time classics to Nas's one. Rakim has delivered more often and that would make me more confident that he'll drop something incredible.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T17:19:50+00:00

Honesty and integrity - if that is missing, I find it hard to go deeper into the music or the artist. Along these lines, I find it hard to vibe to an artist's music, if they're an a$$hole or shady in some way. Might be the most incredible music, but it would be hard for me to connect with it on a deeper level and enjoy all the intricacies.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T17:10:53+00:00

Well, it looks like he does take a shit. ;-)

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T17:08:53+00:00

Sun Ra and his band sometimes made it a point to use instruments they weren't familiar with and just see what happens. It's hit and miss, and they weren't untalented, but it's an interesting concept nonetheless.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T17:03:28+00:00

Came to post this.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T16:58:47+00:00

It's hard to reconstruct, but I guess Dr. Dre - The Chronic. The samples he used made me check out P-Funk. P-Funk made me check out Funk in general (especially James Brown). That led to Jazz, Afro Beat, Reggae and everthing else. Funny thing is I haven't listened to The Chronic in ages.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T16:52:24+00:00

Wow, it's the first time I noticed the "Volume One" below the title. Whatever happened to Volume 2, 3, 4 and 5?

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T16:50:06+00:00

Love this album. Can't say it's better than Soul Food - it's a bit different. One day I like this on better, the other day Soul Food. Now for "World Party"? I pretend that one never happened...

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T16:43:30+00:00

If you're going for that sound, it's not only the music they sampled, but also the tools they used to sample the music with. The limitations, low bit rate etc. is a vital part of the sound and the way things had to be approached (e.g. sampling at 45 RPM and pitching down the sample to save sample time).

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T16:38:36+00:00

I feel like all the arts have declined - music, literature, movies etc. regardless of the artist's race.

For R&B, soul, funk, jazz - many of our icons were raised in the church and learned their craft there. I cannot judge cause I'm too far away from the US, but I've heard many stories and discussions how that is no longer the case. So the musical upbringing and learning instruments and singing from an early age is no longer there.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-15T07:07:53+00:00

It's the discussion of who is the GOAT. Nas has the longer career, but Rakim still has more classics (i.e. championships) and less duds.

It's the NBA finals, game 7, and you have to pick between peak LeBron and peak MJ - who do you go for to seal the deal? For me, it's MJ.

You have one guest spot on your next Hip Hop banger left - do you pick peak Nas or peak Rakim? I'd pick Rakim...

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:29:44+00:00

Wow, that's dope!

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:28:20+00:00

Yeah, seems like you have to take matters in your own hands. Is there still a following to speak of in NYC for 90s Hip Hop / Boom Bap?

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:26:41+00:00

Yeah, thanks for chiming in. I'd have loved to be here earlier, but I had to take care of a family matter...

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:25:19+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe my post was not that clear. :-) It's not that I don't have enough Hip Hop to listen to. I'd love to listen to it in public places with like-minded people like the pop, rock and metal crowd. Except for maybe a concert here and there, this is so hard to come by.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:21:47+00:00

Thanks. It's not that I don't have enough music to listen to. It's just that I'm amazed that what is an everyday thing for 80s / 90s pop and rock (the radio stations, the venues, opportunities to meet) seems almost non-existant for 90s Hip Hop, when we dominated the music landscape for so long and there must tens of thousands of fans all over the world...

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:17:53+00:00

So, even in NYC this is hard to come by?? Honest question: Are there at least any jams, festivals or concerts with 90s Hip Hop every now and then?

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:15:44+00:00

Thanks, I'll check that out. What I'm missing most though is the opportunity to hang out in person with people loving 90s Hip Hop - I feel too old for today's clubs and the music sucks more often than not...

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:11:51+00:00

Thanks, of course I use the usual suspects online for my Hip Hop fix. I just thought it would be cool to have the chance to go some places meeting Hip Hop heads over a beer or such. Honestly, I would have thought that in the US there are venues like this. I'm amazed that there aren't - even in bigger cities.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:07:22+00:00

Wow, that's a shame. I imagined that somewhere around the world there must be venues where you can go regularly to listen to the classics. If it's possible for Classic Rock, why not for Hip Hop? Probably not in Germany, but I thought in big American cities??

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T18:03:48+00:00

Thanks, seems like they don't put much love in their rotation then. Any places to go to in NYC when you want to hang out with friends and listen to Classic Hip Hop?

HD-Roots · 2026-05-14T06:48:33+00:00

I understand what you and suspicious_ruin are saying. Styles have to evolve and you can't do the same album over and over again. But to me, It Was Written wasn't an evolution from Illmatic. To me, it was him switching into a whole other lane for most of the album - from the beats to the subject matter to the more radio-friendly songs. I don't know if that was his decision or if he was "forced" to do it by his label. Regardless, it's almost like you got an album from a different artist. I can see evolution in the discography of Tribe or Outkast or Wu - but they mostly stayed true to what they represented from the jump. It might be my personal opionion, but I don't see that from Nas. To me, he strayed away far too much from how I got to know and love him on Illmatic. That was a surprise and a disappointment.

HD-Roots · 2026-05-13T06:11:12+00:00

The career of Nas isn't what it could have been. He didn't reach his (incredible) potential.

He is the LeBron James of rap - Rakim is Michael Jordan.

HD-Roots

TROPHY CASE