My opinion is unpopular as I prefer RTD. An amazing short album vs. an amazing longer album. I actually thought Gimmie the Loot was 2 people at first, Biggie & Sadat X. Hip-hoppers always talk about 1988 being the best year, but I prefer 1994. Just imagine, an album as great as Southernplayasticcadillakmusic is probably not in the top 2 albums of that year. Also I used to be into Bay Area rap from 1992-96, and 1994 was the peak year there too.
Erratic put so much thought into his post that I wish I knew about rap in order to give it the attention it deserves Surely there are enough rap aficionados here to answer it?
True, but one has to listen to, and understand shit before making any objective comments about it. I did and do.
Agree... that's why I'm abstaining, I've not listened enough to either to truly judge... I just can't get into this stuff, I need melody and harmony
Since cdogg won't I guess I have to. On Illmatic Nas evolves to a simplicity of rhythmic communication under a dark mood suspended in the ambient tones but re-introduces thematic narration to make this the album that raised the bar for hip hop music so much that it forced other groups back toward less ambitious works. Recombinations of fragments flow from balanced synergy and tonal equality with chaotic beats, building each track that emphasize a pulse in dominant strokes.
Ok I'll try harder ... With Ready To Die, Smalls isn't merely plugged into the East Coast zeitgeist, he actually defines that zeitgeist himself. His deft wordplay recalls Thurber's cynical wit and Wilde's winking subversion while his meter reveals a formidable mastery of the idiom, reminding the listener simultaneously of Milton, Yeats and Hughes. When he salutes "the honeys making money, playing niggas just like dummies", one can easily deduce this as a loving tribute to feminine intelligence. At its heart, this is an album celebrating female empowerment and denouncing patriarchal hypocrisy. A powerful and substantial statement
As absurd as I what I just wrote is, it's not that different than the kind of insane shit written about Kanye West shouting about fucking you bent over a sink while the most clueless and irritating set of samples and beats blares in the background
When Mick Jagger testifies "you make a dead man cum" on "Start Me Up", his audacious metaphor for the struggles of the Civil Rights movement only becomes more apparent and bold
I’ll put it simply this way. Illmatic is a classic amazing album. I think it’s one of the few albums where I liked every single track and could listen to it from start to finish without having to skip any songs. As awesome as Biggie was, RTD was a typical album and I think I only liked about 5 of the tracks on it, if even that many.
i like illmatic better. really though, its not my favorite nas album. could be due to having heard every song too many times
Illmatic. It's all preference. But Illmatic just RESONATED more for me than did RTD. Biggie's stuff is obviously catchier than Nas but I've always been one for the substance and story telling. Both have high replay value. But Illmatic has gotten more spins from me. I think Illmatic is a top 3 hip hop album of all time. I don't quite rate RTD that high though it can be in top 10.
Both are Classic, Must Have Albums For ANY So-Called Hip Hop Fan... That Said, REED Rates “Ready to Die” Higher... Off Top, The Mere Fact This is a LEGIT Hip-Hop Topic DOESNT Speak Well For Nas’ Case, Based on the Quality of PRODUCTION “Illmatic” Had... DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and even Q-Tip???...Doesn’t Get Any Better Than That, Back Then...Based on This Alone, "Illmatic" Should've Blown "Ready to Die" Out of the Water, yet it Didn't.... “Ready to Die” is a CD You Can Also Play Start to Finish, Like “Illmatic”... Nas was Married to That Queensbridge Flow Back Then, Which Made Biggie MORE Interesting to Listen To, in REED’s Opinion... And Biggie’s TRUE Gift was His Ability to Spit UNCOMFORTABLE Shit in a Fashion That was Technically Sound, Yet CREATIVE Simultaneously...Case in Point, the "Gimme the Loot" Rhyme, "Me and My Bitch" Rhyme or the Chorus from "Everyday Struggle"... The Subject Matter Certainly Wasn't REED's Cup of Tea, but Biggie's ARTISTRY Shines Bright in Those Instances... It's Not by an Appreciable Margin, but Give REED "Ready to Die".... REED
