Nas Album: “I Am... (Explicit)”

I wrote a different review so Im hoping the other one wont be shown after this one since Ive changed my opinion about this CD...

Anyway, "I Am" is my favorite album. I wish this one and "It Was Written" would get more credit by Hip Hop fans who claim "Illmatic is the best". I don't see how. I have heard every Nas album and this one is by far.. the best. People just don't understand Escobar because he's more mature and more of a thinker.. unlike nasty. This album is certainly worth the money, so please listen yourself instead of copying people why say illmatic was a "classic" and everything else from Nas is trash.

"I Am" isnt perfection, but it's still ill, in my opinion. The Intro was tight, followed by at least 10 good songs after. "NY state of mind pt 2" which was a sequel to "NY state of mind" from illmatic, tells about life in New York, over a great piano beat. "Hate Me Now" was great.. Puffy or no Puffy. I wasnt concerned with the hook that much anyway, which is all Puffy did. "Small World" is my favorite song EVER, a deep story about two people named Carolyn and Snuk over an obvious non-looped piano beat. "Favor for a favor" had a nice beat, Scarface's lyrics could have been a little more intelligent like Nas' lyrics on the song though. It's gangster material. "We will survive" shows how Nas could have respect for people who didnt even respect him (like 2Pac) as he sent a message to Pac and Biggie Smalls. This song is a lot like Illmatic's "One Love".. anyway, "Ghetto prisoners" was very poetic, I wasnt feelin the beat all that much though. Lyrics were great!

"You Wont See Me Tonight" came after the first block of the album. Obviously Timbaland did this track (Since you hear his voice in the background), and Alliyah sang the hook. Too jiggy for me, but not that bad. Anyway, "I want to talk to you" addressed important issues to the government (good song), where as "Dr. Knockboot" was just playa material over a bad beat. Luckily it wasnt that long.. The collab. with DMX "Life Is What You Make It" had a rather boring/stupid beat, lyrics werent so bad though. I thought "Big Things" was stupid originally, but it actually has decent lyrics. I just think Nas should stay away from dirty south flow and beats. "Nas Is Like" was ill, great lyrics, great flow, great beat (Thanks to DJ Premier). "KISSING" was about married life, decent I guess, but kinda boring. A beat Ive heard before too (From R Kelly I guess). "Money is my *****" was good, decent-to-good beat, and was about the good and bad of having money. and "Undying love" had a nice acoustic guitar beat. A song where Nas' "wife" cheats on him and he accidently ends up killing her, and himself (Fictional of course). Its tight though. Similar to Eminem's "Kim" only not as sick.

Anyway, this is a great album, unlike Illmatic and It Was Written, this CD DOES have a few bad songs, but all the others make up for them. Its great, and had elements of both the album title, and of Nas' first album Illmatic.

Being a fan of Nas, I picked up this album the week it came out. But surprisingly, I discovered that nobody else did. Maybe people lost respect for him after It Was Written? But this is a great album regardless.

All your favorite qualities you'd expect from Nas are on here, like a good storytelling ("Small World"), great lyrical metaphors ("Money Is My B" - I don't know why they even TRIED to play this on the radio), and simple yet dope lyrics ("Ghetto Prisoners", "Nas Is Like"). The obligatory DMX collaboration "Life Is What You Make It" is still great, although it can't compare to when Scarface shows up for "Favor For A Favor". And "Dr. Knockboot" is interesting and funny at the same time.

This is overall a great album, although I seriously could've done without "Undying Love" (well, the chorus, anyway). Also, "K-I-SS-I-N-G" and "You Won't See Me Tonight" with Aaliyah are obviously filler. (By the way, the latter was supposed to be the last single off this album, but instead of releasing it, Nas dished out Nastradamus. Hmmm.)

This album is amazing. The first rap album I owned and I started listening to rap mostly because of this album. Nas' rhymes are sharp and captivating. Highly recommended

Nas's 3rd LP labeled "I Am..", is a heavy hitting one. If the album didn't falter just a bit towards the end, I would have loved to give it 5 stars. The album begins with the remix of NY State of Mind. I LOVED the first NY State of Mind from Illmatic, but, I didn't enjoy the second. It just didn't hit as hard. The album really kicks into high gear with "Hate Me Now" with Puffy, "Small World", "Favor for a Favor" and "We Will Survive". Nas pays respect to the late great Biggie and Tupac in "We Will Survive" letting them know that they'll always be the greatest, even in death. "Hate me Now" is obviously addressing all the "haters" that hate on Nas. He takes a political stand in "I want to talk to you" stating he wants to talk to the president and his entire administration. While I do not condone the position he has taken, (as it is difficult for the presidential administration to run an entire country) I do respect it. He asks the governor to imagine if it was his backyard (referring to the ghetto streets). The album stays strong throughout, especially with the arrival of "Nas is Like", an amazing banger. "KISSING" is the only downfall in my opinion along with NY State of Mind. The album closes out with a stellar track called "Undying Love" in which Nas tells a story about a love gone bad where he ends up killing her accidentally and eventually winds up killing himself (if i'm not mistaken). All in all, some amazing tracks make up this album and proves that Nas solidifies his position as a hip hop kingpin.

When I heard the album Illmatic, I thought no other Nas album can be as good. But then I heard I Am... I was surprised. I liked this one better. On other Nas albums, Nas just focuses on lyrics, but on this one, he focuses on both lyrics and beats. All the songs are good. I never have to skip a track when I play the CD. I just lay back and let the CD go. My favorite songs on this album are: NY State Of Mind Part II, Hate Me Now, Big Things, Favor For A Favor, Small World, Life Is What You Make It, and Money Is My B***h.

Guest appearances include: Scarface, DMX, Puff Daddy/ P. Diddy, R. Kelly, Aaliyah, etc.

This album is good for anyone that likes rap with good uptight beats, lyrics, and nice flows.