Nas: I Am… The Autobiography

I was in college at this time and Napster was becoming the “rage.” Many releases were bootlegged via the internet (Inspectah Deck’s “Uncontrolled Substance” comes to mind as well). I think the inclusion of some, but not all of these songs would have made “I Am” and “Nastradamus” better albums.

I personally like all of Nas’s albums. The content of his rhymes have basically stayed the same…street joint, club/radio joint, introspective joint, story telling joint, political joint, etc. The production has changed somewhat, but when you drop a perfect album such as “Illmatic” its hard to top that. Nothing he has done after “Illmatic” has even come close. I’m still a big, big, big fan of “It Was Written.”

I got the same feeling as Thomas… I remember all these as Napster tracks.. I got my first computer in 2001, and as a huge hip hop fiend it was instand download overload as I discovered all sorts of hidden and unreleased gems that weren’t on the albums I had bought. Kev, another good look.

Nice compilation Kevin, even though we won’t know how the real deal would have look like. I don’t think a double disc version would have made it better and to be honest I Am… is already a Classic LP to me, cause it always reminds me to the first CD’s I bought and the time I started listening to Rap.

Back in 99 i was kicking it with my boy from Philly and he had a vesion of I am that had a lot of these tracks on it. I was hyped bout the album but when It came out and i bought it, apart from 3 songs i was kinda let down.

I think they should have taken NY state of mind part 2 ( arguably one of primo’s top 5 best beats of all time ), undying love and ghetto prisoners off the CD added them to this line up and put it out as one CD.

The tracks here are more introspective with better beats than the official release. These joints really gave you a look into Nas’s mind more.

Tracks like Big things, money is my bitch etc were’nt really saying much compared to stuff like Amongst kings, drunk by myself or worst enemy. Even storywise Blaze a 50 is way more detailed and graphically stunning than Small world.

Most importantly these joints made you FEEL something. When one of my cousins died i remember pulling out an old tape which had “sometimes i wonder” on it and buring an el walking through my neighborhood at the time and when Nas was doing the third verse talking bout his dead friends i just lost it and started crying cause the beat and rhyme just pulled it out of me.

It’s really a shame that these song were’nt put out the way they were supposed to ( similar thing happend with Mobb Deep’s murda muzik ) but thats the game. Good looking out on posting these joints.

Peace

I can remember reading that Nas scraped the whole concept for the double album. I want to say he recorded all new tracks for both albums. “The Lost Tapes” is probably the probably closest to the intended “I Am…” double disc than what was released. If you listen to the unreleased joints (and “The Lost Tapes”) the theme is evident (to me anyway). What was released didn’t have that cohesion to me. I still like both albums…even Nastradamus. I can listen to “Project Window” all day….great song.

Thanks for this compilation, i’m getting into Nas more and more…

firstly, props Kev for running the best blog ever

secondly, jus like you, unreleased music in their original configurations fascinate me also

if you know anymore please keep us devotees in the loop

this original config shat on the released album, damn

any how excellent blog mate

peace.

if only I AM wasnt bootleged and realesed as the orginal it nas would have 3 straight classics

Any chance for a re-up on this?

second coming is a french producer remix of all the acapellas in the beginning of QB Finest

its a real record but it is from after 1999.

also the rise and fall and my worst enemy are from 2000 and were from the death of escobar album, not i am

Dead link. any chance of reuping. Cheers.

Can I get a re-up? PLEASE?