Nas
Freshman Opus: Illmatic
# of tries: 8
Close but no Cohiba: It Was Written
You know the story. In 1993, Nas dropped arguably the greatest debut album of all time. Ever! It was 10 tracks (nine and an intro) of some of the rawest raps ever put in physical form with production from some of the best in the game. This album is a perfect 10 from top to bottom. Since then, Nas has not been able to harness the greatness that was Illmatic. Whatever you blame it on, beat selection, beef, personal problems, setting the bar too high, Nas has yet to reach the same LP magic. It Was Written is a close second. But since then, buying a Nas album is like blindly picking candy out of a grab bag. You could get a Snickers. But you might f-ck around and get licorice or some sh#t. Maybe it was all that snuffing Jesus talk.
