LYRICALLY
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LYRICALLY
Soul On Ice vs Illmatic
ignore everything except rapping forte on these albums, which is better in terms of lyrics?
ignore everything except rapping forte on these albums, which is better in terms of lyrics?
UBM CD COMING SOON
They are close, but Illmatic wins because the lyrics are filled with difficult allusions, abstraction, and metaphor, but the songs as a whole are never difficult to decipher, which is something that only Nas and Rakim seem to pull off consistently. The perfect construction and delivery of the verses renders everything crystal clear. It's known as a landmark moment in rapping for a reason. Some of the artistic decisions that are made on this album are pretty daring: an epistolary song, a "back in the days" song that is really a rap version of "Goodfellas" and thus completely different from anything in rap before it, placing a mellow but optimistic song right next to one that is practically smooth jazz but depressing as hell, et.
Soul On Ice isn't nearly as challenging or rewarding, but Ras Kass's style is unique and the whole album flows convincingly like the journal/manifesto of an angry young black man, hence Soul On Ice. But it's no Illmatic.
Soul On Ice isn't nearly as challenging or rewarding, but Ras Kass's style is unique and the whole album flows convincingly like the journal/manifesto of an angry young black man, hence Soul On Ice. But it's no Illmatic.
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Illmatic by a narrow edge. Ras kass brillant demolishing of white supremacy partly based off Isis Papers on "Soul on ice", his laid back but nonchalant of hustling on "anything goes", and poignant take on the East/west beef on "sonset" is just as good as Nas dropping sage like wsidom on "one love", describing the crime ridden bleak surroundings of ny on "new york state of mind" and smooth yet hard lyricism on "it ain't hard to tell".
Great thread though tweak.
Great thread though tweak.
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Ahem, that book was written by a crazy woman with the research-ethics of a highschool freshman. Anyway, I prefer the angry and personal lyrics on Soul On Ice, most notably The Evil That Men Do and Miami Life.blessingindisguise wrote:Ras kass brillant demolishing of white supremacy partly based off Isis Papers on "Soul on ice"
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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Yeah but in 1997 in texts like this were in wide circulation and contributed to a retrospectively retarded but at the time fun and intriguing climate of pre-millenial paranoia, especially for those of us in high school or college at the time. The Isis Papers is every bit as much a part of hip hop culture in 1997 as hi-top fades were in 1987. You had to be there, I guess.Comedy Quaddafi wrote:Ahem, that book was written by a crazy woman with the research-ethics of a highschool freshman.blessingindisguise wrote:Ras kass brillant demolishing of white supremacy partly based off Isis Papers on "Soul on ice"
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I actually enjoyed reading it but when I got to the part where she explains how the cross represent the castration of black penis I stopped taking it serious and just went along for the ride. How he executed it [Ras] was pretty much perfect and he deserves infinite respect for making comfy whites soak their woobie with tears.
Edit: I really contradict myself here
Edit: I really contradict myself here
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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Haha, it's all good. Trust me, I was able to appreciate what Ras Kass did without uncritically worshiping the source of his inspiration. I was always somehwat wary of all that Behold A Pale Horse and Pawns In the Game stuff, but I'll be damned if "Ordo Ab Chao" isn't the shit.Comedy Quaddafi wrote:I actually enjoyed reading it but when I got to the part where she explains how the cross represent the castration of black penis I stopped taking it serious and just went along for the ride. How he executed it [Ras] was pretty much perfect and he deserves infinite respect for making comfy whites soak their woobie with tears.
Edit: I really contradict myself here
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SOI
Illmatic is god status and a perfectly reasonable choice, but in terms of lyrics, I have a preference for SOI.
Reelishymn, On Earth As It Is..., title track, Miami Life >
Both Illmatic and SOI are really trim albums in terms of filler percentage, meaning there are a lot of quality songs. Two of the best albums of all time.
Illmatic is god status and a perfectly reasonable choice, but in terms of lyrics, I have a preference for SOI.
Reelishymn, On Earth As It Is..., title track, Miami Life >
Both Illmatic and SOI are really trim albums in terms of filler percentage, meaning there are a lot of quality songs. Two of the best albums of all time.
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illmatic has more multis bro, wrong answerKITFUNK wrote:SOI
Illmatic is god status and a perfectly reasonable choice, but in terms of lyrics, I have a preference for SOI.
Reelishymn, On Earth As It Is..., title track, Miami Life >
Both Illmatic and SOI are really trim albums in terms of filler percentage, meaning there are a lot of quality songs. Two of the best albums of all time.
Nets 2022
So this is what you're gonna do? Follow me around the forum talking about multis in EVERY post?Reason wrote:illmatic has more multis bro, wrong answerKITFUNK wrote:SOI
Illmatic is god status and a perfectly reasonable choice, but in terms of lyrics, I have a preference for SOI.
Reelishymn, On Earth As It Is..., title track, Miami Life >
Both Illmatic and SOI are really trim albums in terms of filler percentage, meaning there are a lot of quality songs. Two of the best albums of all time.
If it was remotely funny it would be acceptable, but it isn't so please stop. Reading your posts are akin to watching a train wreck.
I know you get sad when you read my posts cause you're sensitive and insecure so they make you shed anus tears, but seriously, you're a faggot and you're trying to make a home for yourself in my asshole, but I won't allow it cause you have homo tendencies.
Now get out of my asshole you rice thug.
Made me LOL pretty hardReason wrote:illmatic has more multis bro, wrong answerKITFUNK wrote:SOI
Illmatic is god status and a perfectly reasonable choice, but in terms of lyrics, I have a preference for SOI.
Reelishymn, On Earth As It Is..., title track, Miami Life >
Both Illmatic and SOI are really trim albums in terms of filler percentage, meaning there are a lot of quality songs. Two of the best albums of all time.
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Absolutely positive. There were only a few people who really knew why Busta Rhymes was screaming "there's only 5 years left!" and getting excited as well as scurred as fuck when "Everything Remains Raw" dropped. "Behold A Pale Horse" is hip hop as much as RZA's Wu-Tang Manual. It's no irony that Killarmy's "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars" album is a chapter title in that book.Thun wrote:Yeah but in 1997 in texts like this were in wide circulation and contributed to a retrospectively retarded but at the time fun and intriguing climate of pre-millenial paranoia, especially for those of us in high school or college at the time. The Isis Papers is every bit as much a part of hip hop culture in 1997 as hi-top fades were in 1987. You had to be there, I guess.Comedy Quaddafi wrote:Ahem, that book was written by a crazy woman with the research-ethics of a highschool freshman.blessingindisguise wrote:Ras kass brillant demolishing of white supremacy partly based off Isis Papers on "Soul on ice"
that said, this is an interesting argument and as a fan of both those MCs and albums, I suggest this new thought on it: Ras Kass probably was a more advanced thinker and lyricist, but Nas was a clearer visionary and a more naturally skilled vocalist, at the time. As lame as a categorization it may be, Ras Kass's rhymes were probably "deeper", but Nas's visions were probably wider, and higher.
"Miami Life" is a slept on masterpiece of a song and if Ras Kass could have made more of those kind of joints instead of the "Anything Goes" variety, then he might have had a better debut year. "Soul On Ice" the title track is also slept on, that shit knocks and is ill. And the Diamond D remix?! Fuck ya life, that song is a timeless moment of genius. "Reelishymn" is also a jammin ass underappreciated track with some amazing lyrics. "Sonset" was basically the best murderous West Coast rebuttal to any and all 90's era East Coast dicklicking that hip hop was doing, and people didn't even want to acknowledge how much of a new asshole Ras Kass ripped people with that song. So many great, but collectively uneven tracks guaranteed Ras Kass's debut would remain slept on.
But Nas made "The World Is Yours" with Pete Rock and the remix with Q-Tip, and those songs own my soul. And "Represent"? Forget about it. I also played "It Aint Hard To Tell" maybe 300 times the month I got it. Nas is God. Ras Kass is Jesus.
Overall, 'Illmatic' may be the better album as far as accomplishing the ideas one seeks to execute, but Ras Kass was secretly the better rapper.
(tomorrow i may think the exact opposite. hip hop is fun)
it probably is. shit is fucking phenomenal.Comedy Quaddafi wrote:On Earth As It Is - maybe the best "biblical" rap song evah? SRY Killah Priest.
You're in Heaven right now, God.
Create the universe you dream of.
http://www.mindbenderlovesyou.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Create the universe you dream of.
http://www.mindbenderlovesyou.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
coherent MB post with no emoticonsThun wrote:^please post like this more often.
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lyrics maybe, and thats a big maybe, but there is no way ras kass had as good of a delivery as nas
Last edited by GUCCI CONDOMS on Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.