From the moment he finished that iconic opening verse on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque” in 1991, the world knew that Nas was special. Since then, he’s delivered some unforgettable hip-hop records, and has solidified himself as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Raised in the Queensbridge Houses, Nas - born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones - used the lessons learned from his parents, along with his experiences growing up in the inner city, to create what many feel is the greatest hip-hop album of all-time. 1994’s Illmatic garnered critical acclaim, and was pivotal in reviving New York’s rap scene. Since then, the legendary musician has released 19 solo studio albums, 2 collaborative albums, and too many verses to name.
In celebration of Esco’s 50th birthday, as well as tomorrow's release of Magic 3, here is a list of every Nas album, ranked.
At face value, this album had the makings of a classic hip-hop release, but it wasn’t quite that. Produced entirely by Kanye West amidst a string of other G.O.O.D. Music album in 2018, Nas’ self-titled project was only seven songs, and it seems as if everyone involved was a bit uninspired. In what is a legendary, 30-year career, Nasir sits at the bottom of the list.
What audiences disliked most about this album wasn’t its influx of mainstream, radio singles – it was that Nas was chasing mainstream, radio singles. The original plan was to have Nastradamus as part of a double album, called I Am… The Autobiography, but heavy bootlegging led to Nas putting out a new release under a new title. Definitely a low point in the rapper’s career, but luckily, it wasn’t a death sentence.
With this being the follow-up to 2002’s The Lost Tapes, fans had high expectations for The Lost Tapes 2. The RZA, Kanye West, DJ Toomp, No I.D., The Alchemist, Swizz Beatz AND Hit-Boy? What more could a hip-hop enthusiast ask for? While there were some standouts such as “It Never Ends” and “No Bad Energy,” the album was underwhelming to say the least.
Nas’ first album on the iconic Def Jam label featured production from Kanye West, L.E.S., Scott Storch, will.i.am., and others. It also includes “Black Republican,” that highly anticipated collaboration with Jay-Z that didn’t quite hit the mark. With that being said, Nas’ lyricism was as strong as ever, and Hip Hop Is Dead was even nominated for a coveted Grammy Award in 2008.
Don’t get this misconstrued, the album is bad, it just doesn’t live up to the standard set by Nas and Hit-Boy on their previous four releases. The album still shows Nas in rare form with “Motion” and “What This All Really Means,” so even with all its flaws, Magic 2 is an album that is better than most.
The Firm, a supergroup consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Nature, released their first and only album in October of 1997. Featuring production from Dr. Dre and The Trackmasters, the public’s expectations for this project may have been a bit too high. Regardless of how one feels about The Album, it still had some amazing tracks within it, namely “Executive Decision,” “Desperados,” and “Phone Tap.”
Named after one of his lyrics from Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque,” Street’s Disciple was a double disc, and Nas’ seventh consecutive platinum album. The song “Bridging the Gap” – which features his father, Olu Dara, is amazing conceptually, and “Thief’s Theme” exudes New York hip-hop. At 25 songs however, many of the songs serve a filler on what could have been an outstanding release.
Although Untitled was extremely controversial due to its original title, it still contained some of the best songs Nas has ever recorded. “Queens Get The Money,” and “Sly Fox” were top tier, but the lack of cohesion in both its themes as well as the production puts Untitled further down on the rapper’s album list.
After appearing on “Road to Zion” off of Damian Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock five years prior, the two decided to join forces for the collaborative effort titled Distant Relatives. It fused elements of hip hop and reggae, and it features themes focused on racism, ancestry, poverty, and African plight.
While many feel that Illmatic was Nas’ best album, King’s Disease was perhaps his most important. Linking up with Hit-Boy, who served as the project’s executive producer, changed the narrative on the New York rapper’s career. Song’s such as “Car #85,” “27 Summers,” and “Full Circle” were standouts, but the entire album was a solid body of work.
The second installment in Nas’ King’s Disease series, we see an emcee confident in who he is as a lyricist, and proves that the first KD was more than just a one off. The 15-track album features heavy hitters such as Eminem, YG, and Blxst, while also highlighting legends like EPMD and Charlie Wilson. The enigmatic Lauryn Hill also appears on “Nobody.”
Nas’ first solo album since his divorce from Kelis, Nas held the singer’s green wedding dress on the cover of Life Is Good. His 11th studio album was met with widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, reaching 354,000 by the end of the year. The album spoke to the seasoned veteran’s maturity, and was a reflection of his life at the time.
Three months before the release of God’s Son, Nas released a compilation that consisted of leaked songs from previous albums, titled The Lost Tapes. Due to its purely underground sound, this project became a cultural classic, and one of Nas’ most poignant LPs.
The final installment of Nas and Hit-Boy’s King’s Disease series arrived in November of 2022, and was the perfect exclamation point to an amazing run. This project was 17-tracks deep and included no features, which is a testament to the greatness that is Nasir Jones. The standout tracks were “30,” “Legit,” “Once A Man, Twice A Child,” and “Get Light.”
Following the success of 2001’s Stillmatic, Nas dropped God’s Son a year later. The album featured songs such as “Get Down,” “Made You Look,” and “I Can,” and it served as the perfect reintroduction for Nas to the new generation.
Nas released this gem during his 6-album run with Hit-Boy. A few months after King’s Disease II dropped, the rapper surprised fans with Magic right before Christmas – and it definitely was a gift to the culture. The album’s feel was that of an early 90s Escobar, and featured A$AP Rocky and the one-and-only DJ Premier. Its choppier tones, and nostalgic feel brought his fans back to a time when New York ruled hip-hop.
I Am… may as well be Nas’ most underrated release to date. While it is less talked about than many of his discography, it contains some of his best work. Songs such as “Undying Love” remains a classic story track, and “Nas Is Like” is the quintessential rap record, especially with the assistance of DJ Premier’s production.
Nas’ fifth solo project came during the twilight of his career. He was two years removed from Nastradamus, an album that many critics and fans alike feel is his most unfavorable release. The Queensbridge native was also in the midst of a highly public rap battle with Jay-Z, who would drop the scathing “Takeover” a few months prior. Even amongst all this pressure, Nas provided the masses with another classic, receiving a coveted “5 mic” rating from The Source, and delivering a knockout blow with “Ether,” one of the best diss tracks ever.
His previous album, Illmatic became an instant classic, but it underachieved in terms of record sales. Nas’ second release was both a commercial success and still received an immense level of critical acclaim. Songs such as “Street Dreams” and “ I Gave You Power” are still regarded as two of the greatest rap tracks ever, and “If I Ruled the World” brought Nas to a more mainstream audience, and featured a talented singer from New Jersey by the name of Lauryn Hill. It Was Written was so good that there is a large demographic of people that believe this was his best album.
Nas’ first album – and his magnum opus as described by many – was released in 1994, and changed the fabric of hip-hop as the world knew it. Throughout its 10 tracks, Illmatic consists of inner-city narratives based on Nas’ experiences growing up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York City. It features production from Q-Tip, Large Professor, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and L.E.S., and features AZ on “Life’s A Bitch.” Although Nas was only 20 years old when it dropped, Illmatic is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
