Mike D & Coop Explore Ego Trip & Vibe Magazine’s Initial Album Review Bashing Nas’ “It Was Written”

[@mbell7498]

Very interesting discussion

[@jmi84]

I can honestly say back when it was written came out I never met one person who hated the album. Not one. All the hate was from the media. It was written was received very well by fans.

[@YorubaPanther]

Reason Nas got inspired to pen “Hate Me Now”. The hate on Nas the 🐐 is real. It still exists today

[@Midichi]

Coop is the hip hop journalist I needed. Thank god for the internet.

[@AllTheThings_Coop]

✌🏾👑

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

Wow what a disgusting music review of Nas! This makes me realize the depth of the hate towards Nas, they've tried kill his career for decades and they weren't able to do it. I didn't know it was as strong back then as it is now.

[@kayodeodusanya5751]

Me too... It's sickening. I had no idea the hate goes back that far.

[@kevintaylor9590]

We need to talk about how Nas I Am is just as good as It Was Written... I stand on that. Its aged immaculately

[@user-gb2vk2ff8x]

I Am is hated in soooo much and I still don't know why exactly. It's a great combination of Esco and Nasty. And it worked! All songs were dope and EVERYONE I knew loved it!!! Stayed on repeat and is still dope to this day.

[@AllTheThings_Coop]

😐🫤😑 whutchu talkin’ bout Willis?

[@jamaaldavis7907]

​@@AllTheThings_Coopso scarface untouchable not a top 5 album in '97..cmon coop..

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

People like me find it refreshing to hear people like Mike and Coop that actually know what they're talking about set the record straight when it comes to Nas!

[@kevintaylor9590]

Mike D and Coop y'all right up there with KRS One. Thanks for keeping Hip Hop Alive....Shame on Elliot Wilson. The industry hates Nas

[@HeavenFace]

Man I love what y'all doing and I wonder why nobody media wise don't stand up for these attack on Nas ... man I and everyone knows this going on since I could remember rappers/celebs and yet no one says nothing about this so what y'all doing am greatly appreciated...man y'all and papoose are the only ones talking about this ... Man am from the Caribbean islands and we keep wondering why they disrespecting one of the Greats like this we love Nas music he's a Goat to us ... Man these ppl has to be called out ... love y'all always watching great show God bless ... y'all will be a force to reckon with this show will go very far thanks for this podcast awesome.

[@AllTheThings_Coop]

Spread the love and the word 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@gmelltalk4979]

During that ever Hot 97 was all about bad boy things shifted when DMX came out

[@humblebragger500]

Elliot wilson’s biased little attitude showed in the mtv special that was covered by sway at the time of the battle between jay and nas

[@kevlarlaboratories737]

Not to mention that was over a Whodini interpolation.

[@daviddigregorio5840]

Nas music ages like wine. Jays like milk. Reason: one artist rides the waves, the other does what he wants. Sooner or later we’ll all see who the prophet is….

[@romaretaylor9953]

This is exactly what a stan WOULD say. Jay has a lot of music that’s a aged well and didn’t. Same with Nas, Nas himself has acknowledged his missteps

[@daviddigregorio5840]

@@romaretaylor9953 I like both I check for nas more. Have a nice day.

[@romaretaylor9953]

@@daviddigregorio5840 that’s okay. But don’t shit on a nigga over preferences is all I’m saying (Jay not me)

[@daviddigregorio5840]

@@romaretaylor9953 some folks like milk bru.

[@humblebragger500]

Ether still burns Elliot Wilson

[@jamaaldavis7907]

😂😂

[@anayosamuel1307]

All eyes on me ran 96,the whole industry was anticipating the release of all eyes on me.

[@robertarmstrong9182]

lauyrn hill wrote mary's "all that i can say"

[@johnnyboy7538]

I strongly believe Jay had a hand in most of these bad reviews Nas has been getting with these hip hop mags. The radio wars and what Jay and Rocafella did are well documented, Funkmasterflex and others were taking money under the table to keep certain records on blast. Jay felt some type of way when Nas refused to collaborate with him on his first album. And since then he and the people around him have sought to destroy Nas.

[@johnnyboy7538]

@@jonathancoleman6482 u think? The rivalry is always alive bro, trust me especially from Jay's side cos Nas doesn't have anything to prove to him or anyone else

[@grayeighty8974]

@@jonathancoleman6482 plenty people in roc nation have an issue with nas, including jay. They just have mutuals in the industry so they put on a good show for the public. He still was doing that slick "let me release something because nas did to take attention away from his release".

[@kayodeodusanya5751]

@@grayeighty8974 Exactly. You've said it all

[@johnnyboy7538]

@@grayeighty8974 bless you bro, nothing more to add.

[@shamariopatterson1206]

I agree

[@grayeighty8974]

Elliott Wilson and rap radar gave "Distant relatives" a bad review also. Had the nerve to put it on "the most disappointing albums of 2010" list...the blog era hated on nas relentlessly. From about 2004-2011, it was a rough time.

[@johnnyboy7538]

It still is till this day. Some stupid Elliott Wilson's in PitchFork and Rolling Stone.

[@humblebragger500]

I kinda didnt like distant relatives at first neither and coming off of the N album. With was another album that i learned to love years later. I was kinda upset. But now i love distant relatives. Its grown man music i had to get older to appreciate. It sounds rich also.

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

Elliott Wilson has always been suspect to me, something has never sat right about him. When he bananas over Tyler's last album I knew that it was an industry plant push. He also claimed that Future is the best rapper alive recently and that solidified his irrelevance to me. What I didn't know is that he's always been dodgy, I thought he was jaded and sold out for a pension packet.

[@grayeighty8974]

@@ChiChi-jg1ch tyler last album was good. And he won over the "heads" with the DJ drama connection, (He also sampled "nazareth savage"on one of the tracks.) I dont have and issue with future...everybody knew the "greatest rapper alive" claim was BS. Cant overlook his influence and output.

[@grayeighty8974]

@@humblebragger500 the live version of Distant relatives sounds even better..."dispear", "nah mean", "Africa must wake up", "promised land" go crazy live. If jay made the same album with damian, I doubt elliot/rap radar would've trashed it like they did in 2010...perfect example is the hype he had for "Bam". Saying it was better than anything on distant relatives..Hov loves to attempt to outdo esco.

[@ArmLegLegArmHead47]

Elliot the same dude who rides Aubrey all the time. Can’t take these niggas serious at all. Get them funds out of there and put them here, yall actually really appreciate and love the culture of HipHop

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

Elliott Wilson recently claimed that Tyler's album is one of the greatest ever and he claims that Future is the best rapper alive! He has no more credibility left to sell...cosigns from him are now worthless.

[@ArmLegLegArmHead47]

@@ChiChi-jg1ch which Tyler album? The last one is a solid 8.5, if we talk about IGOR he is right, that is a masterpiece. But yeah, I lost all respect after the corny Drake interview they did.

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

@@ArmLegLegArmHead47 Where do you place Tyler music, which album do you think is top 5 greatest of all time?

[@ArmLegLegArmHead47]

@@ChiChi-jg1ch So IGOR can't be classified as a "hiphop" album, it's has many elements of it tho. IMO Flower Boy has to be on a Top 200 Rap Albums Of All Time list. Tyler produced, arranged, wrote all of his albums since day 1, even a album of Wolf is a cult-classic. The run from Flower Boy -> IGOR -> Call Me If You Get Lost is insane. The growth in production and rapping is apparent. His first verse on MASSA might be Top 50 this decade already.

[@romaretaylor9953]

@@ArmLegLegArmHead47 Elliott interviewed drake twice which time are you talking about. Also maybe you hate him but nothing was the same is a great album from drake

[@BornJustAllah]

Mobb Deep - Hell on earth isn’t on the ego trip list too . Kinda weird because it indeed was great Sophomore album as well as It was Written . Im from Queens too . I feel like it was a jab a Nas because Elliot is Jay-Z and Brooklyn bias .

[@Mic-100]

Writers get bought all the time, b!

[@martymcfly4828]

Hell on Earth was technically mobb deep’s third album.

[@jamaaldavis7907]

Hell on Earth is their 3rd album

[@gmelltalk4979]

That bad boy era in my opinion hurtled a lot of rappers because that was what the industry and radio was going for at the time

[@johnnyboy7538]

It was written was definitely a Top 5 1996 album, Top 3 in my view. Only ATLiens and The Score are higher in my view. But if you put Reasonable Doubt above, I won't argue. Jay took some of the lines from this review in his Takeover diss that's for sure. What would warrant such a scathing review? Did these guys ask Nas for money and he refused? Did Nas take their bitch? Over half of what they said had zero to do with the music, they simply focused on other things aside from the music and slandered Nas's character. Jeez the madness with these cats. Now I fully understand when you guys say Nas fans really carried him cos if this really was what the media was saying back then, really Nas was Godsent otherwise he did not stand a chance.

[@AllTheThings_Coop]

Crazy ain’t it? Literally crazy

[@johnnyboy7538]

@@AllTheThings_Coop you can say it again and gain coop.

[@humblebragger500]

Dame dropped off that brown paper bag money at the desks if u have street money u definitely gonna pay ur way to success

[@shamariopatterson1206]

Reasonable Doubt is my favorite Jay Album. But it is not Better than It is written!!!

[@romaretaylor9953]

Idk man it’s close. I go back and forth 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@daviddigregorio5840]

The back half of RD is soft

[@jamaaldavis7907]

R.D is Jay best cd period

[@humblebragger500]

Biggies first album. Ready to die. Sounded like a fucking west coast album. Biggie went double platinum with commercial records and was crowned the king of new york with a west coast sound smh.

[@jay07261986]

Facts....

[@jamaaldavis7907]

Biggie demo was Dre beats..☝

[@juliusangel2774]

U are telling me illmatic didn't go tripple plat and Gold ? It went plat and Gold and sold more than biggies and it was hate stop confusing yourself

[@alantoler8266]

96 was a phenomenal year for hip hop...remember that jay z debut ....

[@BrandonHaymon]

Yeah great album it sold only 43,000 copies and it took years to pay attention to it

[@Yoda35421]

Lol @ The Multiple Cat Wtf is that? Ima have to look that one up too.

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

I've been reflecting on this situation and with my conspiracy hat on I think anyone that got JayZ exclusives and priority anything from him, probably got a brown paper bag gift....

[@eprohoda]

how splenid .mr.:)

[@johnnyboy7538]

Mike D, I am shocked that you say DJs and Media people taking an envelope is part of the game. It's not. These guys are supposed to be the gatekeepers, unbiased, revered and straight as an arrow. That is the job of the media. Look this is exactly what led hip hop to the sorry ass state it is in today. Lots of talentless fucks out here making boat loads of money. I do applaud the entrepreneurial drive of it all, but the product they are selling stinks to high heavens and we need to be real about this. Hip Hop as a genre of music will be irrelevant eventually due to antics such as this. This is not about being pop or being trendy. This is just about the quality of music people put out there. And it all started from garbage artists knowing all they had to do was put out garbage records and co-opt DJs and writers to give them a good enough review.

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

I totally agree, that statement tarnishes all when it's only some. One of the reasons DJ Kay Slay was so respected is because he wasn't for sale, if he didn't like the track, he didn't play it and if he did play it, he didn't fake over hype it by dropping bombs and rewinding the track 10 times!

[@shamariopatterson1206]

Jay has orchestrated a lot of Career Demise. Look at how Roc nation almost destroyed Chris Brown career and Tory Lanez

[@ChiChi-jg1ch]

I totally agree, for some reason he gets no criticism for how he's been kryptonite for so many things. In fact he's praised and protected for his single minded hustler approach to everything and everyone!

[@jmi84]

It was written not in 1996’s top 25 hip hop albums? It’s clearly hate towards Nas. Nas has been dealing with hate from the media ever since 1996. I don’t care how you feel about Nas but if you don’t have it was written in the top 25 albums of 1996 you’re a lying hater. Period. I’m not saying you should have it as number one but not even in the top 25? No way. That’s impossible. It’s insane. They said Nas aspires to be JZ? Lol that’s laughable. Jay was chasing Nas all those years trying to get on the firm. That’s a fact.

[@SoulOfTheSouth]

Nas was suppose to be on Reasonable Doubt but he didn’t show up to D&D studios.

[@BrandonHaymon]

​@@SoulOfTheSouthso what's your point?

[@jamaaldavis7907]

​@@SoulOfTheSouthhim n a.z was pose 2 be on bring it on....nas wasn't feeling Jay like that...😂

[@Sul4907]

The co founder of EGO TRIP is a tidal employee read between the lines come on.

[@PRiMETiME_-bi1od]

I’m from Florida and I’ll say this illmatic wasn’t hitting down south. But it was written was hitting down south especially in96. Nobody was checking for jay’s Reasonable Doubt maybe east coast, but nobody was pumping reasonable doubt

[@SoulOfTheSouth]

You gotta understand this. Illmatic was poorly promoted meaning it had no radio play, they were showing videos but it did poor sales because of his label Columbia. It Was Written did great because it sold 3 million copies in the US. I never knew anything about Illmatic so the first time I heard of Nas was when It Was Written came out when I was 10. My older sister bought it when it came out. Nas became a established MC when it dropped. Reasonable Doubt was hitting in certain places other than the east coast because by the end of 96, it sold 500,000 copies in the US. Also his single “Ain’t No Nigga” was also on The Nutty Professor soundtrack and he was also on other soundtracks including the Space Jam soundtrack and he was on other features. He also was ghostwriting for other people. Jay was getting play in the south especially down here in Texas. My friend’s older brother bought the album at that time.

[@PRiMETiME_-bi1od]

GA 🍑/FLA☀️😎 we just wasn’t bumping jay like that. I mean of course ain’t no niga was huge radio hit. But don’t forget Nas had Street Dreams Remix ft R.Kelly.My older sister and girl cousins was in love with Nas. But other than that we ain’t play jay . At that time 96 Nas had the chicks on him just like method man and the street credit as a MC. So we fuked with Nas more at that time. Especially in 96. Nas was on a higher platform than Jay. Jay didn’t become Jay until he dropped Hard Knock Life

[@humblebragger500]

Even in NYC. It wasnt the most popular it got more praises after vol.2

[@juliusangel2774]

@@SoulOfTheSouth bruh no you are wrong illmation sould 4.5 million during that era we don't no about no , it sold and at first it got bootlegged , be accurate with your info

[@SoulOfTheSouth]

@@juliusangel2774 Illmatic ain’t sell no 4.5 million in 1994. Did you even look at the sell numbers at that time? Look it up. It didn’t sell at all in 1994. It sold 60,000 in 1994. In 1996, It sold 500,000. Then it later first sold 1 million in 2001. Research and stop assuming stuff.

[@gmelltalk4979]

I always wondered what it was written would have sounded like with the bad boy sound wasn't successful and everybody trying to chase it

[@juliusangel2774]

They were doing Nas wrong it's fact ,

[@jamaaldavis7907]

From the beginning

[@timothyshepherd4099]

All eyes on me came out in 95. 7 day theory was 96

[@According2HipHop]

All Eyez On Me was released February 13th, 1996. It came out the same day as The Fugees “The Score” album.

[@timothyshepherd4099]

@@According2HipHop my bad, I remember bumping it my freshman year in college but that makes sense 95-96. Wow, that was a lifetime ago. I do remember the negative press on “it was written” and I always thought it was a strong album.

[@jamaaldavis7907]

The dumb knows all eyes on me rel..feb'96 😂😂

[@timothyshepherd4099]

California love was bumping in 95 which is why I forgot the album actually dropped early 96

[@jamaaldavis7907]

@@timothyshepherd4099 k

[@adnanojd]

They don’t know hip hop nor the culture period, the article was all blasphemy smh

[@jamaaldavis7907]

💯💯

[@tomizzo5314]

Elliot has the worst laugh in human history and he litteraly power laughs at absolute random.

[@martymcfly4828]

🤣🤣🤣

[@humblebragger500]

would they have trashed life after death if biggie wouldn’t of died??

[@jamaaldavis7907]

Why u decipher music 4 self..not others... ☝☝