I Am...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| I Am.. | ||
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| Studio album by Nas | ||
| Released | April 6, 1999 (U.S.) | |
| Recorded | 1998 | |
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |
| Label | Columbia Records CK-68773 |
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| Producer(s) | L.E.S. DJ Premier Trackmasters Timbaland Alvin West Grease Nashiem Myrick Carlos "Six July" Broady D-Moet Pretty Boy |
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| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nas chronology | ||
| It Was Written (1996) --- The Firm: The Album (1997) |
I Am... (1999) |
Nastradamus (1999) |
I Am... 1999 is the multi-platinum third studio album by rapper Nas for the Columbia Records label. Considered a comeback album after a three-year gap between releases, the album features the singles "Nas is Like" and "Hate Me Now". It debuted #1 on the charts, selling over 470,000 copies in its first week. I Am... would later be cetified 2x platinum. Despite being criticized by critics for its commercial appeal, the album was generally well-received by fans, and even received a near perfect 4.5 mic rating from The Source.
Contents |
[edit] Original album concept
This album was originally to have been a double album titled I Am...The Autobiography and Nas had created over song during the recording sessions, it was however was shortened to a single disc after most of disc 2 was bootlegged, becoming one of the first major label releases to be widely leaked using MP3 technology. Some of the leaked songs were later released on the compilation LP The Lost Tapes in 2002. The concept of this album as can be seen by tracks such as "Fetus" from The Lost Tapes was to be an autobiography of sorts for Nas. Nas allegedy recorded over 110 tracks for both the bootleg and the final release.
[edit] Album singles
The two singles from I Am... are "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like". "Hate Me Now" features Puff Daddy and is produced by two relatively unknown producers, D-Moet and Pretty Boy. It was a Billboard Hot 100 hit which can be attributed to its controversial Hype Williams-directed music video and its sample of Orff's "Carmina Burana." "Nas Is Like" is produced by DJ Premier and contains his signature scratches. He scratches vocal samples from Nas' "It Ain't Hard To Tell" into the chorus. The "Nas Is Like" music video was directed by Nick Quested and not released on as high of a profile as the "Hate Me Now" video. The song was still very popular in underground circles and continued the long list of popular Nas/DJ Premier collaborations.
[edit] Puff Daddy controversy
Puff Daddy, a featured artist on "Hate Me Now", shot a scene for its music video in which he was crucified, and subsequently felt uncomfortable with it and asked it to be edited out of the final cut. A cut containing the crucifixion scene was mistakenly delivered to MTV, and aired on TRL on April 15, 1999. A furious Puff Daddy allegedly barged into the offices of Nas' manager Steve Stoute later that afternoon and attacked him, at one point hitting him over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute filed a lawsuit against Puff Daddy, which was later settled out of court.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Album Intro" | Nas | Nasir Jones |
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| 2 | "N.Y. State Of Mind, Pt. 2" | Nas | Nasir Jones Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier |
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| 3 | "Hate Me Now" | Nas & Puff Daddy | Nasir Jones Gavin Marchand |
D-Moet, Pretty Boy & Trackmasters |
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| 4 | "Small World" | Nas | Nasir Jones Carlos Broadly Nashiem Myrick |
Carlos Broadly & Nashiem Myrick | |
| 5 | "Favor For A Favor" | Nas, Scarface & Kirk Lyons (bass guitar) | Nasir Jones Brad Jordan Leshan David Lewis |
L.E.S. | |
| 6 | "We Will Survive" | Nas | Nasir Jones Samuel Barnes Jamel Edgerten Jean-Claude Olivier |
Trackmasters |
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| 7 | "Ghetto Prisoners" | Nas | Nasir Jones Damon Blackmon |
Dame Grease | |
| 8 | "You Won't See Me Tonight" | Nas & Aaliyah | Nasir Jones Tim Mosley Missy Elliott |
Timbaland | |
| 9 | "I Want To Talk To You" | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Alvin West |
L.E.S. | |
| 10 | "Dr. Knockboot" | Nas | Nasir Jones | Trackmasters |
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| 11 | "Life Is What You Make It" | Nas & DMX | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Earl Simmons |
L.E.S. |
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| 12 | "Big Things" | Nas | Nasir Jones Michael Masser Gerald Goffin Alvin West |
Alvin West |
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| 13 | "Nas Is Like" | Nas | Nasir Jones Chris E. Martin Paul Mitchell Robert Bell Ronald Bell George Brown R. Handy C. Horne Robert Mickens C. Redd Gene Redd Sr. Gene Redd Jr. Claydes Charles Smith Dennis Thomas John Bettis Steve Porcaro |
DJ Premier |
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| 14 | "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Alvin West |
L.E.S. | |
| 15 | "Money Is My Bitch" | Nas | Nasir Jones Sam Barnes Jean-Claude Olivier |
Alvin West | |
| 16 | "Undying Love" | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis |
L.E.S. |
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[edit] Singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
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"Nas Is Like" |
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"Hate Me Now" |
[edit] Music videos
 Director: Nick Quested |
 Director: Hype Williams |
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 31 |
[edit] Singles
| Song | Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "You Won't See Me Tonight" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 44 |
| "Nas Is Like" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 86 |
| "Nas Is Like" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 30 |
| "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 50 |
| "Hate Me Now" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 62 |
| "Hate Me Now" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 18 |
| "Hate Me Now" | UK Singles Chart | 14 |
| Nas |
|---|
| Discography |
| Albums |
|
Illmatic · It Was Written · The Firm: The Album · I Am... · Nastradamus · QB's Finest · Stillmatic · The Best of Nas · The Lost Tapes · From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes EP · God's Son · Street's Disciple · Hip Hop Is Dead · The Lost Tapes 2 |
| Singles |
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Solo singles: "Halftime" · "It Ain't Hard to Tell" · "The World Is Yours" · "Life's a Bitch" · "One Love" · "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" · "Street Dreams" · "Escobar '97" · "Nas Is Like" · "Hate Me Now" · "Nastradamus" · "Analyze This · "You Owe Me" · "Got Ur Self A..." · "One Mic" · "Made You Look" · "I Can" · "Get Down" · "Thief's Theme" · "Bridging the Gap" · "Just a Moment" · "Hip Hop Is Dead" · "Can't Forget About You" · "Better Than I've Ever Been" |
| Related articles |
|
Nas vs. Jay-Z feud · Ill Will Records · Belly · The Bravehearts · Kelis · AZ · Foxy Brown · Nature · Cormega |
| Preceded by ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears |
Billboard 200 number-one Album April 24, 1999 - May 7, 1999 |
Succeeded by Fanmail by TLC |
