I Am…
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| I Am… | |||||
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| Studio album by Nas | |||||
| Released | April 6, 1999 | ||||
| Recorded | 1998-1999 | ||||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop, East Coast hip hop | ||||
| Length | 64:37 | ||||
| Label | Columbia CK-68773 |
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| Producer | L.E.S., DJ Premier, Trackmasters, Timbaland, Alvin West, Dame Grease, Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "Six July" Broady, D-Moet, Pretty Boy | ||||
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| Nas chronology | |||||
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| Singles from I Am... | |||||
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I Am… is the 1999 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 certified 2x platinum. Despite being criticized for its commercial appeal, the album was generally well-received by fans.
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[edit] Original album concept
This album was originally to have been a double album titled I Am...The Autobiography, however most of the original sessions were bootlegged forcing Nas to discard many songs and adjust the release to one disc. I Am...became 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 allegedly recorded over 110 tracks for the project.
[edit] Songs
The two singles from I Am... were "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like". "Hate Me Now" features Puff Daddy and is produced by D-Moet and Pretty Boy and The Trackmasters. It was a Billboard Hot 100 hit, and had a controversial music video directed by Hype Williams. The song sampled Orff's "Carmina Burana." "Nas Is Like" is one of two tracks produced by DJ Premier who scratches vocal samples from Nas' "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" into the chorus. The "Nas Is Like" music video was directed by Nick Quested and is still very popular in underground circles and continued a long list of popular Nas/DJ Premier collaborations.
The album also contained the song "We Will Survive", a tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. The song criticized his peers, most notably Jay-Z, who "claimed to be New York's king" following B.I.G.'s death, the record has been cited as potentially encouraging the Nas vs. Jay-Z feud.
[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.[citation needed]
[edit] Unreleased/Unused/Discarded Songs
Due to massive bootlegging Nas was forced to discard many songs that would have made I Am... an instant classic, some of these songs were put on numerous mixtapes.
Fetus- A song that describes Nas' birth through his mother's womb. This song was placed on The Lost Tapes.
Poppa Was A Playa- Another song that describes Nas' personal life. However this one is about growing up with his father Olu Dara, which was place on The Lost Tapes.
Drunk By Myself- This one describes Nas rhyming as an alcoholic, also placed on The Lost Tapes.
Blaze A 50- A twisted tale where Nas is at his best, also placed on The Lost Tapes.
Wanna Play Rough- A gangster song which depicts a failed ambush on Nas' Escobar persona, which was produced by Dame Grease and contains a sample from The Message. It was placed on his compilation album Live On Lenox.
Sometimes I Wonder- A street song that pays respect to the street's and old homies. This song features Nature and is still unreleased.
Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive- Another twisted tale that depicts the drug game. This song is still unreleased.
U Gotta Love It- Nas breaks down street life over a smooth beat which includes a sample of AZ from It Was Written's Affirmative Action. This song can be found on The Lost Tapes.
Afterlife + Amongst Kings- The sequel to the staged suicide Undying Love, Where Nas pleads with God for a second chance in the Afterlife skit. Amongst Kings has Nas telling a story of being in the afterlife after begging for his life back in the Afterlife skit and gets judged by God, who decides to give him another chance and sends him back as Natradamus. Both songs can be found on some international versions.
Pray - Is a track featuring the Bravehearts that tries convinces people to pray even those who participate in crime. This can be found on the cassette version of the album as a bonus.
Find Ya Wealth- A motivational song that tells people to find their wealth. This song was realeased on the QB's Finest album.
Day Dreamin, Stay Schemin- Funny song where Nas taunts people who want to rob him. This song remains unreleased.
Project Windows- A song that describes childhood in the projects. This song features Ron Isley and can be found on Nastradamus.
My Worst Enemy- A song where Nas talks about his life and decisions he made on the street but looks back and realizes his worst enemy was his self. This song remains unreleased.
The Rise And Fall- A song where Nas explains all the hardships he was going through in his career from the release of Illmatic to the release of It Was Written, where he supposedly fell off but rose back to the top. It contains samples from Take It In Blood and Escobar '97 and remains unreleased.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Samples |
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| 1 | "Album Intro" | 2:51 | Nas | N. Jones |
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| 2 | "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II" | 3:36 | Nas | N. Jones, C. Martin | DJ Premier |
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| 3 | "Hate Me Now" | 4:44 | Nas & Puff Daddy | N. Jones, G. Marchand | Pretty Boy, D. Moet and Poke & Tone |
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| 4 | "Small World" | 4:45 | Nas | N. Jones, C. Broadly, N. Myrick | Nashiem Myrick and Carlos Broady |
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| 5 | "Favor for a Favor" | 4:07 | Nas & Scarface | Nasir Jones Brad Jordan Leshan David Lewis |
L.E.S. | |
| 6 | "We Will Survive" | 5:00 | Nas | Nasir Jones Samuel Barnes Jamel Edgerten Jean-Claude Olivier |
Poke & Tone and Jamal Edgerten |
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| 7 | "Ghetto Prisoners" | 4:00 | Nas | Nasir Jones Damon Blackmon |
Dame Grease | |
| 8 | "You Won't See Me Tonight" | 4:22 | Nas & Aaliyah | Nasir Jones Tim Mosley Missy Elliott |
Timbaland | |
| 9 | "I Want To Talk To You" | 4:36 | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Alvin West |
L.E.S. and Alvin West | |
| 10 | "Dr. Knockboot" | 2:25 | Nas | Nasir Jones | Poke & Tone |
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| 11 | "Life Is What You Make It" | 4:04 | Nas & DMX | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Earl Simmons |
L.E.S. |
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| 12 | "Big Things" | 3:39 | Nas | Nasir Jones Michael Masser Gerald Goffin Alvin West |
Alvin West |
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| 13 | "Nas Is Like" | 3:57 | 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-SS-I-N-G" | 4:15 | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis Alvin West |
L.E.S. and Alvin West, R. Kelly |
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| 15 | "Money Is My Bitch" | 4:02 | Nas | Nasir Jones Sam Barnes Jean-Claude Olivier |
Alvin West and Poke & Tone | |
| 16 | "Undying Love" | 6:54 | Nas | Nasir Jones Leshan David Lewis |
L.E.S. |
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[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 31 |
[edit] Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | |||
| 1999 | "Nas Is Like..." | #86 | #30 | #3 | |
| 1999 | "Hate Me Now" | #62 | #18 | #8 | |
| 1999 | "You Won't See Me Tonight" | #121 | #44 | - | |
| 1999 | "K-I-SS-I-N-G | - | #50 | - | |
| Preceded by Fanmail by TLC |
Billboard 200 number-one album April 24 - May 7, 1999 |
Succeeded by Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die Vol. 1 by Various artists |
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