HomeNasI Am…
I Am…
Hip-Hop · 1999 · 16 tracks

I Am…

A sprawling cinematic document of New York street life. Nas balances gritty boom-bap storytelling with the high-gloss ambitions of late-90s hip-hop.

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The king of Queensbridge proves he can do stadium anthems without losing his street-poet soul.

A high-stakes balance of street-level paranoia and triumphant, cinematic ambition.

I Am… · vs · Nas
Defiant+1.1σ

Defiant saturates this record notably more than the artist's norm.

Tracklist · 16 Tracks
01
Album Intro
2:51
02
N.Y. State of Mind, Part II
3:36
03
Hate Me Now
4:44
04
Small World
4:45
05
Favor for a Favor
4:07
06
We Will Survive
5:00
07
Ghetto Prisoners
4:01
08
You Won’t See Me Tonight
4:23
09
I Want to Talk to You
4:36
10
Dr. Knockboot
2:25
11
Life Is What You Make It
4:05
12
Big Things
3:40
13
Nas Is Like
3:57
14
K‐I‐SS‐I‐N‐G
4:16
15
Money Is My Bitch
4:03
16
Undying Love
4:23
Moments Worth Waiting For
The bird-chirp scratches and dusty piano loop on Nas Is Like that redefine boom-bap perfection.
The cinematic, tragic storytelling of Undying Love where the beat mirrors the escalating tension of a crime of passion.
The defiant, operatic swell of Hate Me Now that pivots the album from the street to the stadium.
Sits BesideSee all
Hip Hop Is Dead
Hip Hop Is Dead
Nas
2006

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); sample_based, analog_warmth, studio_polished (production style)

Open Flame
Open Flame
Nyck Caution
2020

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, pop rap (subgenres); sample_based, analog_warmth, studio_polished (production style)

Cole World: The Sideline Story
Cole World: The Sideline Story
J. Cole
2011

Shares sample_based, analog_warmth, studio_polished (production style); boom bap, conscious hip-hop, pop rap (subgenres)

It Was Written
It Was Written
Nas
1996

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, pop rap (subgenres); rap, narrating, intense (vocal style)

Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse
Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse
KXNG Crooked
2022

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); urban_night, late_night, rainy_day (atmosphere)

Street’s Disciple
Street’s Disciple
Nas
2004

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); defiant, contemplative, brooding (moods)

TL
The Lost Tapes 2
Nas
2004

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); defiant, contemplative, brooding (moods)

Stillmatic
Stillmatic
Nas
2001

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); defiant, contemplative, brooding (moods)

Doctor’s Advocate
Doctor’s Advocate
The Game
2006

Shares sample_based, analog_warmth, studio_polished (production style); gangsta rap, boom bap, pop rap (subgenres)

Lonely at the Top
Lonely at the Top
Joey Bada$$
2025

Shares boom bap, conscious hip-hop (subgenres); sample_based, analog_warmth, studio_polished (production style)

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