Nas - I Can

[Chess]

Originally posted by: Deeko
This is a great song. Has a great message too, more kids should listen to the man's words.

i think hes one of the best emcee's ever

 

[anxi80]

lol, now were going to knock MTV and the airplay? if you were talented enough to be good at music (whether it be playing an instrument or singing), and your record company said we wanted to cut a video so you can sell 500,000 more albums and get more recognition, would you say, nah, i have my morals, id rather have that than a crapload of cash? i think not. and to say "yeah, i would" i s a cop-out, because if you were in that situation, you'd be asking for a pen to sign on the dotted line. i dont say this because im a MTV-fan boy, in fact, i dont watch MTV because i think the station has severly lacked in quality programming, but i am pointing out that money is money, and you gotta feed yourself and your family somehow, so why look down on an artist who decides to pursue that route? sure some rap is horrible, but thats my opinion, and what may not appeal to me may appeal to a whole different demograph. and i agree with the comment made earlier about how mainstream hip-hop brainwashes suburbanite america, but there's nothing we can do collectively that could change that. mtv gets ratings, theyre happy, advertisers get exposure, theyre happy, artists and record company get more sales, theyre happy. theyre not going to change just to appease a minority of MTV haters.

btw, nas is great IMO. i think the last couple of tracks on gods son (one's dedicated to his mom) are some of the greatest nas songs ive ever heard. his emotion, his feelings, his thoughts. he poured his heart and soul on those tracks. no ice, no bling-bling, just his heart.

edit: whew, that was long.

 

[TeenHeartthrob]

"oh, and Nas doesn't get signifigant MTV time."

WTF? I dont even watch MTV, but the last few times i flipped through it...guess who i saw. (Hint: we are talking about him you idiot) Just because his video isnt played as much as the boy bands you pleasure yourself over, does not mean that he does not get "signifigant coverage". His video is played on a regular basis on all the major music video channels, I would call that nice rotation.

"ok smartass, are you one of those elitists who thinks someone can't be good if they aren't playing in their garage or rapping on a street corner? Here's a tip for you...if they were good, someone would buy their stuff. They aren't good, so they remain on their street corner. It doesn't have to be platinum, but if it didn't suck ass, someone would buy it. Welcome to the world, all knowing heartthrob. "

I am not an elitist, I may think your taste in music is stupid, but you are free to listen to and think whatever you want. Music Sales have no relation to the talent/merit of an artist by itself. I would agree with you that many popular artists deserve the acclaim, popularity and praise they have earned, but a lot of it has to do with shrewd marketing and promotion rather then musical talent.

Classic Example: 50 cent Seriously, cmon, if you think his new album is a hip hop classic, you are simply a moron. I'm not being an elitist, i just speak the truth. This guy was alright with his earlier stuff, but he was marketed perfectly, generating a buzz long before his sh][t stained album came out.

Another Example: The Grouch The grouch is part of living legends and probably one of the most popular figures in the west coast underground hip hop scene. He refuses to sign to a label, makes, produces and writes all of his own material, then sells tapes and CD's on street corners (as well as on the internet). He does not have Shady records backing him, Dre is not on the boards, and he doesnt have a PR Coordinator.

I believe if one were to sit down and listen to these two examples side by side, the more talented individual would plainly shine through. I'm not trying to be a backpack hip hop head holier then thou type guy, just sit down and listen, ill even reccomend some tracks.

"Who cares if they are owned by the same company? Mazda is owned partly by Ford, does that mean the RX8 is no better than a Taurus? Are Mercedes no better than Chrystler? They are totally, 100% different"

Ok, you are just an idiot. I dont even know why i bothered to write all this sh][t. if you think MTV and MTV2 are "totally, 100% different" then there is no point in me trying to talk to you about any of this sh][t. sigh..........

 

[BD231]

Nas is great, but I find it hard to believe anyone could draw inspiration from words spouted by an icon in any form other than idiocy. For example:

Jimmy Knoxville(sp) once subjected himself to getting hit by a car on the show Jack Ass, kids have now been hospitalized trying to do the same thing.

I believe lyrics don't mean much of anything to alot of music listeners out there, good or bad in nature. When I listen to rap I rarely listen to the lyrics, because for the most part they're just filler and the rapper the image. Music is the real draw and if you don't enjoy the music you have an image to attack, if you enjoy the music you have an image to give credit to.

With that said, Nas directed his message towards an age group that dosen't listen to his music, so it's bound do get criticism from the people who've grown past idolizing. Good for him that he's trying to help the youth of America, but it's going to take a whole lot more than that song to make a positive impact on society.

Nas has some great music, I don't enjoy his song I Can because of it's simplicity.

 

[atom]

I like Nas, I like rap, but this song sucks.

 

[Deeko]

Teenheartthrob...I could go throw section by section and disassemble your argument....but its clear that you are hopeless. I'll just keep it short and sweet. 1) A musician being talented does not necessarily mean his music is good 2) MTV and MTV2 ARE very different. If you can't see that, well, you're a moron. Simple as that.

 

[AznMaverick]

thought i was watching sesame street when i first heard the song.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: Deeko

but according to you, because they've sold a lot of records makes them good artists.

To some people, obviously they are.

You dumbasses don't understand that music is SUBJECTIVE. There is no good music, there is no bad music, everybody has their own opinions on what is good. If something has sold millions of copies, someone must like it. If I were to say that the Beetles are bad because I don't like them, does that discredit the 150 million records they sold? Seriously, get a clue.

me? get a clue? i'm not the one that can't spell beatles. you dumbass.

have a great one

hah, good one. I love it when people can't argue the point so they make a comment like that. Basically, what you are saying is I'm right.

actually what i'm trying to do is piss you off and you're letting me.

 

[Pepsi90919]

and you're still throwing around that "if your music is good then you're popular and/or are making lots of money" bullshit argument.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
and you're still throwing around that "if your music is good then you're popular and/or are making lots of money" bullshit argument.

If you recall what I said earlier, I said music is subjective, there is no "good" or "bad". But if you sell a lot of records, you apparently "good" to alot more people than somone who doesn't sell any. That has nothing to do with talent.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
and you're still throwing around that "if your music is good then you're popular and/or are making lots of money" bullshit argument.

If you recall what I said earlier, I said music is subjective, there is no "good" or "bad". But if you sell a lot of records, you apparently "good" to alot more people than somone who doesn't sell any. That has nothing to do with talent.

i can see that music is subjective. but you can still be really great and not have the record deal that gets you exposure all around the world, giving those who may be interested in your music the chance to obtain it.

 

[cheapgoose]

good song.

 

[PMChris]

I don't really like the song cause it seems way too preachy. It's like the moral to an Aesop's fable, whereas I like to hear it from Aesop Rock. I try not to be a rap elitist, but I can't help it if I prefer Talib Kweli's "Get By" to Nas's "I Can." I also don't like

He is a good artist, certainly better than his rival Jay-Z IMO, but there are just artists I like better. Kweli also gets some MTV2 time, so he's not completely underground. He's like The Roots in that manner, he's got videos that get decent play on MTV2 or an MTV hip hop show, but never really integrates into the mainstream completely.

 

[styelers]

NAS is so dope!

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: dparker

Originally posted by: ndee
can't those stupid rap haters just STFU? Go spread your crap elsewhere.

Looks around, not seeing any rap haters...
Just because people don't like Nas (or whatever artist you want to use) doesn't mean they hate the whole genre.

I'm a rap hater. You can listen to all the rap you want...just not on my stereo.

 

[prodigy]

Nas is hot no doubt, this song is ok.