Misplaced Pages

#863136

69-454: In 2002, Nas released The Lost Tapes , compiling previously unreleased tracks that were discarded from recording sessions for Nas' studio albums, I Am... (1999) and Stillmatic (2001). A follow-up compilation, The Lost Tapes 2 , was originally intended to be released on December 16, 2003, and include unreleased recordings, remixes, and freestyle tracks. However, its release was delayed, and in 2006, Nas signed to Def Jam Recordings . In

138-579: A back-in-the-day , wasn't-it-all-so-simple-then sound to 'Doo Rags' and 'Poppa Was a Playa,' two tracks that definitely wouldn't have fit on the raging Stillmatic ." Music writer Craig Seymour observed "spare beats" in the music and few boasts in Nas' rapping, while Chris Conti from the Boston Phoenix said the simple beats "counteract Nas's complex bars of braggadocio and street-life storytelling." According to Robert Christgau , The Lost Tapes abandons

207-403: A "masterfully arranged" and "necessary addition to the collection of any hip-hop fan". In The Village Voice , Christgau was particularly impressed by the four autobiographical songs closing the album, preferring them to other songs he felt are nothing more than outtakes. In a less enthusiastic review, Brett Berliner from Stylus Magazine wrote that as good as the songs were, "they don't make

276-497: A June 2010 interview for Hot 97.5 KVEG , he said of following-up The Lost Tapes , "I do got a lot of songs that really didn't make no album, that's just sittin' around [or] got lost. So I've got enough actually, for a Lost Tapes 2 and 3 by now. So I've just got to set it up, put them together – 12 songs for one album, 12 songs for another album, and figure it out. That's all it takes." In September, he announced plans to release The Lost Tapes 2 on December 14. However, its release

345-502: A June 2010 interview for Hot 97.5 KVEG , he talked about a follow-up to The Lost Tapes , "I do got a lot of songs that really didn't make no album, that's just sittin' around [or] got lost. So I've got enough actually, for a Lost Tapes 2 and 3 by now. So I've just got to set it up, put them together – 12 songs for one album, 12 songs for another album, and figure it out. That's all it takes." In September, he announced plans to release The Lost Tapes 2 on December 14. However, its release

414-505: A May 2011 interview for MTV News , he explained why the sequel was abandoned: When I released Lost Tapes , it was on Sony. Being at Sony for so long, I was used to things going easy. Kinda easy. At Def Jam, I just got there, I'm still in my ways at Sony. I'm like, 'yeah, this record'll come out this time, a few months later I'ma drop this.' But we just started working together, so they're like, 'We can do this, but wait, maybe we should do it like this,' and I wasn't used to that. And then there

483-477: A compelling autobiography narrated from the womb in 'Fetus.' " The opening track "Doo Rags" contemplates Nas' youth and society's cyclical nature. It features a contemporary piano loop and jazz tones. Richard Hazell from HipHopDX describes the song as "a piano propelled painting of time and space as seen through the third eye of Nas, which can easily be envisioned by any New York City dweller." On "My Way", he meditates over his rise out of poverty to

552-483: A jazz player, a rolling stone " and writes of the song, "The love is there despite the man's faults. Nas crafts a full picture of the past, looking at the infidelity and fights from both parents' perspectives." An untitled hidden track follows "Poppa Was a Playa" and has Nas rapping from the perspective of his prenatal self . It was originally recorded for I Am... and had planned titles "Fetus" and "Belly Button Window". The track opens with solemn guitar chords and

621-529: A masterpiece whose assorted tracks cohere as well as any of Nas' official studio albums while reaffirming his reputation as "rap music's poet laureate of urban despair". Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe said the leftover songs prove why Nas had so much promise early in his career, while Spin ' s Chris Ryan viewed the record as a hip hop version of Bob Dylan 's much-bootlegged Basement Tapes —"a raw document [that] still proves that Nas had it all along." PopMatters critic Marc L. Hill called it

690-561: A more accurate picture of any given year's best-selling albums, as a title that hypothetically spent nine weeks at No. 1 in March could possibly have sold fewer copies than one spending six weeks at No. 3 in January. Albums at the peak of their popularity at the time of the November/December chart-year cutoff many times end up ranked lower than one would expect on a year-end tally, yet are ranked on

759-412: A musician, Paul McCartney has the most top-10 albums, with 51. This includes 32 with The Beatles , 11 solo albums, seven albums with the group Wings , and one album credited to him and his first wife, Linda McCartney . Note: Swift is the first living artist to chart five albums in the top 10 simultaneously.  She was previously the first living soloist to have four albums simultaneously chart in

SECTION 10

#1732891042864

828-408: A new algorithm with data from all major on-demand audio subscription and online music sales services in the U.S. Starting on the issue dated January 18, 2020, Billboard updated its method again by incorporating video data from YouTube , along with visual plays from digital platforms like Apple Music , Spotify , Tidal , Vevo and, as of the issue dated March 23, 2021, from Facebook . As of

897-400: A new algorithm, utilizing data from all of the major on-demand audio subscription services, including Spotify , Apple Music , Google Play and Groove Music . Under the new methodology, 10 track sales or 1,500 song streams from an album are treated as equivalent to one purchase of the album. Billboard continues to publish a pure album sales chart, called " Top Album Sales ", that maintains

966-416: A promotional campaign that included the release of two archival albums, the extended play From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes and The Lost Tapes , while leading up to the release of his 2002 studio album God's Son . The Lost Tapes compiles previously unreleased tracks that Nas recorded during 1998 to 2001 in the sessions for both his 1999 album I Am... and Stillmatic . Several songs from

1035-414: A promotional video via his Instagram account, announcing the release of The Lost Tapes 2 in the near future. Its track listing and cover art were revealed on July 2, and the album was released on July 19. Notes Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in

1104-447: A real album ... [more] like a superb mixtape", while Billboard ' s Rashaun Hall believed the production on some of the songs sounds outdated. In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor John Bush recommended The Lost Tapes to "hip-hop fans who want to hear some great rhyming with no added features" and commented that tracks such as "Doo Rags", "No Idea's Original", and "Black Zombie" "stand up to anything Nas has recorded since

1173-441: A release date of July 19, 2019. The trailer included a preview of the album track "Lost Freestyle". At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 58, based on 7 reviews. Roisin O'Connor of The Independent concluded that The Lost Tapes 2 "sounds like an artist rediscovering his love for hip hop in the most joyous and satisfying way", naming

1242-451: A track entitled "No Such Thing As White Jesus" that went unreleased. The track was reworked as "Royalty" featuring RaVaughn . Ocean still received songwriting credit for the track. On June 11, 2019, Nas shared a promotional video via his Instagram account, announcing the release of The Lost Tapes 2 in the near future. On July 2, a trailer was released to announce the album's cover art and production credits, alongside its track listing and

1311-445: A week spent at No. 200, two points for a week spent at No. 199, etc., up to 200 points for each week spent at No. 1). Other factors, including an album's total weeks spent on the chart and its peak position, are calculated into an album's year-end total. Since Billboard began obtaining sales information from Nielsen SoundScan, the year-end charts are now calculated by a very straightforward cumulative total of yearlong sales. This gives

1380-447: Is Nas's 13th US top 10 album. Notes Sample credits The Lost Tapes (Nas album) The Lost Tapes is a compilation album by American rapper Nas . It was released on September 23, 2002, by Ill Will Records and Columbia Records , who wanted to capitalize on what was seen in hip hop music as Nas' artistic comeback the year before, and compiles previously unreleased tracks that were discarded from recording sessions for

1449-448: Is characterized by low-key beats, sparse production, subtle string flourishes, mellow piano work, and subdued soul music loops . Stylus Magazine ' s Brett Berliner said songs such as "Doo Rags" and "No Idea's Original" incorporate classical melodies, while songs such as "Purple" and "Fetus" feature neo-classical themes . John Bush of AllMusic said the songs "have more in common with his early recordings; there's more of

SECTION 20

#1732891042864

1518-439: Is dope dealers and gangstas and hoes"), economic insolvency ("What do we own? The skin on our backs / We rent and we ask for reparations, then they hit us with tax"), and dependency ("I'm a Columbia record slave / So get paid / Control your own destiny, you are a genius / Don't let it happen to you like it did to me, I was a black zombie"). Its socially conscious lyrics deride media stereotypes of African Americans , inequality in

1587-451: The Billboard 200 , selling over 70,000 copies in its first week. It received widespread acclaim from critics, some of whom viewed it as Nas' best record since his 1994 debut album Illmatic . A second volume of previously unreleased songs was planned before Nas had signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2006, but the project was delayed because of issues with his record label; The Lost Tapes 2

1656-545: The Billboard Top LPs (1961–1972), Billboard Top LPs & Tape (1972–1984), Billboard Top 200 Albums (1984–1985), Billboard Top Pop Albums (1985–1991), and Billboard 200 Top Albums (1991–1992). The chart is based mostly on sales – both at retail and digital – of albums in the United States. The weekly sales period was Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but since July 2015,

1725-468: The Billboard 200). A new chart that keeps the previous criteria for the Billboard 200 – dubbed the " Top Current Albums " chart – was also introduced in the same issue. Billboard has adjusted its policies for Christmas and holiday albums several times. The albums were eligible for the main album charts until 1963, when a " Christmas Albums " chart was created. Albums appearing here were not listed on

1794-549: The Billboard 200. "Both Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall should be in the Billboard Top 200," said former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters in 1992. " The Wall still does anything up to four million each year... They've created a catalog chart in which to place all these old albums, leaving the main chart free for all the artists the record companies will want to book advertising space for. It just offers further evidence of

1863-633: The Recording Industry Association of America when Gold, Platinum and Diamond album awards are announced. (RIAA awards reflect wholesale shipments , not retail sales .) Beginning with the December 13, 2014, issue, Billboard updated the methodology of its album chart again, changing from a "pure sales-based ranking" to one measuring "multi-metric consumption". With this overhaul, the Billboard 200 includes on-demand streaming and digital track sales (as measured by Nielsen SoundScan) by way of

1932-403: The "Top Holiday Albums" list and the Billboard 200. Since May 25, 1991, the Billboard 200's positions have been derived from Nielsen SoundScan sales data; as of 2008 , it is contributed to by approximately 14,000 music sellers. Because these numbers are supplied by a subset of sellers rather than record labels , it is common for these numbers to be substantially lower than those reported by

2001-501: The "Top LPs" chart, and in 1974, this rule was reverted and holiday albums again appeared within the main list. In 1983, the " Christmas Albums " chart was resurrected, but a title's appearance here did not disqualify it from appearing on the "Top Pop Albums" chart. In 1990, the chart was retitled " Top Holiday Albums "; as of 2009 , it holds 50 positions and runs for several weeks during the end-of-calendar-year holiday season. Its current policy allows holiday albums to concurrently chart on

2070-408: The "life of a rich thug", recalls the death of his childhood friend Ill Will , and concedes that he "still feels broke with millions in the bank." On "U Gotta Love It", Nas makes reference to the " '86 crack blitz " and discusses his own significance: "This thug life you claimed it, I make millions from entertainment / Now back in the hood , certain cats they wanna kill me / They ice-grill me, but on

2139-464: The United States (yet purchased in the U.S. as imports) are not eligible to chart. A long-standing policy rendering titles that are sold exclusively by specific retail outlets (such as Walmart and Starbucks ) ineligible for charting, was reversed on November 7, 2007, and took effect in the issue dated November 17, 2007. On December 13, 2014, Billboard began to include on-demand streaming and digital track sales (as measured by Nielsen SoundScan) using

The Lost Tapes 2 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2208-458: The United States. It is published weekly by Billboard magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a recording act is remembered for its " number ones " that outperformed all other albums during at least one week. The chart grew from a weekly top 10 list in 1956 to become a top 200 list in May 1967, acquiring its existing name in March 1992. Its previous names include

2277-462: The consolidated "Top LPs" chart debuted in 1963. In 1982, Billboard began publishing a "Midline Albums" chart (alternatively titled "Midline LPs"), which ranked older or mid-priced titles. The chart held 50 positions and was published on a biweekly (and later triweekly) basis. On May 25, 1991, Billboard premiered the " Top Pop Catalog Albums " chart, the criteria for which were albums that were more than 18 months old and had fallen below no. 100 on

2346-540: The cover. On October 2, 2002, The Lost Tapes was reported to have sold more than 70,000 copies in its first week of release, giving it a chart debut of number 10 on the Billboard 200 . It ultimately spent eight weeks on the chart. It also charted at number three on the Billboard Top R&;B/Hip-Hop Albums . By July 2008, the album had sold 340,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan . The Lost Tapes

2415-529: The day / A bullet hit your heart and ambulance take you away / That ain't love it's hate / Think of all the mothers at wakes / Whose sons you've killed and you ain't got a cut on your face?" "Drunk by Myself" has lyrics concerning alcohol and self-medication . "Black Zombie" is an impassioned, self-reflective critique of problems afflicting the African-American community, including prejudice ("You believe when they say we ain't shit, we can't grow / All we are

2484-428: The dishonesty that's rife in this business." Starting with the issue dated December 5, 2009, however, the catalog limitations – which removed albums over 18 months old that had dropped below No. 100 and had no currently running singles – for the Billboard 200 were lifted, turning the chart into an all-inclusive list of the 200 highest-selling albums in the country (essentially changing " Top Comprehensive Albums " into

2553-475: The educational system, and black-on-black violence . According to writer Dax-Devlon Ross, the song foreshadowed the themes and " world view " of Nas' subsequent albums. "Poppa Was a Playa" features uncredited co-production by Kanye West , and discusses Nas' complicated relationship with his father, jazz musician Olu Dara , addressing his lusty, itinerant lifestyle throughout Nas' youth. Gabriel Alvarez of Complex calls it an "honest dedication to his old man:

2622-474: The ending, at which the track rewinds to an earlier point and he revises his original ending. "Everybody's Crazy" features complex rhymes and braggadocio rap by Nas: "Gangsta see, gangsta do / A Langston Hughes predecessor / Gun in my dresser, slang I use." In "Purple" ' s narrative, Nas lights up a blunt and expresses his thoughts, including criticism of hoodlums and their effect on their neighborhoods: "The 'hood love you, but behind your back they pray for

2691-457: The first week of December to the final week in November. This altered calendar allows for Billboard to calculate year-end charts and release them in time for its final print issue in the last week of December. Prior to Nielsen SoundScan, year-end charts were calculated by an inverse-point system based solely on an album's performance on the Billboard 200 (e.g., an album would be given one point for

2760-418: The following year's chart as well, as their cumulative points are split between the two chart-years. In 2015, Billboard compiled a ranking of the 100 best-performing albums on the Billboard 200 over its 52 years, along with the best-performing artists. Shown below are the top 10 albums and top 10 artists over the 52-year period of the Billboard 200, through October 2015. Also shown are the artists placing

2829-399: The increase in album sales as the early 1950s format wars stabilized into market dominance by 45 RPM singles and long-playing 12-inch albums – and with 78 RPM record and long-playing 10-inch album sales decreasing dramatically – Billboard premiered a weekly "Best-Selling Popular Albums" chart on March 24, 1956. The position count varied anywhere from 10 to 30 albums. The first no. 1 album on

The Lost Tapes 2 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2898-402: The issue dated November 30, 2024, the number-one album on the chart is Golden Hour: Part.2 by Ateez . Billboard began an album chart in 1945. Initially only five positions long, the album chart was not published on a weekly basis, with weeks sometimes passing before it was updated. A biweekly (though with a few gaps), 15-position "Best-Selling Popular Albums" chart appeared in 1955. With

2967-480: The line "there's nothing new under the sun" from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the song's chorus. "No Idea's Original" samples Barry White 's 1973 song " I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby ", a frequently sampled recording in hip hop music. "Blaze a 50" features a violin-based instrumental and a complex narrative that follows a tale of murder, sex, and betrayal. Nas narrates the tale in conventional fashion until

3036-519: The low, niggas feel me." "Nothing Lasts Forever" advises to appreciate life's small epiphanies and be optimistic about the future. On "No Idea's Original", Nas notes the similarities of people in life and views other rappers as creatively derivative, while distinguishing himself from them: "No idea's original, there's nothin new under the sun / It's never what you do, but how it's done / What you base your happiness around material, women, and large paper / That means you inferior, not major." He references

3105-652: The main stereo and mono album charts. Mono albums were moved to the "Essential Inventory – Mono" chart (25 positions) after spending 40 weeks on the "Mono Action Chart", and stereo albums were moved to the "Essential Inventory – Stereo" chart (20 positions) after 20 weeks on the "Stereo Action Chart". In January 1961, the "Action Charts" became "Action Albums – Stereophonic" (15 positions) and "Action Albums – Monophonic" (24 positions). Albums appeared on either chart for up to nine weeks, and were then moved to an "Essential Inventory" list of approximately 200 titles and with no numerical ranking. This list continued to be published until

3174-407: The most albums on the overall "all-time" top 100 album list. Source: Source: Source: List of acts with the most weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 since August 17, 1963. List of acts who reached number one on the Billboard 200 with a new album in consecutive calendar years since August 17, 1963. The following artists are the only ones with 30 or more top-10 albums: Note: As

3243-753: The new weekly list was Belafonte by Harry Belafonte . The chart was renamed "Best-Selling Pop Albums" later in 1956, and then "Best-Selling Pop LPs" in 1957. Beginning on May 25, 1959, Billboard split the ranking into two charts: "Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs" for stereo albums (30 positions) and "Best-Selling Monophonic LPs" for mono albums (50 positions). These were renamed "Stereo Action Charts" (30 positions) and "Mono Action Charts" (40 positions), respectively, in 1960. In January 1961, they became "Action Albums – Stereophonic" (15 positions) and "Action Albums – Monophonic" (25 positions), and three months later, they became "Top LPs – Stereo" (50 positions) and "Top LPs – Monaural" (150 positions). On August 17, 1963,

3312-525: The original Illmatic ." Jesal Padania of RapReviews commented that the album "proves remarkably consistent throughout, and is a superb listening experience", and considered it a studio release, stating "this is a short sharp shock of awesome lyricism, and many, unofficially, consider this to be the closest cousin we will ever get to Illmatic II ." Pitchfork Media ' s Ryan Dombal cited the album as one of Nas' "finest moments". About.com 's Henry Adaso called it "noteworthy because of its superiority to half

3381-521: The publication's maximum "XXL" rating. In 2012, Complex included The Lost Tapes in their list of "25 Rap Albums From the Past Decade That Deserve Classic Status". A follow-up compilation, The Lost Tapes II , was originally intended to be released on December 16, 2003, and include unreleased recordings, remixes, and freestyle tracks. However, its release was delayed, and in 2006, Nas signed to Def Jam Recordings . In

3450-468: The rapper's previous studio albums I Am... (1999) and Stillmatic (2001). It features production by L.E.S. , The Alchemist , Poke and Tone , and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie , among others. With low-key, sparse sounds and observational lyrics about urban life, the songs are largely autobiographical and nostalgic, departing from the thug persona of Nas' previous records. Released with little promotion, The Lost Tapes debuted and peaked at number 10 on

3519-1124: The sessions for the former album, including "Blaze a 50", "Drunk by Myself", and "Poppa Was a Playa", were bootlegged prior to its release and leaked to the Internet through MP3 technology, which led to their exclusion from I Am... . Most of the compiled songs first became available as bootlegs on underground mixtapes before being selected and mastered for The Lost Tapes . Songs on The Lost Tapes were recorded in several recording studios in New York, including Right Track Studios , The Hit Factory Studios , and Sony Studios in New York City, Lobo Studios in Long Island, and Music Palace in West Hempstead, as well as South Beach Studios in Miami, Florida and Westlake Studios in Santa Monica, California. Production

SECTION 50

#1732891042864

3588-498: The songs produced by Kanye West , Swizz Beatz and RZA as the standout tracks. Rolling Stone ' s Christopher R. Weingarten praised Nas' performance, calling him "a rap legend at his most stylistically diverse", however, he described the album as "a messy display of the many sides of Nas" at both "his most essential and least essential". The Lost Tapes 2 debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 23,000 album-equivalent units , of which 12,000 were pure album sales. It

3657-544: The sound of bubbling liquid before being overlaid with a beat and a piano riff. An introductory verse is delivered by Nas in a spoken word tone: "Yeah. I want all my niggas to come journey with me / My name is Nas, and the year is 1973 / The beginning of me / Therefore I can see / Through my belly button window / Who I am." The narrative follows the time before his birth, covering subject matter such as his parents fighting and his expectations for life. In Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop (2009), writer Adam Bradley denotes

3726-454: The stereo album chart; it was number one for 12 weeks on the mono album chart. ‡ The South Pacific soundtrack ran for 28 weeks at number one on the stereo album chart; it was number one for three weeks on the mono album chart. § This is the Blue Hawaii album's run on the mono album chart; it was number one for four weeks on the stereo album chart. Notes: Here are the albums to complete

3795-428: The stereo and mono charts were combined into a 150-position chart called "Top LPs". On April 1, 1967, the chart was expanded to 175 positions, and then finally to 200 positions on May 13, 1967. In February 1972, the album chart's title was changed to "Top LPs & Tape"; in 1984, it was retitled "Top 200 Albums"; in 1985, it was retitled again to "Top Pop Albums"; in 1991, it became the " Billboard 200 Top Albums"; and it

3864-421: The stuff in Nas' catalog." In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Chris Ryan was less enthusiastic about the album, finding it "somewhat inconsistent, and certainly too scattered to be considered an album per se," even though it features "some classics, such as the nostalgic 'Doo Rags,' that are not to be missed." In its 2007 issue, XXL included The Lost Tapes in its list of "classic" albums to be given

3933-742: The thug persona of Nas' previous work in favor of more sensitive, nostalgic, and autobiographical lyrics. Slate magazine's David Samuels interpreted "a message that begins with a rejection of the materialism of his ... rival Jay-Z" and "the home truth about how most kids in the projects feel about the real-life gangstas who live in their neighborhoods", citing "No Idea's Original" as an example. New York Daily News writer Jim Farber commented on his lyrical observations, "Nas focuses on linear scenarios and on human motivations ... "unlike many hard rappers, Nas' tales of ghetto horror are not covert boasts but expressions of true fear". Farber took note of "a cinematic tale of self-destruction in 'Drunk by Myself,' and

4002-401: The top 10 for 5 consecutive weeks. Note: Had the  Billboard 200 allowed catalog albums to chart previous to December 5, 2009, Michael Jackson  would have claimed six simultaneous top 10 titles for two consecutive weeks and  The Beatles  would have claimed five simultaneous top 10 titles that year. † The West Side Story soundtrack ran for 53 weeks at number one on

4071-485: The track's lyrical narrative of an MC's story of birth as "one of the core narratives in rap", having its roots in a similar autobiographical convention found in African-American slave narratives . Of Nas' narrative, Bradley states, "By endowing the insensible with voice, he aspires to an expressive level that transcends speaking for oneself, or of oneself, to one that self-consciously constructs itself as an artist giving shape to that which lacks coherence." The Lost Tapes

4140-537: The tracking week begins on Friday (to coincide with the Global Release Day of the music industry ) and ends on Thursday. A new chart is published the following Tuesday, post dated to the Saturday of that week, four days later. The chart's streaming schedule is also tracked from Friday to Thursday. Digital downloads of albums are included in Billboard 200 tabulation. Albums that are not licensed for retail sale in

4209-438: The traditional Billboard 200 methodology but is based exclusively on SoundScan's sales data. Beginning on January 18, 2020, Billboard incorporated video and audio data from YouTube , along with visual plays from streaming services like Apple Music , Spotify, Tidal and Vevo , into the Billboard 200. The change has also impacted Billboard 's genre-specific album charts. Billboard 's "chart year" runs from

SECTION 60

#1732891042864

4278-401: Was eventually released on July 19, 2019. In 2001, Nas made an artistic comeback with the release of his fifth album Stillmatic and his highly publicized feud with rapper Jay-Z . Both events revitalized his image in hip hop music at the time, following a string of commercially successful but critically subpar albums. Nas' record label, Columbia Records , capitalized on his comeback with

4347-403: Was further delayed by Def Jam, whom Nas accused of mishandling the project and its budget in a personal e-mail sent to label executives. Reports of the project's delay incited fans to create an online petition in December asking for Def Jam to release the album. After losing time to the project's delay, Nas began recording for a new studio album and put plans for The Lost Tapes 2 on hold. In

4416-468: Was further delayed by Def Jam, whom Nas accused of mishandling the project and its budget in a personal e-mail sent to label executives. Reports of the project's delay incited fans to create an online petition in December asking for Def Jam to release the album. After losing time to the project's delay, Nas began recording for a new studio album and put plans for The Lost Tapes 2 on hold. In 2012, American singer Frank Ocean and producer Hit-Boy created

4485-665: Was given its current title of the " Billboard 200" on March 14, 1992. From the end of 1970 to 1985, Billboard also printed a " Bubbling Under the Top LPs " albums chart paired with the " Bubbling Under the Hot 100 " singles chart, which listed albums that had not yet charted on what was then the "Top LPs & Tape" chart. In 1960, Billboard began concurrently publishing album charts that ranked sales of older or mid-priced titles. These "Essential Inventory" charts were divided by stereo and mono albums, and featured titles that had already appeared on

4554-449: Was handled by The Alchemist , L.E.S. , Poke and Tone , Precision, Rockwilder , Al West, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie , and Hill, Inc. The album was packaged with a booklet featuring artwork by Chris "C-Money" Feldman and photography by Kareem Black, along with liner notes displaying the slogan "No cameos. No hype. No bullsh*t". The Lost Tapes features introspective lyrics and themes of urban life , sociology , and despair. Its music

4623-644: Was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 12 reviews. Reviewing for Entertainment Weekly in September 2002, Craig Seymour said Nas' "gritty, yet hopeful, reflections make Lost Tapes a real find." Rolling Stone critic Jon Caramanica hailed it as "the real Stillmatic ", writing that it "displays Nas' gifts for tightly stitched narrative and stunningly precise detail." In The A.V. Club , Nathan Rabin deemed it

4692-435: Was no communication at all, and I wasn't used to that. With Sony, I wasn't used to a lot of communication, it was just, we understood what we were doing. [...] Def Jam, it was more, 'Let's sit down, let's have tea and talk this over.' I wasn't so used to that, and I saw kinda things falling behind. It kinda messed up my flow, I thought. The timing for that is gone. Now, it's all about the new record. On June 11, 2019, Nas shared

4761-622: Was released by Ill Will Records and Columbia Records, and distributed through Sony Music Entertainment . It was first released on September 23 in the United Kingdom, then September 24 in the United States, October 9 in Japan – where it was issued with three bonus tracks – and January 20, 2003, in Australia. The release received little marketing, with hip hop journalist Rob Markman noting no promotional music videos were produced and Nas' absence from

#863136