I love I Am, that album never gets its due

iww easily

I feel like IWW was a more overall cohesive album vs vol 1 but man vol 1 got the higher highs to me and the songs on there that’s basically that jiggy puff production>>>>

The only bad thing about vol 1 is like 2-3 songs that just aged terribly. Like track 3

Always Hov.

IWW flows much better as a whole album.

Vol. 1 has strong highs but has a few lows that drag it down.

It really needed to be cut down by a bit and it'd be on the level of RD.

Nas rapped like a true demigod on IWW with the smoothest, buttery flow he ever had.

That's another factor for me.

Jay was spitting hard on Vol. 1 but not IWW Nas.

I like Vol 1 a lot but I love IWW

I always felt like Vol 1 was longer I just double checked it's actually a minute shorter

In My Lifetime has some of the greatest writing of all time people get hung up on two songs max on it

IWW was a concept album that showed Nas in his Escobar persona which was darker and grimier than his Illmatic phase where he was just an observant street kid.

Vol. 1 is cool but I always felt like the album had an identity crisis and a lack of cohesion where Jay was juggling trying to sound like his RD self and copying the Bad Boy radio hit formula.

Vol 1 but both are classics

It Was Written a better commercial album than what Hov was chasing on Vol 1

Vol 1 one of my favorite albums ever so I gotta pick that

nigga vol 1 is not mid

Album is mid, y’all just remembering the singles.

Not arguing anyone’s favorite, but if y’all have Vol. 1 at the top, where are you putting Black Album, Blueprint, Vol. 3, Reasonable Doubt, 4:44, American Gangster, Vol. 2???

Vol 1>>>

None of that makes Vol 1 mid. There are mid Jay Z albums and we all know which ones they are

Vol 1 is such a overlooked project man. Top 3 Hov albums in my house really.

Funny enough with the Cole drop last week and the build around it I’ve been running Jay catalogue back from Reasonable Doubt on forward, Vol 1 is great and idk if I’d even put that in top 3 Jay
Imaginary players, Where Im From, You Must Love Me, Streets is Watching,
I gotta give IWW another proper listen but Mann idk

Vol 1 >>>>>>

The transition from Street is Watching to Friends and Foe 98'

Good thread

IWW easily though

But the best song between both albums is Lucky Me

Take It In Blood makes me feel something I can't really explain. Nas is something special honestly

I keep having internal debates on who's my GOAT between Nas and Hov and it fluctuates every other month man. It's to the point I see both of em as my nr 1.