I am glad that this album caught on over time. And to be fair, no album in hip-hop history could properly follow the masterpiece that is Illmatic. Lyrically, this album obviously delivers. And Nas rapping from the perspective of a gun on "I Gave You Power" is genius and perhaps served as a blueprint for similar gun-related tracks from Tupac and Pharoahe Monch that followed. Production-wise, the album is solid as well and surpasses board work that followed on the next few Nas releases (not counting "Nas is Like" from I Am). And "If I Ruled the World", with Lauryn Hill, is one of those rare singles that is able to crossover without compromising its sound or its message.
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