| I Am... | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by Nas | |
|
Released |
April 6, 1999 |
|
Recorded |
September 1997 - July 1998 |
|
Studio |
D&D Studios |
|
Genre |
|
|
Length |
64:54 |
|
Label |
Columbia Records |
|
Producer |
Carlos Broady, D. Moet, DJ Premier, Dame Grease, Jamel Edgerten, L.E.S., Nashiem Myrick, Nas (exec.), Steve "The Commissioner" Stoute (exec.), Trackmasters, Pretty Boy, Timbaland, Alvin West |
| Nas chronology | |
|---|---|
|
Previous |
It Was Written (1996) |
|
Next |
Nastradamus (1999) |
I Am... is the third studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released in April 6, 1999 via Columbia Records. It was initially scheduled for February 1999 release. Recording sessions took place at The Hit Factory, D&D Studios, Sony Music Studios and The Music Palace in New York City from September 1997 to July 1998. Production was handled by DJ Premier, Trackmasters, L.E.S., Nashiem Myrick, Dame Grease, Carlos Broady, Alvin West, Pretty Boy, D. Moetm Jamal Edgerten and Timbaland. It includes guest appearances by DMX, Scarface, Aaliyah and Puff Daddy. The album was originally a double album titled I Am... The Autobiography, but most of the original sessions were bootlegged and Nas was forced to discard many songs, reducing it to a single disc release. I Am... became one of the first major label releases to be widely leaked using MP3 technology. Some of the leaked songs were later released on the compilation album The Lost Tapes in 2002.
The two singles from I Am... were "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like". The former features Puff Daddy and became a Billboard Hot 100 hit, although its Hype Williams-directed music video generated controversy. The latter is one of two songs from the album produced by DJ Premier, and was popular amongst underground circles and continued a long list of popular Nas and DJ Premier collaborations. The song "We Will Survive", a tribute to Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., features a diss aimed at Jay-Z, who claimed to be "New York's king". The record has been cited as potentially encouraging the Jay-Z-Nas feud.
I Am... debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States, with selling over 470,000 copies in its first week. I Am... was later certified double platinum in the United States, making it Nas' second best-selling release behind It Was Written. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Album Intro" | - | - | - | 2:51 |
| 2. | "N.Y. State of Mind Part II" | Nas | Jones, Martin | DJ Premier | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Hate Me Now" | Nas, Puff Daddy | Jones, Marchand | Pretty Boy, D. Moet, Poke and Tone | 4:44 |
| 4. | "Small World" | Nas | Broady, Jones, Myrick | Nashiem Myrick, Carlos Broady | 4:45 |
| 5. | "Favor for a Favor" | Nas, Scarface | Jones, Jordan, Lewis | L.E.S. | 4:07 |
| 6. | "We Will Survive" | Nas | Barnes, Edgerten, Jones, Olivier | Poke and Tone, Jamel Edgerten | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Ghetto Prisoners" | Nas | Blackmon, Jones | Grease | 4:01 |
| 8. | "You Won't See Me Tonight" | Nas, Aaliyah | Elliott, Jones, Mosley | Timbaland | 4:23 |
| 9. | "I Want to Talk to You" | Nas | Jones, Lewis, West | L.E.S., Alvin West | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Dr. Knockboot" | Nas | Barnes, Jones, Olivier | Poke and Tone | 2:25 |
| 11. | "Life Is What You Make It" | Nas, DMX | Jones, Lewis, Simmons | L.E.S. | 4:05 |
| 12. | "Big Things" | Nas | Jones, Masser, Masser, West | Alvin West | 3:40 |
| 13. | "Nas Is Like" | Nas | Bell, Bell, Bettis, Brown, Handy, Horne, Jones, Martin, Mickens, Mitchell, Porcaro, Redd, Redd, Smith, Thomas | DJ Premier | 3:57 |
| 14. | "K-I-SS-I-N-G" | Nas | Jones, Kelly, Lewis, West | L.E.S., Alvin West | 4:16 |
| 15. | "Money Is My Bitch" | Nas | Barnes, Jones, Olivier | Alvin West, Poke and Tone | 4:03 |
| 16. | "Undying Love" | Nas | Jones, Lewis | L.E.S. | 4:23 |
Samples[]
Album Intro (I Am...)
- "Amityville Horror Main Title" by Lalo Schifrin
N.Y. State of Mind, Part II
- "Coup De Coeur (Harmony)" by Richard Clayderman
- "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd
- "Mohagany" by Eric B. & Rakim
Hate Me Now
- "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff
Small World
- "Love to Last Forever" by Zulema
We Will Survive
- "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins
You Won't See Me Tonight
- "Underwater Grave" by Jerry Goldsmith
Dr. Knockboot
- "Say What" by Idris Muhammad
Life Is What You Make It
- "Vittroni's Theme - King Is Dead" by Roy Ayers
Big Things
- "Theme from Mohagany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" by Diana Ross
Nas Is Like
- "What Child Is This?" by John V. Rydgren and Bob R. Way
- "Tropical Birds" by Jac Holzman
- "It Ain't Hard to Tell" by Nas
- "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie feat. TJ Swann
K-I-SS-I-N-G
- "When A Woman's Fed Up" by R. Kelly
Undying Love
- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (1977) by Kenny Rankin