Nas is one of the most important figures in hip-hop history. Often titled the best lyricist in hip-hop, Nas helped increase the standard for lyricism in an era that was crucial to the future development of the genre. Whether it was storytelling or general wordplay, Nas always managed to push the limit with each album he released. However, as history recalls, Nas had a shaky discography filled with various peaks and troughs, attributing to the rumor that he had fallen off artistically. This article will sort through the clutter and reveal what makes each album a gem in its own way.

This list includes all 15 solo studio albums from Illmatic to King’s Disease II and the two collaborative efforts: The Firm and Distant Relatives.

19. Nastradamus (1999)

The infamous album that marked the downfall of Nas; All of the complaints concerning Nas’ lack of huge radio records caught up to him on this album. On this album, Nas attempted to make a record that satisfies both mainstream heads and hardcore hip-hop fans. The album performed fairly well as the Ginuwine assisted “You Owe Me” caught a buzz, but Nas failed to deliver what would be the album perfect for all audiences. However, as time passed and trends change, you begin to realize Nastradamus has an amazing amount of records and wasn’t as bad as we remembered it to be. Tracks such as the engaging “Life We Chose” and the classy “Come Get Me” display the high standard of lyricism that we know Nas for. Far from Nas’ best album, Nastradamus was a bump in the road for his career, but proved to be a decent album will many great tracks.

Best tracks: “Family”, “Life We Chose”, “Project Windows”

18. Street’s Disciple (2004)

Another album where people marked the downfall of Nas, the newly engaged rapper – at the time – decided to release a double album counting up to 24 solo tracks. While 24 tracks of Nas sounds like a great time, the album was bloated with many forgettable songs. However, the gems uncovered on this album were so good that a compilation of them could have worked better in Nas favor rather than an entire double album. Songs like the sentimental “Just A Moment” and the chaotic “Thief’s Theme” keep the album entertaining when you find yourself out of interest when listening.

Best tracks: “Just A Moment”, “Thief’s Theme”, “Disciple”

17. Untitled (2008)

The highly controversial “Untitled” album marked a very strange phase in Nas’ life and career. Intending to name the album after a slur, he was prevented from naming the album as he liked and had to resort to using “Untitled.” Surprisingly enough, Nas nailed the mainstream records this time around with songs such as the dynamic “Hero” on the album. Even so, Nas built this album to be a political product of the time, discussing everything from the Obama campaign to criticisms of the Bush administration. Due to the political landscape at the time playing a huge role in the album, you find that the album doesn’t age well compared to the times and events of today, but similar to all albums on the lower end of the list, there are many gems to be uncovered on this project.

Best tracks: “Hero”, “Breathe”, “Make the World Go Round”

16. The Lost Tapes 2 (2019)

The highly anticipated sequel to the cult classic compilation, The Lost Tapes, had a rather interesting reception from fans. Many found the album to be very underwhelming despite having a stacked roster in terms of production. Producers from RZA to Pharrell to Pete Rock all provided contributions to the album so expectations were sky high. Despite, a minor amount of unnecessary tracks, the album is cohesive as it maintains the same energy all throughout and the takeaways tracks are some of the best Nas songs we’ve received since his 2012 release, Life Is Good. Tracks like “Tanasia” and “Queen’s Wolf” show how Nas hasn’t stepped far from his creativity when it comes to his pen. A very overlooked project in Nas’s discography, The Lost Tapes 2 tapped into another chamber of Nas writing as he takes a more creative approach with each song on the album.

Best tracks: “Queensbridge Politics”, “Tanasia”, “Lost Freestyle”

15. NASIR (2018)

After 6 years without releasing a project, Nas returned to the scene in 2018 with a product of the Kanye West Wyoming sessions. While you’d think a Nas album fully produced by Kanye would be a recipe for success, the product would soil very quickly as Kanye was caught up in the camaraderie of working on five projects at once. The concepts of the songs were genius, from flipping the iconic Slick Rick song “Children’s Story” on “Cops Shot the Kid” to reconciling with Puff for the rebellious “Not For Radio.” The music was very solid, but seemed very unfocused and could have been better had Kanye not scheduled this in between working on various albums at once.

Best tracks: “Adam and Eve”, “everything”, “Bonjour”

14. The Firm – The Album (1997)

The Firm was on track to be the next biggest hip-hop group at the time after the classic posse cut, “Affirmative Action,” received a lot of praise. Along with Dr. Dre working as an executive producer of the Firm album, the project was on its way to success. Unfortunately, the album would encounter numerous problems with industry relations and disagreements among the group, making the album a chaotic compilation rather than the supergroup success we had hoped for. Despite the minor inconsistencies, the album itself was fairly good for what it was and contains a lot of classic tracks with many features from Canibus, NORE and the group’s new addition at the time of release, Nature.

Best tracks: “Phone Tap”, “Desperados”, “Executive Decision”, “Firm Fiasco”

13. Distant Relatives (2010)

The collaboration album with reggae legend, Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley was an overlooked gem at the time of release. Fusing the two genres of hip-hop and reggae was as the name of the album suggests: bringing the two distantly relative genres together to create a great body of work. Not only that, but features from both genres contribute to the project including Lil Wayne and Junior Reid, bridging the generational gap within the two musical categories. Admittedly, it doesn’t stand out like an Illmatic or It Was Written, but the whole album front to back is a great experience.

Best tracks: “Patience”, “My Generation”, “Count Your Blessings”, “Friends”

12. Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)

Nas’ eighth studio album, Hip Hop Is Dead, was another album that was swept under the rug, mainly due to the controversial title. The name Hip Hop Is Dead triggered a lot of artists, old and new, as they were under the impression that Nas declared the genre to be deceased. In reality, Nas was trying to bring back the authentic feel of hip-hop where artists were in control of the art they created rather than industry machines producing one-hit wonders. To accompany the concept, Nas created songs talking about the state of hip-hop culture, the forgotten legends and carrying on the traditions and values they instilled in his peer group. Along with remembering the past, Nas drops game on each track for the newer generation to follow in his and his peer’s footsteps. Songs like the legendary “Black Republican” with JAY-Z provide for standout moments while the zealous “Hustlers” with The Game help bridge the gap in a divided genre between the old school and the new school. This album doesn’t get the shine it really deserves as almost every track lays the foundation to Nas embracing his OG status in hip-hop.

Best tracks: “Black Republican”, “Hustlers”, “You Can’t Kill Me”, “Still Dreaming”

11. King’s Disease (2020)

The unexpected collaboration between Nas and producer, Hit-Boy was the pairing that we didn’t know we needed until we heard it. Hit-Boy provides a modern sound with a vintage feeling to his production, which is suitable for a rapper like Nas. The chemistry between the two is transparent throughout the album and shows Nas tapping in more with the newer generation, with features from Big Sean, Don Toliver and even Fivio Foreign. Fivio and Nas link with A$AP Ferg for the summer smash “Spicy” to bridge the gap between the different generations of New York artists while Big Sean & Don Toliver provide Nas another dose of contemporary hip-hop with “Replace Me.”

The album isn’t just Nas stepping out of his comfort zone as songs such as the nostalgic “Car #85” and the all-star Firm reunion “Full Circle” are included to show that he isn’t fully changing up anytime soon. The 38-minute album was a great 2020 standout and one of Nas’ more successful attempts at embracing the modern wave of hip-hop.

Best tracks: “Full Circle”, “All Bad”, “The Cure”, “Car #85”

10. God’s Son (2002)

Following the tragic news of his mother’s passing, Nas made God’s Son almost as a tribute to his angel in heaven. After dropping The Lost Tapes earlier that year, many were under speculation that Nas would undertake a more soulful sound on this project and while there were some soul elements in the samples, God’s Son took a different approach sonically. God’s Son stuck to the same formula as the critically acclaimed, Stillmatic, but Nas makes a few changes along the way. We find Nas becoming more vulnerable, with songs like “Dance,” which is an emotional rollercoaster Nas takes us on to display his final words to his mother, and “Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)”, a heartfelt tribute to those that were lost in the street life, containing vocals from 2Pac to add more emotional elements..

As Nas gets deeper in the album, he also provides explosive street anthems such as “Made You Look,” which birthed one of hip-hop’s best remixes, and “The Cross,” another perfect example of how deadly Nas is on the mic. The album remains thoroughly consistent all throughout and is one of Nas’ strongest efforts from the 2000’s.

Best tracks: “Made You Look”, “Dance”, “The Cross”, “Revolutionary Warfare”

9. Magic (2021)

The third installment of Hit-Boy-produced collaborations serves as a continuation of Nas’ cultual observations and lyrical exercises. With the Queens emcee getting his mojo back, Magic keeps the momentum going with Nas finding a healthy balance of blending in with the new generation of hip-hop while simultaneously leveraging his thirty-plus years of experience as a masterclass for emcees of all calibers. Though the New York veteran is all about erasing the bad energy from his life, Magic shows remnants of the military-minded street poet on records like “Speechless” and “Meet Joe Black.”

Just when we thought we had heard the duo reach their creative peak, Nas and Hit-Boy extend their palette further and build upon the successful foundation from the King’s Disease series. Nas comes through with the signature quick-witted rhymes that we know and love with the perfect array of soul- infused beats from Hit-Boy finest to match. The King of New York and LA’s finest dead any bi-coastal beef by completing their hip-hop trilogy, showing fans it’s possible for hip-hop artists to maintain longevity in the genre.

Best tracks: “Speechless”, “Meet Joe Black”, “40-16 Building”, “Dedicated”

8. King’s Disease II (2021)

Building off of the template from the 2020 release of King‘s Disease, Nas and Hit-Boy reunite at the height of their partnership to deliver an extension of their original collaboration. In a time where deluxe projects have reached extreme saturation, the duo of Nas and Hit-Boy manage to keep the experience fresh while polishing up the original blueprint. The amazing chemistry between the two improves tremendously as the duo push each other into more challenging territories, such as Nas embracing the new trap-inspired sound on tracks “40 Side” and “YKTV”, while Hit-Boy ups his production game and even adds a verse on “Composure”.

Nas does an amazing job of bridging the gap between old-school and new-school hip-hop, incorporating a timeless, yet modern sound and bringing in a diverse roster of features, ranging from Lauryn Hill to YG. As Nas embraces his elder statesmanship in the world of hip-hop, King’s Disease II proves that an OG in the game is capable of creating a spectacular body of work while embracing the current sound of hip-hop.

Best tracks: “Nobody”, “Death Row East”, “Store Run”, “Moments”

7. I Am… (1999)

A rather peculiar album in Nas’ discography, I Am… doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being a Nas album. What turns people away from I Am… was the shaky rollout Nas endured. For those that don’t know, this album was leaked two months prior from its initial release date, leaving Nas scurrying for a fresh batch of tracks to include. When the album dropped, many were disappointed because the final product was nothing like the leaked version online, leaving a bad reputation on I Am… despite its commercial success. The lead singles for the album gained traction in the streets and the charts. The DJ Premier-produced “Nas Is Like” still rings in the ears of hip-hop heads while the Puff Daddy assisted, “Hate Me Now” created a tremendous build-up to the album’s release.

The end product of I Am… contains some of the best album cuts ever, with “Favor for a Favor” bringing Nas and Scarface together for a legendary cut and “Undying Love” setting up one of the best storytelling songs in all of hip-hop. While it faced a lot of bumps on the road, I Am… is still an amazing project with a good portion of the album containing some of Nas’ best songs of all time.

Best tracks: “Nas Is Like”, “Undying Love”, “Favor for a Favor”, “Small World”

6. King’s Disease III (2022)

Nas & Hit-Boy locked in for the final entry of their trilogy, completing their three-peat series of modern-day classics. Just like an athelete reaching the latter half of their career, many questioned if the Queen’s emcee still had it in him after a string of throwaway records to exit a deal. When Nas & Hit-Boy finally came together, it was literally magic in the making. From the original King’s Disease to now, Nas has tremendously improved in the lyrical category, with a fierce ambition that mirrored the OG Nasty Nas of the early 90’s. With the help of the LA-based legend, Nas quickly shut down the “terrible beat picker” allegations” and proved that it was possible for hip-hop artists to age like fine wine.

While it’s easy to come under the assumption that the legendary emcee would rather pour his resources into his business endeavors at this stage of his career, Nas’ love for gritty hip-hop continues to shine bright as he rigorously flows over an amazing selection of instrumentals. From the head-rocking “Thun” to the soul-touching “Reminisce”, Nas expresses his love for the craft one beat at a time, creating some of his best work in the process.

Best tracks: “Thun”, “I’m on Fire”, “Michael & Quincy”, “Hood2Hood”

5. Life Is Good (2012)

Nas’ most mature record to date – this album is Nas coming to terms with things occurring in his personal life. Everything from his recent divorce to his daughter growing up, Nas spills out every ounce of his personal life on this project. Almost every song on this album means something and represents a part of Nas’ life one way or another. Songs like “Daughters” and “Reach Out” keep Nas in this zone of sentiment, but the good old Nas we know and love isn’t completely gone.

The Rick Ross-assisted “Accident Murders” and the Large Professor-produced “Stay” call Nas back into the rapping grove that we know and love him for. And who could forget the lovely “Cherry Wine” with Amy Winehouse vocals and jazz/soul instrumentation. Tracks like these uplift the album and, despite the minor inconsistencies throughout the project, classic material is written all over this record.

Best tracks: “Cherry Wine”, “Daughters”, “Accident Murders”, “Stay”

4. The Lost Tapes (2002)

Who would have thought one of Nas’ best projects would be a series of loosies and throwaways that could have been grade A album cuts on previous projects? Containing some of the best production he has rapped on since Illmatic, The Lost Tapes showed people that Nas was still lethal on the mic in a time where many thought he lost his touch. With tracks like the dynamic “Blaze a 50” and the soothing “Doo Rags,” Nas’ string of throwaways proved to be better than most rapper’s best projects. Admittedly, the idea of an artists’ scrapped songs all on one album doesn’t sound too appealing but with the amount of songs Nas had to replace due to leaks, the songs would have released one way or another.

Best tracks: “Blaze a 50”, “Doo Rags”, “Poppa Was a Playa”, “Purple”

3. Stillmatic (2001)

The ecstatic moment hip-hop had when this dropped was second to none. After getting dissed on the Summer Jam stage by his rival, Jay-Z, Nas knew he had to come back better than ever. As a result, Stillmatic was released. Some of Nas’ best moments from opening the album with the classic diss record, “Ether” to telling a whole story backwards on “Rewind” were redeeming factors that helped the project receive the stamp of classic status. However, the significant change came through the production.

One of the main complaints for I Am… and Nastradamus was how wack the beats were. On Stillmatic, every beat and sample was amazing, whether it was the serious, yet dynamic, atmosphere on “One Mic,” or the classic piano keys on “Got Ur Self A…”, Nas’ beat selection on Stillmatic phenomenally improved. There’s no doubt Nas’ made another classic with this project and just a little over twenty years later, the album has aged like fine wine.

Best tracks: “One Mic”, “Rewind”, “Got Ur Self A…”, “You’re da Man”, “The Flyest”

2. It Was Written (1996)

The mafioso-inspired It Was Written took Nas into a different direction from the path of his debut. While Illmatic focused on the problems that were going on in the hood, It Was Written focused on the shiesty actions that gave the hood a strong perception. Every song that played was a different experience; you never know what you’re going to encounter when engaging on your first listen. Whether you catch the dynamic story of life from a gun’s perspective on “I Gave You Power” or the crime mob of the neighborhood linking together on “Affirmative Action,” every song was a unique experience. Beats by the legendary DJ Premier and Dr. Dre ring throughout the album, giving Nas space to grow creatively on some of the best production at the time.

The debates between It Was Written and Illmatic still continue after 25 years, as many think Nas’ delivered the perfect follow-up to the classic debut, while others fully represent for the titan of a classic that would be his dynamic entry into the hip-hop world.

Best tracks: “I Gave You Power”, “The Message”, “Affirmative Action”, “Take It In Blood”, “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)”

1. Illmatic (1994)

The mecca of hip-hop and undebatably the best debut album in hip-hop, Illmatic created waves in the genre and is still the standard for lyricism today. Nas captivated listeners with the nostalgic feeling of the album that’ll have non-New York residents feel like they lived in the neighborhood for years. However, the nostalgic feel didn’t deliver everything too sweet as the main focus for Nas was to speak on the conditions he and others in his neighborhood lived in.

On “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)” Nas spits (“My window faces shootouts, drug overdoses / Live amongst no roses, only the drama”) to demonstrate that reality for him was different than what most saw when New York came on their televisions. Accompanied by some of the best producers in the game, such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and many more, they helped bring balance to the sound and uplift the grimy New York feel. The classic “N.Y. State of Mind” is a prime example as the sinister piano keys set a menacing tone to the record with Nas’ talking that street shit and creating one of the hardest quotable of all time – (“I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death”). And who can forget the classic feature verse by AZ on “Life’s a Bitch” with some of the best opening lines ever spit in rap (“Visualizin’ the realism of life in actuality / Fuck who’s the baddest, a person’s status depends on salary”).

Confidently the best hip-hop album of all time, many have tried to top this 1994 classic debut and, while many have come close, nothing will ever have the same effect on the culture as Illmatic did. Nas, if you’re reading this, thank you for creating classic material for over 30 years and we’re excited to see the future of Nas the businessman and the artist.

Best tracks: “Life’s a Bitch”, “N.Y. State of Mind”, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”, “The World is Yours”, “One Love”