1. I am ...
2. It Was Written
3. illmatic
4. life is good
5. the firm
6. stillmatic
7. gods son
8. hip hop is dead
9. streets disciple
10. nastradamus
11. QB's finest
12. the lost tapes
13. distant relative. havnt listened enough to rate higher.
14. untitled. dont know this album at all

im sure many will differ.
this list is the way i would rate them based on wht i would personally throw in and listen to first.. now i know some may say -well whats the difference. that means you think this is the same as best to weakest. -well not necissarily. we all know illmatic is most definitely classic. but im sorry -i enjoy I am and the It Was Written way more than illmatic even though ilmatic is easily his best album. dig it?

Illmatic
Lost tapes
God's son
Stillmatic

W/e after that

thanks just searched it. when i hear that first verse i think i have SOME hope in this rap shit
but then 2nd verse he's pretty masterful...crazy. took a few listens

looked at the text of verse 1 and 2, i think verse 1 would be considered "good" to peeps here, but they'd prolly scoff at verse 2, and there are reasons for this of course

life is good dope as hell tbh @Certain. i just havnt spun it enough to place it higher than i did in my list.

How you gonna have 'I Am...' at #1 @Genocide

Ots got my fav nas track on it. Undying love. One of the dopest stories ive heard. When i first heard it iwas like damnnnnn. Thats why that would be my number one choice album to listen to. Ive never had a problem going through the whole thing without soipping. Just a sick tape @Mr. J

I feel like I bounce around on that album too much tbh, it is one of my favs
but I wouldn't go as far to rate it number one, although there are some nice cuts on there
Lost Tapes at #12 though? whaaaaat?

Ya. The main reason i put higher numbers on certain tapes is the amount ov playtime ive given them. Everyone says how dope it is.. but ive only spun it a few times and dont know it that well to rate higher

Stillmatic
God's Son
Illmatic
Lost Tapes
It Was Written
I Am...
Life Is Good
Street's Disciple
Nastradamus
Hip Hop Is Dead
Untitled

I don't get how any Nas album could rank higher than Illmatic. I just don't get it. The others had legitimately awful songs. Stillmatic had "Braveheart Party" and "Destroy & Rebuild" and "The Flyest," which is the worst AZ-Nas collaboration. God's Son had "Zone Out," which might be the worst song ever to appear on a Nas album.

The worst song on Illmatic was probably "One Love," which is a borderline classic.

I never realized it but I always skipped over Braveheart Party...
Destroy & Rebuild was ok but it does get terrible after a few listens
I feel what holds back The Flyest is that hook, but the verses are slick regardless
I used to keep that song on a constant spin. when Nas starts up I cringe...
but the song is really good I feel

if I had to rate this like Geno did I would have It Was Written at the top
that was one of my favorite albums for the longest time..

Illmatic is clearly the best.

It also has a legacy unlike pretty much any other album, it changed hip hop forever.

no....The Message changed Hip Hop forever...

You know, song for song, I'm sure Illmatic is his best album. But it's about what the album means to you that can make it more preferable. I grew up in California. 94-96 was all about G-Funk. Warren G. Snoop Dogg. Dr. Dre. Tha Dogg Pound. Ice Cube. DJ Quik. Pac. etc. So, the first Nas song I heard was If I Ruled the World when It Was Written came out. The first full Nas album I heard was Nastradamus. So when Stillmatic came out in 2001, it was the illest album ever. I had gone back and listened to Illmatic by then, but Stillmatic was NOW. Stillmatic was the Nas/Jay-Z beef. It was happening in the moment. And it was raw as fuck.

So, yes. While I can't argue that Illmatic has less skip-worthy tracks, Stillmatic has just as many dope tracks. Ether. One Mic. Rewind. 2nd Childhood. Even Got Urself A Gun was dope as shit. In the moment, that album was my everything. I had one cd player, and I kept that cd in it for months. So for me, for what that album was for me and my life. That album is better than Illmatic.

Nostalgia sucks.

Stillmatic
Illmatic
Lost Tapes
It Was Written
I am..
God's Son
HHID
Nastradamous

doesnt matter after that.

Aside from Warren G & Snoop I never got into G Funk nor the hyphy movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP0OaUOQGCg

I love Andre Nikatina, but other than that I don't listen to much NorCal rap.

Shut up idiots, Stillmatic was the first Nas album I heard too and it blew my mind, but Illmatic is clearly better. Think with your mind, not your heart.

Which album had the track

SHOOT EM UP JUST SHOOT EM UP WHAT
KILL KILL KILL
MURDA MURDA MURDA