Nas’ 1999 album “I Am” was originally meant to be a double disc project and Nipsey Hustle recently revealed that the original version featured a story told across three songs.
Story-telling raps have been utilized by the likes of Nas, Slick Rick, and the Notorious B.I.G. in the past, but no one has ever told the same story over three songs on one album. Nipsey claims Nas’ original “I Am” had something like this before it was altered by a leak. When asked by a fan what’s the most creative song he’s heard recently, and Nipsey cited “I Am.” “Ask @stevecarless 2 tell u they story of @NAS scrapped Double Album IAM “undying love” connects to…”Amongst Kings” which leads into “Fetus,” Nipsey wrote. “Never heard a story told across three songs woulda raised the bar if it didn’t leak and was [delivered] as intended.”
“I Am” dropped in 1999 and featured “Hate Me Now” with Puff Daddy. It was shrunk down to a single disc album after many of the songs leaked before the official release. The final version only featured one of those three story-telling songs with “Undying Love.” The album also boasted guest appearances from some of the most popular artists in music at that time including Aaliyah, DMX, and Scarface.
Source: boxden.com
