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I Am-
Studio album by Nas
Released	April 6, 1999 (1999-04-06)
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	Hip hop
Length	64:37
Label	Columbia CK-68773
Producer	L.E.S., DJ Premier, Trackmasters, Timbaland, Alvin West, Dame Grease, Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "Six July" Broady, D-Moet, Pretty Boy
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Entertainment Weekly (B) link Rap Reviews link Robert Christgau link Okayplayer link Rolling Stone link Stylus Magazine (favorable) link The Source link
Nas chronology
The Firm: The Album (1997) I Am- (1999) Nastradamus (1999)
Singles from I Am...
"Nas Is Like" Released: March 2, 1999 "Hate Me Now" Released: April 6, 1999

I Am- is the 1999 multi-platinum third studio album by rapper Nas for the Columbia Records label. Considered a comeback album after a three-year gap between releases, the album features the singles "Nas Is Like" and "Hate Me Now". It debuted #1 on the charts, selling over 470,000 copies in its first week. I Am- would later be certified 2x platinum. Despite being criticized for its commercial appeal, the album was generally well-received by fans.

Original album concept

This album was originally to have been a double album titled I Am...The Autobiography, however most of the original sessions were bootlegged forcing Nas to discard many songs and adjust the release to one disc. 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 LP The Lost Tapes in 2002. The concept of this album as can be seen by tracks such as "Fetus" from The Lost Tapes was to be an autobiography of sorts for Nas. Nas allegedly recorded over 110 tracks for the project.

Songs

The two singles from I Am... were "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like". "Hate Me Now" features Puff Daddy and is produced by D-Moet, Pretty Boy and The Trackmasters. It was a Billboard Hot 100 hit, and had a controversial music video directed by Hype Williams. The song sampled Orff's "Carmina Burana." "Nas Is Like" is one of two tracks produced by DJ Premier who scratches vocal samples from Nas' "It Ain't Hard To Tell" into the chorus. The "Nas Is Like" music video was directed by Nick Quested and is still very popular in underground circles and continued a long list of popular Nas/DJ Premier collaborations.

The album also contained the song "We Will Survive", a tribute to Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. The song criticized his peers, most notably Jay-Z, who "claimed to be New York's king" following B.I.G.'s death, the record has been cited as potentially encouraging the Nas vs. Jay-Z feud.

Puff Daddy controversy

Puff Daddy, a featured artist on "Hate Me Now", shot a scene for its music video in which he was crucified, and subsequently felt uncomfortable with it and asked it to be edited out of the final cut. A cut containing the crucifixion scene was mistakenly delivered to MTV, and aired on TRL on April 15, 1999. A furious Puff Daddy allegedly barged into the offices of Nas' manager Steve Stoute later that afternoon and attacked him, at one point hitting him over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute filed a lawsuit against Puff Daddy, which was later settled out of court.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

Chart positions

Album

Singles chart positions