Do Not Duplicate: Albums That Shouldn't Have Sequels
Some things just need to remain untouched.
1 / 11
Do Not Duplicate: Albums That Shouldn't Have Sequels - Over the weekend, Nas admitted in an interview that he's considered working on and releasing an Illmatic 2. "Yes and no; I've thought about it before," the MC told Vibe about the possibility. "I definitely thought about that. It just has to flow, it has to be natural. I can work on that and if I don't like it [just scrap it]. I have to feel it. It got to to be honest." But honestly, most would likely agree that any Illmatic sequel wouldn't be natural — it's in a rarefied class as is. But it's not the only classic hip hop album that should be left alone. Read on for more examples of sequels we hope to never see. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Photo By Jason Merritt/Getty Images
2 / 11
Nas, Illmatic - Nas set the bar — for himself and other rappers — immeasurably high with his classic debut, Illmatic. It has become like hip hop scripture. While the Queens rapper still has the skills to mirror the impeccable lyricism he displayed on the 1994 release, there’s something about trying to remake the moment that he captured two decades ago that feels equal parts difficult and blasphemous. (Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Records)
3 / 11
Fugees, The Score - No Fugees fan hasn’t dreamed of a reunion of the East Coast trio. But, it's probably not going to happen at this point. And even if it did, crafting a sequel to their classic 1996 release, The Score, inevitably wouldn’t hit the mark. Though it came far too soon, this was an epic send off. (Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Records)
4 / 11
Jay Z, Reasonable Doubt - From the corner to a corner office — and beyond. That's Jay Z's miraculous trajectory since he released his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. He's in such a different place in his life now — just listen to 2013’s Magna Carta Holy Grail for musical evidence — that a part two of this classic wouldn't do the jazzy yet gritty album justice. (Photo: Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records)
5 / 11
OutKast, Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik - It's been 20 years since Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik dropped, but it remains a jewel in a crown catalog of OutKast albums that's full of them. The legendary duo never remain in the same space creatively for too long (like we're reminded on an Aquemini skit: "First they were some pimps. Then they were some aliens or some genies — some s--t."), anything too derivative of the past would be a clear deviation from the 'Kast path. (Photo: Courtesy of Arista Records)
ADVERTISEMENT