I sometimes wonder if Jay-Z didn't blow up, whether we would be saying all the amazing things we are saying about RD today. I know for a fact that when Illmatic was released, it was hailed as a landmark album and a masterpiece. If Nas died or fell off, we would still look back and say all the crazy things we say about it today. RD, on the other hand, seems more like Doe or Die than Illmatic -- a really dope album, amid a string of other notable albums that came out during that same period...but probably nothing more. Am I wrong to assume that?
As far as dated sounds go, of course RD sounds less dated, when you consider how much production values had improved....but datedness is just one way of critiquing albums. You have to take it all in context of what else was being played. For instance, Breaking Atoms and Critical Beatdown are certainly more dated than RD, but their production was still ahead of its time and so innovative. Besides, much of the hip hop I enjoy sounds dated, but I could give a fuck either way, because dope is dope!