Illmatic is the debut of Nasir Jones and, like stated above, it's generally regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. Not hip hop albums, but any album. Based on the strength of his verse on Main Source's "Live At The Barbecue", Nas was signed to Columbia Records, who did an outstanding job marketing this record. Even as a debut, Illmatic was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the 90's. I'm still not entirely sure why that many people knew of the guy already but it doesn't really matter. Illmatic is famously only ten tracks long. Leaving no room for filler, these ten song are often regarded as the "hip hop ten commandments"
Illmatic has impacted hip hop is almost every way imaginable, but most importantly it changed the way rap albums were produced. That could be for better or worse, but that's another topic. Instead of sticking one trusty producer, Nas chose to bring together an allstar lineup consisting of Nas himself, L.E.S., Dj Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and Q-tip. Having multiple producers is obviously normal today and unless a huge paradigm occurs, it's going to stay that way. You can argue that it's spearheaded the downfall of hip hop, but it's also created multiple classic, so thank Nasir for that.
Even though it basically let Nas do whatever the hell he wanted to do for the rest of his life, Illmatic has also been a detriment to his discography. He's has moments of greatness, but nothing he's done can really compare to Illmatic. Subsequently, Nas is often seen as the guy who created Illamtic. Still, though, he is arguable one of the most well known rappers in the world, even today. It's puzzling that Nas is still relevant while other classic rappera, such as Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap have to work at Kroger to get by. The most likely reason for this is that Nas' classic record was released in the modern era and hip hop heads such as myself will buy anything he releases in the hopes that he can recreate his masterpiece.
Thats's enough rambling for now and I think I've done my job of building up Illmatic to its classic reputation. I guess the next logical step would be to start the reviewing process...
Not to ride Illmatics dick too much, but even the damn intro is good. It starts off with the sound of train, making the rapping behind it almost unaudible. Nas converses with people that I'm guessing are his friends about getting money and shit. Not really deserving of being called a hip hop commandment but it sets the mood nicely.
2. N.Y. State Of Mind
Nas jumps right fucking into things and annhilates the track. Since it's one of the most famous sings from the album, this was actually the first song I heard from Illmatic. As expected, I will admit I had multiple orgasms. The rapping is about being in... the New York State of mind, but you could have guessed that. The best part, though, is Primo's piano carried beat, one the best of his illustrious career. For a song that features so much straight forward rapping and lacking a real hook, this song is incredibly catchy and quotable. A true hip hop classic.
3. Life's A Bitch (Feat. AZ)
Odd enough, the albums best verse comes from the lone guest feature, AZ (I still have no idea what the hell money orientated is supposed to mean, though). No disrespect to Nas, AZ's verse is one of the greatest of all time, but he fucked your shit up on this one, bud. Since its Illmatic, the instrumental is great, giving the song a relaxing feel but still dark enough for Nas to rhyme effectively over. Another interesting note, its actually Nas' father Olu Dara playing the trumpet as the song fades out.
Back when every rapper snuck in a Scarface somewhere on their album. Imagine if rappers traded in their copy of Scarface for a copy of Illmatic. Maybe rap wouldn't be on life support. Anyways, this is another legendary song, fully produced by Pete Rock. Nas' rapping is untouched on here, speaking about finding optimism in bad situation. The beat here, though. That shit is just amazing. Its actually light on the horns for a Pete Rock song but that doesn't mean its not incredible. The piano line along with the outstanding scratches make this my favorite song of the album.
5. Halftime
One of the best Large Professor produced songs on the album, but he still is responsibly for the lesser tracks. Still a great song, though. Nas turns in one of his finest lyrical performances, even throwing in a diss towards the faggots for good measure. "Halftime" is perfectly sequenced, offering a brief intermission after the lyrical onslaught of the last three tracks.
"Memory Lane" is a beautiful piece of nostalgia, courtesy of Nas and DJ Premier. I honestly can't remember all that much from Nas, but that's just because Primo's beat is incredible. So good in fact, that it blocks out any and all signs of the outside world. From the guitars to the soft humming, this has an almost ghostly feel to it, while Nas mixes in elements of old and new school rap. Just a fantastic song.
7. One Love
The Q-tip produced song begins with a wu esque skit at the start. This is one of Nas' best performances rapping as he was writing to some incarcerated friends. Talking about unloyal girlfriends and loyalty, Nas informs his friends on what's been happening since their have been gone. The phrase one love is sprinkled in after every verse, hence the title. Perhaps most impressive, Nas thows in one verse for the kids he feels are destined to be locked up in prison.
8. One Time 4 Your Mind
Nas is on full on braggadocio shit here having an almost battle feel to it. Like I said, Large Professor produces the weaker songs on the album. I said that with this song in mind. Its a great song but easily my least favorite, which is unfortunate, it could have been a career defining track for other The voice at the end tells him to kick one more verse for the projects, which Nas completely ignores. Always felt bad for the poor guy.
9. Represent
Even though its very debatable, the final Primo beat is his worst, but that's only because his other two are some of the best of his career. Instead of the normal soul and jazz samples, this features a "Thiefs Of Baghdad" sample, making the song notable at the very least. Nas is one fucking fire here, though, starting the song off with a barrage of lyrical fire. This is a very nice ode to Queensbrige and a welcome addition to the album.
10. It Ain't Hard To Tell
I swear this was one of my favorite songs for the longest time. Easily Large Professors finest performance of the night, his sampling is top notch, while the drumline kicks ass. The Michael Jackson sample is fairly weird but it doesn't ruin the song or anything. Not to be overshadowed, Nas's rapping is just as good as its been all album. One of the best songs of the second half and a terrific way to end the show.
Rating: 5/5
Wow, it almost feels weird giving an album five stars, but I guess that's the point of classics week. Yes, the album holds up perfectly and is still one of the best releases in rap history. Each song is great in its own way but some get overshadowed by the better tracks. Even though, all of the album is amazing, the first half is just on another level, containing some of my favorite songs of our chosen genre. I know its only forty minutes long, but Illmatic has some absurd replay value and I almost gaurantee you can sit through the whole thing without throwing it out your car window. Seriously, do you even need to ask if you should buy it? Its a hip hop classic and you lose all your credibility in life if you don't have it. Columbia Records issued a re-release in 2004 that contains some remixes and a few new song. You can pick that up if you want, but its not really essential listening. Nas himself said that hip hop was dead, but the rap world he knew was already vanishing during Illmatic. But you can summon it back, starting with rumbling of the train and the great doors of Illmatic will open. Start taking notes now and go out to the record store next Sunday so you can buy all these classics.