Illmatic

All of his music is great but this is his best cd.

If I had to pick the best solo rap album of all time, this would be my pick. Each song is like a work of art; I can listen to it over and over again and I keep finding new layers of meaning. It's packed with references to earlier music, jokes, and literary devices. But what does it to me are the gut-wrenching narratives that Nas lays out. My favorite song is the second track, N.Y. State of Mind. I find this album intensely moving emotionally. It's just beautiful. I love the musical elements too. Nas comes on the scene with what was at the time a new rap style...unpredictable, dancing around the beat, often coming in early. It reminds me a little of how Thelonious Monk plays piano. I love the dry, simple musical structure of the songs, centering around drums, a bassline, and a piano loop. These minimal elements are utilized to excellent dramatic effect...seamlessly integrated with the rhyming and storytelling, like the moment when Nas wakes up from his dreams of being a gangsta and the piano loop comes back in just when he says "But just a n***a, walking with his finger on the trigger", It's like the song is slapping me awake when I listen to it but I just want to keep listening to it over and over again. I find something really deep and powerful in this music...you can hear Nas discovering his own talent and self-worth, moving from hopelessness and despair at the social conditions he was living in, to a sense of empowerment, transcending it and packging his wisdom and experiences into an art form to broadcast to others. This work I think was revolutionary, a lot like 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang. But this was executed by a single rapper...an impressive feat. My only complaint is that Nas never seemed to achieve this same level...I still see this as his pinnacle work. I wonder how his career would have been different had he stepped down like Lauryn Hill did after dropping this album. I'm not sure much would have been lost, as there is little in Nas' later work that seems to achieve this same level. This is not only one of my favorite albums, I think it is one of my favorite human creations.

Illmatic is unquestionably Nasty Nas' best album. Not It Was Written, Stillmatic, nor God's Son. Nas released this album at the age of 21. It featured production from the legendary DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and L.E.S. Now into the review. The album starts off with a short intro called "The Genesis". Then it proceeds into "NY State of Mind". This song in my opinion, is lyrically Nas' best song ever. Just check out the first couple of bars of the first verse. Nas' internal rhyme scheme rivals that of Rakim himself. DJ Premier provides a rugged beat that goes perfectly with Nas' lyrics. Next is "Life's a B***h" featuring AZ. The production on this track is just marvelous. AZ and Nas also come correct. AZ's flow and lyrics are just perfect on this song, Nas' are good too but AZ ends up stealing the show. This song is followed by "The World is Yours". Production by my favorite producer of all time Pete Rock. Nas' lyrics on this song are meant to inspire young and poor people in the NY area. One of my favorite songs on the LP. "Halftime" is just amazing. The beat is addictive and Nas' lyrics come off strong as usual. "Memory Lane" is my favorite song on the entire album. The production on this song is flawless and it's just a track you can vibe to. This is one that you could put on repeat and just relax. On "One Love" Nas raps about those who are in prison. He gives a shout out to many, including future arch rival Cormega. Q-Tip does the hook for this song. The next song, "One Time 4 Your Mind" is my least favorite on the album. The production is kind of on the weak side and Nas' lyrics are good but his flow is off a bit. This is the track that I sometimes skip. "Represent" was a street anthem. The uptempo beat by DJ Premier makes this one a favorite of those who need to get hyped. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" is the final track on the album. Lyrically, this song is only surpassed by "NY State of Mind". You can hear the sample of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" built into the song. Lines like "From the spliff that I lift and inhale" makes this one a true gem. I remember seeing this video on TV back when BET used to play good music. Illmatic is a true classic and a must have for any hip-hop fan. Even if you don't like Nas you should have this album. There are only a few shortcomings on the LP. It's on the short side, only about 40 minutes total. I personally like longer albums better just so long as they don't have any filler tracks. You won't find any truly wack songs on Illmatic. One Time 4 Your Mind isn't as strong as the other songs but it's not completely wack either. Everyone, I recommend you buy this album.

My favorite hip-hop album

👍

The world is yours! Vinyl arrived properly packed. Excellent album.

Classic album. A must have for a vinyl collection

Such a good album. CD came in cracked unfortunately.

The pressing is good quality very clear. Unfortunately I received a sleeve that is damaged. The box I received the record in is not damaged so the record must have been damaged before packing….

Évidemment de qualité

Amazing album arrived in pristine condition

包装が綺麗でした 友達にあげたのですが大変喜んでくれました

Świetny album. Warto mieć. Nie zawiodłem się 👍 polecam!!!