Search - Nas :: Illmatic (Aniv)

Nas Keeps His Ear To The Streets.

C. Conard | Fort Collins, CO | 09/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nas' street appeal has never been deniable, and that is his heart on every album he has ever made, from Illmatic, to Stillmatic, to God's Son. Illmatic was released again for its 10th anniversary, and never having owned the album, I bought it. Saying that this is one of the best hip-hop albums ever is a lie. It IS the best hip-hop album ever! Know why? Nas keeps it real for the streets. He doesn't use fancy production, he isn't flashy, and he has a limited vocab but a big heart for rapping. Illmatic has street written all over it. You can FEEL the streets of New York sweep over you as you listen to this album, and the experience is unmatched. Nas has always competed with Jay-Z for king of NYC, except on this album. While I listen to Jay-Z a lot more, and like him better, he doesn't have a heart quite like Nas does. Jay-Z is at his heart, a gentleman, obsessed with cars, girls, and cash by the bags. Nas isn't. He's authentic. I'm not saying Jay-Z is fake, but Nas only cares about rap, and sending messages straight from the projects. Listen to this album for a definition of what rap is. It will send a rush through you unlike any other. And with only 10 tracks, every one is a classic. The best rap album ever. period.

Bonus Cuts: They are very good, but they should be saved for another album. Definitely draw away the classic feel from the original Illmatic album. Still worth a listen. *If you already own the original Illmatic, there is little to no point in getting the anniversary edition."

Revolutionary, Beautiful...Perfect

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 04/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Illmatic" is the perfect rap album. This is the one album ever made that bridged the old school to the new school, the best producers to the greatest MC, real world lyrics to straight fun. Nas introduced himself as the world's greatest rapper here, and although he would defend this title for years to come, he would never match the quality of "Illmatic". He paints stories of life in Queensbridge, his beloved project, makes philosophies on the state of the world, reminisces over his younger days, and obviously has a lot of fun. What's so beautiful about "Illmatic", however, is that Nas could never have done it alone. It's totally a group effort, because Nas recruited only the greatest producers of 1994 for this album. Put it in the CD player and treat yourself to the productions of Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and DJ Premier. "Illmatic" is probably the only hip hop album ever to have immortal lyrics matched by such immortal production, which is why it is widely considered hip hop's bible.



The album starts with an intro, where Nas and his friend AZ have a conversation about the state of current rap and life over a dope beat. If it weren't for "The Genesis", I doubt that albums would have intros like they always do today. "NY State of Mind", Primo's first track, is the first song that Nas paints a ghetto portrait for the listener. "Life's a B**ch" is one of the greatest hip hop collaborations of all time. AZ leads in with one of my favorite verses ("Visualizin' the realism...") and they give their young philosophies on life. Large Professor produced that excellent beat. "The World Is Yours" was revolutionary, and is the reason Nas is regarded as a ghetto prophet. The piano and bass beat is done by the one and only Pete Rock, and Nas is still recycling lyrics from this song to this day. "Halftime"'s technique changed hip hop for good, and it's jazzy beat only enhanced it. "Memory Lane" might be my favorite song on "Illmatic". Primo's toned down beat with keyboard and vocals is perfect, and Nas takes time to reminisce and think. "One Love" is Nas's classic talk to a friend in jail, produced by Q-Tip. "One Time 4 Your Mind" and "Represent" are both legendary storytellers with great beats and hooks. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" is one of my favorite songs ever, with it's ultra-jazzy and souled-out beat, it's the most purely old school track here. The 10th anniversary edition is definitely worth the extra $2 because it provides a second disc of remixes which complement the originals nicely, plus a newer classic, "Star Wars".



"Illmatic" was successful in melding the quickly progressing hip hop world to its early nineties styles, and in so revolutionized rap in itself. There aren't too many albums that I would call perfect, but "Illmatic" is an unduplicated legend in itself."

Anyone Who Says Illmatic Isn't A Classic Doesn't Know Rap

ctrx | 03/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion, as well as the opinion of many others is that Nas's Illmatic Cd is undoubtedly one of the most phenomenol rap albums ever made. The incredible beats set the stage for Nas to rap about stories that paint vivid pictures of his upbringing in The Q. He represents his home incredibly well, being one of the finest rappers who has ever lived. He shows us the gangster life, but also shows us his true emotions, under his "tough- guy" persona. With only ten tracks, Nas shows you how he can say so much in quite little time. Also, although the album is a deal shorter than the average rap CD you buy, and has you wanting more, Nas doesn't say too much. That is a common downfall in rap music today. Often a rap artist will put out CDs with 18- 20 songs, when they really need many less. Nas also shows us that he is a good solo artist and doesn't need much help at all with (I believe to be only) one guestt appearance made by AZ. Many rappers with 20 song long albums have so many guset appearances made on their CDs, that they may only rap themselves for as long as Nas did on this short album. Plus, I will not fail to mention the spectacular new tracks on the bonus CD of this album containing remixes to four of Nas's classic tracks, as well as two previouly unreleased tracks. I must say, that personally Nas is my favorite rapepr of all time next to Tupac. This album is definitely worth buying for any true hip- hop fan, even if you generally don't like some of Nas's new material. Also, so many rappers that were devoloping their styles around the time of this release in '94 copied Nas's style on this one and occassionaly, this goes on today, too. 5+ stars. Classic."