Illmatic

An absolute classic If hip-hop is supposed to be a window into the streets, ILLMATIC sounds, feels, and even fucking SMELLS like NYC in the '90s. When the war against the Disney-fication of NY was still being waged. By 1994 hip-hop was nationwide but Nas grabbed the mantle and brought it back home.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about music, and this includes Illmatic. But I hold strongly that Nas's debut album, Illmatic, is the greatest and most important hip-hop album of all time. I cannot and will not dispute this. It goes hard. The sampling and the beats, Nas's flow on each song, the lyrics, the whole product. It's the combination of Boom Bap production with hardcore lyrics and flow. But the lyrics aren't just braggadocious or tough, they're a reflection of reality. Nas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens, later dropping out of school and fully immersing himself in music. Nas, of course, is a natural wordsmith and lyricist. His cadence along with the depth of the bars elevates the art of rap to a multi-dimensional instrument. Each song stands on their own, you can tell that love and care went into the album as a whole. It is not a product of commerce, but of passion. Incredibly impactful and insanely catchy, Illmatic is an all-timer.

So, I never really listened to Nas much before today. And I'm decently versed with most hiphop. Nas just never really appealed to me, though. Luckily for me, this project is forcing me to listen to things that don't appeal to me because Nas really IS an extremely talented rapper. His rhyme game is on point. The constantly interweaving internal rhyme schemes are out of control and really unexpected for an east-coast act in '94. According to the wiki article, it kinda started with him. Well, thanks Nas. Docked a star because, while the lyricism is off the chain, the content is ... repetitive and shallow (though still better than 99% of the east-coast rap of the time).

A stark and brutal portrait of Queensbridge in the early 1990s. Nas absolutely raps his ass off like he knows this could be his ticket out. He tells stories at such a rapid clip that it was hard for me to keep up at times and that he wrote this at 20 years old is simply astounding. The eerie beats enhance the mood of this album and parallel the lyrics well (the sample of "human nature" at the end of this album was fun to hear so close to Thriller though the context was completely different). I'm fairly confident there is no Kendrick Lamar without this album, as I lots that likely influenced Kendrick here.

It's Illmatic by Nas. The best rap album of all time. Nas's lyrics are so slick that they slide off his tongue and spread like an oil spill in your brain, and the beats from the best craftsmen in the game (QTip, Large Professor, Premier, Pete Rock, L.E.S.) back him up so perfectly that they feel like a part of him, a natural extension of his craft. The album might honestly have the best three song run in hip-hop history. It should be illegal to follow New York State of Mind with Life's a Bitch and The World Is Yours, and the album never stops from there. Poignant slice of life tales on Memory Lane and One Love give the album an emotional through line and enhance the heady blend of ambition and apathy, power and weakness, joy and tragedy that defines the life of Nasty Nas. Represent is similarly incredible, with a hungry and passionate Nas giving it his all. It Ain't Hard to Tell, One Time 4 Your Mind, and Halftime are the only "subpar" tracks, meaning that they're 8/10 instead of perfect 10s and above like the rest of the record, but they all deliver standout moments and are probably the favorites of many listeners. This album is a touchstone of hip-hop, as Nas's measured, neverending flow and poignant, deadly lyrical skills either directly or indirectly inspired B.I.G., a future rival in Jay-Z, and countless other rappers. His lines have been reused countless times, and every contemporary hoping to make his or her bones in the game pays homage at some point to the album. It isn't rap's most important album, but it's the best there ever was.

I was really unaware of this album, or the history of it or Nas. Maybe he is too cerebral for mass consumption or radio play? His lyrics and rap rhythm are masterclass. But I found the album boring; it all ran together. No doubt he has different beats and samples but moving from song to song there wasn't one thing I could really point to in one that made it stand out from another one. The album works but once I walk away from it, there's nothing particularly memorable to bring me back.

Nah...

I ain't got time for this, know what I'm sayin'?

I was only marginally familiar with Nas and never had taken the time to listen to a full album before this was suggested. Really well done all around. Half way through, it hit me how much of A Tribe Called Quest vibe I was feeling, so I was not shocked but deeply satisfied to see Q-tip had a big hand with the album. This will definitely be on regular rotation for me. “Midnight Maurauders” by A Tribe Called Quest kept the groove flowing after listening to Nas.

Album #1 Although I've rinsed this album from start to finish many times when it came up as the first one to listen to I was more than happy to dive in again. There is nothing I can say about how great this album is that hasn't already been said by droves of people far more qualified than me. If anyone who doesn't listen to much hip-hop asks me where they should start, this is the first album I point them to. Few albums receive the privilege of acting as a benchmark for their genre, and that is exactly what Illmatic does for hip-hop. This benchmark applied even more so in '94 when the genre was still young and proving itself. On Illmatic, everything comes together perfectly. From the soulful yet raw beats to the poignant yet infectiously addictive flows. They work in tandem to weave a story of a city frozen at a point in time and one young man's place within it. Favourite Track: Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) Least Favourite Track: N/A

One of the best hip hop albums I've ever listened to, the beats are real crisp, the samples and scratches are mega cool, and the vocals are just amazing, this is a must for every hip hop fan out there

4 out of 5. While not being a genre I have an interest in this was a pretty good album and lyrically it has a good flow. I can see why people find this album influential. Favorite song: Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)

Knowing it's high regard, I have listened to this album various times even prior to this 1001 albums prompting, trying to "get it". I read the entire Wikipedia article. I re-listened multiple times and even had the Genius lyrics up to explain. While I appreciate his lyricism, articulate delivery, "90s NY Hip Hop" vibes of the production, it would be disingenuous to act like I relate to any of his topics. If not for the accolades, feels indistinguishable from plenty of other stories in rap. The obvious one that comes to mind is Kendrick's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. However, I find the latter to be easier to bop along to, wheras Illmatic feels more like cerebral slam poetry to me. I enjoyed it enough, but there isn't anything memorable to bring me back for the fun of it. As a fan of hip hop, I'm disappointed that I can't bring myself to love the album, even though I can respect it and understand why it is so highly regarded. But what it probably just means is that I prefer rap that is more catchy to rap that is more poetic.

Not entirely stimulating, but commendable nonetheless.

Too aggressive. I’m not a fan personally

The world is yours !

Absolutely fantastic and an obvious classic. This album paints such vivid pictures of New York that it feels like a movie. Beats, rapping, flows, storytelling, everything is about as good as it can be. Insane record.

A 90s hip-hop classic, the benchmark of every album from the genre since its release. Timeless production throughout and electric delivery from Nas. This album transports you to 90s brooklyn, but in no way feels dated listening today. No song is unnecessary and the album does not outstay its welcome. Fave tracks: - NY State of Mind - Life's a Bitch - The World is Yours Worst tracks: N/A Rating: 9/10

Trash

Not my cup of tea

Rap... not my style.

If I never hear this again I will die happy.

Only thirty seconds. I don't like this style

Yo… yo… yo… yo… motherfunsters! Nah. Not for me.

my first that I've listened to before! an absolute, absolute classic rap album with absolutely incredible flow, lyrics, and production, definitely one of the best rap albums oat.

One of the best rap albums of all time. The storytelling is on another level, and the flows and beats are all amazing. I own this and have listened to it countless times. 100/10.

Another album I can safely claim as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. I had the pleasure of watching him perform this front to back at Coachella forever ago. He’s one of the best story tellers, so many iconic lyrics on this record. “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.”

Easily the greatest hip hop record of all time. Nasty Nas forever.

Illmatic has its reputation for a reason. Honestly, the reason this is so good boils down pretty simply, this is 40 minutes of engaging, detailed storytelling over unbelievably consistent beats. I'd even say Illmatic as a whole is about as consistent an experience as they get, there's really no space for me to complain. There aren't any lazy verses, or so-so interludes, or annoying features, or throwaway cuts. Illmatic is lean, and it reflects the care and attention to detail put into it. If Illmatic sounds like it took 4 years to write, that's because it did. Nas would make other good albums, but never again anything like this. This is a one of a kind piece of perfect rap music, from front to back.

So I knew this would be good. I just hadn't listened to it all the way through until today and honestly, its greatness is something that I've had to sit with and examine. I've had to think about how significant this record is and what it's done not just for me but for hip hop. And what I've discovered is that it deserves all the praise it gets. It is without a doubt a masterpiece of its time and I have no other choice but to accept it. 9/10 (5 on this scale)

Woah, another treasure that I missed. The rap is crisp and clever, the beats and music are inventive and interesting, a real masterpiece that I never heard until now.

the first album we've gotten that i am super familiar with beforehand. my first interaction with illmatic was hearing ny state of mind on the radio in saints row 2 lol. my brain was not even activated in any regard at that point in my life but something deep in my soul gravitated toward the song. i remember seeking it out when i would get in a car and driving further than i needed to just to keep listening. as a lil suburban whitey i had a very superficial understanding of anything related to hip hop. i liked popular songs i came across and edgy odd future type stuff, but no real knowledge of anything beyond that. i disturbingly have to give thanks to whoever on the volition dev team got ny state of mind on the soundtrack because i actually think it sparked my interest in rap. at some point i sought out illmatic and other classic hip hop records and came to really love the genre and all that it could be. this is just such an important album and really represents what i love about hip hop in general. it embodies 90s ny. there's definitely some stuff that hasn't aged well but it's also just so real and representative of the time. plus all the songs are good! don't feel like i can really get at the point in this mid work distracted ramble but i will always have a place in my heart for this album and how it lead me to expanding my interests in all different types of art.

It lives up to the hype. The lyrics are powerful and Nas is on his flow the whole time. Dude can spit. I didn’t realize this was from 94. I thought maybe 98 at the earliest. Wild he was rapping like this while other people were still on that “I hip, I hop, when I have a dollar I go to the shop” type shit. I have always seen this touted as one of the best/most influential albums and I mean yeah. His flow and style was years ahead of the game. Years ahead of Jay-Z (I still have to listen to the Blueprint, likely will tomorrow now). Biggie and Pac were contemporary and are their own animals, and OutKast started cooking around this time too but you can really see a shift in the game I think after this album. It almost feels like the standard flow that even if you had nothing interesting to say you could still spit and make it sound appealing. Nas had the flow and something worth saying. Idk if you guys have ever read Dune but when I did it felt derivative as fuck. Turns out it’s just so influential that decades of media owe a tribute to it. It feels suspiciously familiar but that should be seen as a compliment and not an accusation.

Illmatic One of my favourite hip hop albums and one of my favourite albums in general. I only really ‘discovered’ it about 2 or 3 years ago but I absolutely love it. There’s a minimalism to the beats and use of samples that matches the desolation and despair of the lyrics. The hooks are insistent, they nag and punctuate like a drone particularly on the excellent NY State of Mind - the bass, the piano and the And I really just love the production and sound overall and the snare sound in particular. He is obviously a brilliant rapper too, there’s a real density to it all in the internal rhymes, the cadence as well as the overall story telling. The verses on the World is Yours are pretty incredible, for example. He’s definitely in the same mould as Biggie and Tupac etc, but I find his lyrics less brash and self-aggrandizing and much more like reportage. While there is some triumphalism, overall it feels much more introspective with an undertow of bleakness and futility, and a feeling of being trapped by your circumstances. The whole first half up to Halftime is superb, it might dip slightly with Memory Lane but One Love with Q tip with it’s jazzy bass and xylophone is excellent, I love how his voice works with the bass sample One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent is a banger, that piano/bell sample is great, and It Aint Hard to Tell is superb, the Human Nature sample knocked back in the mix is lovely Overall great album, easy 5. 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢 Playlist submission: NY State of Mind

Nas started writing on this album when he was only 16 years old but once it actually released he was 20. 4 years of writing, rapping and co-producing and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time was finished which still to this day is regarded as one of the best written Hip Hop albums of all time. Even at his young age, Nas was able to right self conscious and introspective texts that he could perform like no one else. This album is a masterpiece and without a doubt one of the best Hip Hop albums ever made as well as one of the best of all genres. The album starts with the intro track 'The Genesis' which isn't really a finished Rap track. It's more a Spoken Word sound collage that sets a sonic tone for the album that Nas will extend on. There is still a beat and it's pretty great but it's the sounds around that that make this an incredible intro track even with how short and substence lacking it actually is. The first actual track is the legendary 'N.Y. State of Mind' which is just one of the craziest songs ever made. Nas starts off but stops his delivery to say "I don't know how to start this shit" before giving us 4 minutes of one of the greatest flows that I have ever heard. He did this track in only one take and this is what came out! That alone should tell you how crazy this guy and the album itself is but there's more. Because not only is the beat incredible, the chorus catchy and his flow impeccable but the lyrics itself are some of the best written Hip Hop lyrics ever. They do "only" tell about Brooklyn and New York and his state of mind but he does it with so much lyricism and attention to detail that even Leonard Cohen might be jealous of some aspects of his writing. He also drops one of the most legendary bars in the form "I don't sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death" which was used by so many other rappers as well. The song is simply perfect. The chorus of 'Life's a Bitch' might be one of the albums best but don't be fooled because the Jazz Rap verses on their own are again lyrical perfection. They are both philosophical but also extremely real while being performed with incredible flow. The production is also absolutely incredible. Pretty much everything from 'N.Y. State of Mind' that can be applied to this track, can be applied to this track. It's groovy and jazzy East Coast Hip Hop perfection. From one incredible chorus to the next. 'The World Is Yours' keeps the Jazz Rap production as well as (of course) absolutely amazing verses that don't really stop with the introspective and philosphical depth performed like he's been rapping for 30 years already. I don't even know what else I can say except that this is another perfect track. The track 'Halftime' already shows us that the first half of the album is nearly over. It turns the Jazz Rap a little bit down and lets more Boom Bap shine through together with the Conscious Hardcore Hip Hop we're already familiar with. His flow and his verses are stunning but I am not going to suprise anyone with these infos now. Yeah, perfect track again. (It's really difficult writing a review when every song is incredible in the same exact things and there isn't really a change of quality. It's all the same perfect...) On the second Side of the album, 'Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)' reintroduces a the Jazzy production with some nice Soul Jazz sample flips. No one will be surprised but he delivers perfectly some perfectly written bars. I think this might be one of the best songs on the album although they are all so incredibly close to another that that doesn't really mean much here because even the worst moments are some of the best in music history. 'One Love' not only adds some Political aspects into the rhymes but also Q-Tip who is one of my personal favourite rappers in terms of voice and overall ability. He performs the chorus perfectly and Nas verses are just majestic on this track. The production is simple but unbelievably effective. I think this might be my favourite song on the entire album just because of the lucky addition of Q-Tip. The "worst" actual song on the album is probably 'One Time 4 Your Mind' which in consideration what this album offers still means that it's incredible but just less perfect, if that makes sense. Even with most people agreeing on this take, I still love the track but I get where they come from. His flow at points feels much weaker and at parts actually off. But I think the problem is the beat which I feel like doesn't serve him too well but he did the best thing possible with it and still delivered some killer verses. The pure perfection picks right up again on 'Represent' which not only has some killer verses but also a lovely Boom Bap production that serves Nas much better. He's absolutely killing it on this track and delivers some of his most energetic and thought through bars of the entirety of the album. One of the best on the album. The album ends earlier than I want with 'It Ain't Hard to Tell' which is just a perfect finale to this perfect album. The beat and the production is Jazz Rap finesse, the verses and the delivery is absolutely amazing and Nas nails the albums ideas and concepts for a final time and closes the album in a way that the listener only wants one thing: another listen of the album! favourites: One Love, N.Y. State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, Represent, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), The World Is Yours, Life's a Bitch, Halftime least favourites: none Rating: decent 10 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Illmatic is a contender for the greatest rap album of all time, the greatest debut album of all time, and overall, just one of the greatest albums of all time. Nas has one of the greatest flows in the game and his complex structure featuring internal rhymes make this album a rhythmic treat for the ears. His lyrics are thoughtful and he is an absolute wordsmith, playing with language in a way that only the very best writers can. His beats are lush jazz based east coast beats that represent the very best of New York hip hop. I find myself favoring east coast rap from the '90s and this is certainly amongst the cream of that crop.

Best Song: N.Y. State of Mind. That low, droning melody that repeats throughout the song is so iconic, and Nas is on another level through the whole track. Worst Song: Life's a Bitch. It's not a terrible song, but maybe a bit overplayed in movies, and it has this spirit of nihilism that I feel very much is not fitting with the rest of the album. Overall: I mean, this is maybe as good as it gets in this genre of rap. Great flow, great features. There's a reason it's considered such a classic. Sure, there are a few slurs that haven't aged well, but I don't think that's enough to sink what is otherwise such a thoughtful and iconic album.

Straight out of the dungeons of rap. An exploration of rap poetry that defines a decade. Superb sampling. Lyrical mastery. Raw realism. One of the greatest albums ever made.

One of the best albums ever made and the album that got me into hip-hop. even the opener skit is one of the best skits ever made. razer sharp flows, inventive rhyme schemes, dusty beats and some of the best storytelling in music history. Nas basically became a GOAT contender right out of the gate. Of course the all star cast of boom bap producers played a huge part in the seamless, timeless quality of this record too

Greatest Hip/Hop album of all time, not much else to say about it.

1994. Key Songs: Life's a Bitch, N.Y State of Mind, Halftime, One Love

First time I'd ever listened to this and really liked it.

Not my favorite genre but this is definitely a masterpiece

Album goes hard. Great rap album I was thinking about listening to NAS this week anyway

Classic. Why do debut rap albums hit so hard?

No. 294/1001 The Genesis N.Y. State of Mind 4/5 Life's a Bitch 4/5 The World is Yours 4/5 Halftime 4/5 Memory Lane 5/5 One Love 4/5 One Time 4 Your Mind 4/5 Represent 4/5 It Ain't Hard To Tell 5/5 Average: 4,22 Just awesome from beginning to end. Great lyrics & great flow.

I’ve never been much of a rap fan and I am using this project as a way to expand my horizons. I remember this album coming out and not thinking much of it. I was in the military and the album was everywhere but I was on a college radio kick at the time. Listening to it now…omg. This album is incredible. To think I could have been listening for 30 years but I’m only understanding its genius in 2024. That’s on me, shame on me.

"I don't know how to start this shit" 💀

Nas' Illmatic caught me by surprise! It was full of very catchy hip hop music, and before I knew it, the album repeated and I didn't stop it. The lyrics were purposeful and smartly crafted--and I'm always a sucker for songs covering meaningful topics. The samples chosen and used were different. There's even a Kool & the Gang sample bookending the album!

This is an odd one - I like it as an album but it's championed too much who call it the greatest hip-hop album ever (it isn't) or the boring Radiohead fan type who say they hate all Hip-hop except this. I guess that why I don't really get on with it, it's Radiohead levels of meandering on the tunes. Other acts e.g Dilated Peoples do that as well. But just find this album so overrated and over-championed when there are better records out there can't help but mark it down. 3.4

Listened to on 5/2/22 2.5/5 Favorite song: halftime, it ain’t too hard to tell Things I like about this album: the naming of songs (genesis, halftime) but it’s truly just not my vibe although I liked it better than most hip hop/rap albums

Why was this not considered gangster rap? I read it supposedly show the NYC rap scene as still relevant compared to the West Coast scene of "gangsta rap". But the lyrical content seems basically the same.

I don't like exactly this rap

Meh, more rap

tria una

Didn’t like it - too hardcore for me.

2

I'm not into hip hop but this is most possibly the best rap album I ever listened to. The scratching, the beats, the textures, the lyrical rhythms 👌

Dope

Godson across the belly

4.8/5 This is a certified hood classic, regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever. I've never listened to it before, maybe I kept myself from it to not get disappointed. But man, was I wrong... To think that this was Nas' debut album is insane, hitting flows like this in '94 is beyond impressive. Songs like Halftime flow so well that you can't escape the headbanging. It's a good thing this album came to me on a Monday, it really increased my mood. Every single song is good. I literally can't say a single bad thing about this album. Even in comparison to contemporary stuff, Illmatic still hits that fine line of aggression, lyrical sophistication and really good beats. Probably one of the very few albums on this list that actually deserve to get full 5 stars. Well done, Nas! This album landed in my Best Of 1001 list.

Klassischer HipHop mit minimalen Stilelementen … nicht aufdringlich. Getragener und entspannter Grove

iconic

Third hip-hop album in a row! And it's this one. Hooooooly mother Mary. Just about the greatest hip-hop album I've ever listened to, save for maybe The Low End Theory. A dark, gritty, raw portrayal of NYC in the 90s. It's personal, it's depressing, and it's proud. What a masterpiece.

Classic album.Easy 5 star rating

"Could use a gun, son, but fuck being a wanted man But if I hit rock bottom then imma be the Son of Sam"

The Genesis - 8/10, the sample flip of his first radio song is really cool. N.Y. State of Mind - 11/10, Nas starts his verse saying he doesn't know how to begin his verse, then proceeds to spit one of the best rap songs of all time Life's a Bitch - 10/10, nothing to say, it's a classic for a reason. The World is Yours - 11/10 Halftime - sure the lyrics are dated, but you have to put it in context of the time and also intention, either way the actual song is still 9/10 Memory Lane - 10/10: The church organs make the song seem angelic, even when the lyrics are reminiscing about the bad as much as the good. One Love - 10/10 Q-tip is amazing as per usual, and Nas sounds as hungry as ever. One Time 4 Love - my least favorite song on the album, but it was still great 8/10 Represent - 10/10 this song scratches something in my brain that i can't explain that i feel like the album needed. It Ain't hard to tell - 11/10 the song is just perfect Overall 9.8/10 so basically 10/10

Whose world is it? Nas' apparently

Incredible

Slick as city asphalt after dark. Ten tracks, no skips, no filler — just pure lyrical poetry gliding over the smoothest beats of the ’90s. It’s cinematic, intelligent, and effortlessly cool. “One Love” stands out like a late-night letter from the heart of Queensbridge. Makes you want to drop the top, cruise slow, and let the streetlights sync with the rhythm.

The Brutalizer

What to say . Hip hop classic!

Great week so far. As perfect a rap record as they come.

6 stars if possible. NYC State of Mind Life's a bitch The world is yours WHAT A RUN OF SONGS! An album that clocks under 39 minutes and that packs SUCH a punch. I discovered this criminally late in my life, but I'm glad it's in there nonetheless.

“Pac was like Jesus, Nas wrote the bible” 1 of 1.

Nas is the greatest New York rapper ever, fight me.

5 mics

Bars bars bars

One of the greatest rap albums of all time. Flow and lyrics are great, beats are amazing. 10/10

When I was 16 or 17 I went to a hip hop music festival in Miami. Black dude who came late and sat next to me was smoking his blunt and sorta giving me a cold shoulder. That was until we had the chance to chat in between sets and became fast friends. We were pogoing and grab each other’s backs while Nas performed.

One of the most influential rap albums ever made that came out on my born year. Illmatic is a classic. It balances clean east coast boom bap beats, themes of life on the streets of Queens, and strong flow/delivery from Nas and company. This album comes from an era of hip-hop where albums were bloated with skits and misogynistic lyrics. See The Notorious B.I.G's album Ready to Die, which came out later that year for example. Illmatic largely manages to push the genre away from reliance on those things which imo drag down some of the classics from this time period. It also pushes the boundaries in terms of rhyme scheme composition where each bar has multiple internal rhymes. This was one of the first (if not the first) rap albums with a collection of high level producers who competed against each other to create the best beats and you can feel it in the quality of the beats. This is a trend that many following rappers would adopt and it's commonplace today.

ah, NY State of Mind, the crown jewel of the Saint's Row 2 soundtrack

just bangers, great lyrics and production. love it.

I’ve been waiting for this one. Like many others, I think it’s the best rap album of all time. Foundational and influential, but still impressive in its own right. It ages well and holds up three decades later. The trifecta of “NY State of Mind” -> “Life’s a Bitch” -> “The World is Yours” is crazy. It’s one of the best three-track runs EVER regardless of genre or era. These are the best boom-bap beats ever made! Anyway this is an easy 5 star rating and it’s putting me in a great place for the day. Must-listen #240.

The genesis - intro N.Y State of Mind - 🥇 Life’s a bitch - great The world is yours - 🥈 Halftime - crazy run Memory lane - chill One love - super easy listen One time 4 your mind - chill Represent - great It ain’t hard to tell - 🥉 Overall - great back to front, only tiny moments I don’t like but great listen, nas at his peak 5/5

Not a hip hop fan but even I easily give this 5*

Top 10 hip hop album

Classic!

life is literally a bitch and then you die. this album fucked

Best hip-hop album of all-time? It just might be. It's hard to decide what's more impressive between the production or the lyricism. The production team's (Q-Tip, Pete Rock, DJ Premier...I mean c'mon?!?) immense individual talent shines through on every track but everything remains impressively cohesive throughout. The rhyme patterns are insane from beginning to end. Despite the fact that Nas' subsequent work has never reached Illmatic's height, this one, nearly perfect, album has properly cemented him as a living legend of hip hop and music at-large. I'm embarrassed to say it's probably been close to ten years since I've given this one a proper listen but it definitely won't take another decade until I throw Illmatic on again. Highlights: 0:01-39:51...okay, fine! My favorites are Life's a Bitch, The World is Yours, Memory Lane, It Ain't Hard to Tell Skip (if I had to pick one): Represent

Always seen this album on various lists of the best album ever but I never knew anything about it. Good to finally give it a listen and I can see why it makes it onto these lists. NY state of mind jumped out an instant favourite.

Better than Coldplay

This is sick. Very cool. I had listened to this before but never returned to it, something I will definitely be doing now.

A classic, hasn’t dated at all

It’s a classic. Boom bap rap from NY. The killer flow from Nas over real 90s street beats is a KILLER combo. A style that people try to replicate over the years. I fugging love this album. And repeated can listen to any of them. Nasty Nas you nailed it The Genesis NY state of mind Halftime Favourite on the album - Represent. The backing track makes it so much better of a tune

An absolute classic actually deserving of the praise it has received over the years and it deserves more. I wish todays hip hop had half the thoughtful lyrical content this does. Im honestly stunned this made it on this list, its not trying too hard to be cool bullshit like the majority of this catalogue. THIS is an actual album you should hear before you die be you a fan of hip hop or not.

Smooth flows, just perfect hip hop. 9/10

no spiegazioni.

There's a reason this album is in every hip-hop head's top 20. It's not an easy feat to be able to rhyme without it feeling forced - Nas is able to do it in a way that almost feels conversational. The essence of raps storytelling trait is found here. The World is Yours was my favorite track on this album, the looping sample doesn't feel gratingly repetitive but lets the rhymes breathe, and the ad-libs feel more like another layer of instrumentation to the whole piece. These days, "lo-fi" hip-hop still feels like a sad mimicry of hip-hop as a whole - easy to consume and not saying much of anything at all. This album serves as a reminder that you can keep things simple AND say a whole lot.

Probably the best rap album