Illmatic

Never listened to Nas before, +1 from me. Probably wouldn't have put this on but glad I did.

A genre outside of my usual comfort zone, I was definitely not feeling okay about the world through "N.Y. State of Mind" and wasn't sure I could do this. "Life's a Bitch" was also rough, but I appreciated the sound of it more. And then I found myself quite liking "The World is Yours" and "Halftime" with its jingle bells. Heck, I liked the rest of it. Many of the repeated themes in these songs felt cliché, but I reminded myself that this was 1994 and these were compositions that inspired the clichés. It was a voice that ended up drawing me into its world for a little while.

I have some familiarity with Nas, but for most of this album, I was a first time listener. I was excited to see a classic hip hop album show up, and I am happy to now be familiar with the studio debut of Nas. I appreciate the artistry of storytelling and rhythm of delivery that Nas has. I also enjoy the musical mixes and beats backing the lyrics. It's good.

OK! I liked this the first time through. Liked it even more the second time through. Yep, the music is catchy, the rhymes are clever. All the talk of M-16s, M-10s, .9s, and the threat of death or prison makes me viscerally anxious, so I'm not sure if I'll listen to it regularly (and I acknowledge the privilege that I have that allows me to say and do that). But this is a great album and I can see why it's on this list.

Haven’t ever listened to Nas before this and this isn't a genre I have much experience with... The rap on this is impressive, albeit with the occasional problematic lyrics. The music has lots of 90s flair, although iI found it was a little stripped down for me as the music and samples could become monotonous. Although I guess maybe that's part of the deal here since the focus is on the rap. I liked listening to this. Although I don't see myself listening to the whole album, there are some songs I will revisit again. Hovering around a 3.5 rating so I guess I'll round it up since the rap is so strong. Favorite songs: “Life’s A Bitch”, "Memory Lane (Sit-in' in da Park)", "Represent", "Ain't Hard To Tell".

Straight classic in the rap genre. Biting, intense lyricism and amazing crisp production and beats.

När jag i mellanstadiet ville bredda mina musikhorisonter och lyssna på något annat än Eminem, läste jag på internet om Nas' Illmatic, och hur den beskrevs som en "hip-hopbibel". Sedan dess har albumet följt mig. Jag återkommer alltid till det efter några månader, inte för att det påverkat eller betytt särskilt mycket för mig, utan för att jag vet att när jag slår på Illmatic har jag 40 minuter ren kvalité framför mig. Varje låt, varje beat, varje rad är så nära perfektion man kan komma i hip-hop. Detta trots att Nas i vad som kanske är tidernas bästa hip-hoplåt, N.Y. State of Mind, inför första versen lägger in en brasklapp: "I don't know how to start this shit, yo...". Albumet är perfekt rakt igenom, men extra bra är ovan nämnda N.Y. State of Mind (såklart), Life's a Bitch, One Love, och Represent. Straight out the fuckin' dungeons of rap! Bästa låt: N.Y. State of Mind.

Nooooombre, mejor le entró a la catafixia

La neta a la primera rola lo mandé a chingar a su madre.

Nothing stood out - all seemed fine but that's it

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.

Ill

021121 13:38 4

Not my cup of tea

Been waiting a long time to listen to this legendary album. Beats are good. Taps "flow". It's kind of old school. I like. High 3.

Narsty nas

Timeless, basically

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.

Really good raps. that are engaging and well writen. I wish the music was more interesting , more nuanced. Most songs are just drum beats an a single synth figure that often sounds like a vibraphone. Some more varied instrumentation would help in my engaging in this otherwise excellent album Having said that it deserves further exploration. 3.5 stars

best of the rap so far

average rap album to me...a bit crass for my tastes.

Not for me.

bastante mejor de lo que había esperado si soy sincera.

Perhaps one of the most overrated albums.. ever. I unironically think 2018's NASIR blows Illmatic out of the water in terms. Even if I compare this to a different record and artist entirely, such as Check Your Head by the Beastie Boys, that has more tight and snappy beats, sounds less repetitive, and takes more repetitive risks. I do not understand the hype here, at all.

Stonewall CLASSIC hip hop album. Legendary album.

Not that fan of the genre hip-hop, but really liked elements of music from jazz and blues. Difficult to hear the text, but the flow and rhythms was good

3 stars. There were a few bangers in the beginning, but second half definitely not as memorable

Nas never had quite the best beats but he remains probably the best lyricist from the 90s. His Lifes a Bitch verse is my favourite rap verse of all time.

The beats are simple and lacking a bit, rapping flow is nice. Overall a decent album that isn't too long

I don't listen to much of the genre, but enjoyed it. Will listen to that again.

Wonderful flows

not for me but iaf

Fun music, boring lyrics, even if the rhyme schemes are complex.

Had this album saved from back in like 2016 when I thought it made me cool to like it, so nice to return to this with a much better sense of musical literacy. Infectious beats and hooks, rewards multiple close listens, and I bet the samples are fire. Easy 5 Already Saved: N.Y. State of Mind Saved After Listening: Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Halftime*, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Life's a Bitch, Memory Lane, It Ain't Hard To Tell Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Well deserved classic status, enjoyed myself more than the amount of songs saved would indicate.

Not my thing

7.5

Great Album. Heard a billion times now but its fire 9/10

Insane he pulled this off his debut, I mean the production alone Is stacked. The cover is literally one of the first images in my head when I hear “hip hop”

It’s Illmatic.

Meh, more rap

One of these songs was in Tony Hawk's Underground.

I've heard this before, a few years ago. It's a good album, one of the last I know of from before rap started to sound like shit a year or two later. Glad it came up, hit the spot this morning. 4/5.

GOOD ALBUM 3.7/5

damn this one slaps! NY State of mind is a stone cold classic, I really like the mixing and that flow! again, damn!

Love the old school hip hop

It just wasn't as good as I expected. It should be something I like, rap with multisyllabic internal rhyming, but I just didn't find the flow exciting.

Classic

Good, but wasn't my favorite. Ok music with clever lyrics, but somewhat repetitive.

Classic as fuck

Classic

Iconic album

Not a hip hop fan, but holy shit does Nas have the gift of poetry. This didn’t feel like a collection of songs, but a love letter to the gritty New York so many of us grew up in.

Terrible discazo, la produccion me encanto, tiene buenas liricas, esta excelentemente rapeado. 5/5

I don't like the language, but the music is phenomenal. What a talent. Really enjoyed this. Listened to it at least three times today and just keeps getting better.

Rap clasico. La próxima predyar más atención a las letras.

Classic!

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

Nas is a legend.

no me copo mucho, pero es algo que el genero tampoco me copa.

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.

Every track has a solid groove, the rhymes are so effortless 8/10

It goes, hard.

Memoriiiiiiiiies

top5

A fantastic rap album.

Great album front to back. Pentacle of hip hop

What a wonderful album. Possibly one of my favorite beats/samples in the last track. So many dissertations have been written about how great this album is. What else is there to say?

Slick beats, mean flows, classic album.

"I rap for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners" Escuchar este disco es visualizarse en un auto, ventanas bajas cruzando el Bronx, literalmente donde nació el rap. No culpo en lo más mínimo a la gente que dice que Illmatic es el mejor disco de rap de la historia o el lugar donde comenzó la era dorada del género. Soul, funk, jazz. Este disco lo tiene (y samplea) todo. Cierra de principio a fin. Si bien fue producido en conjunto con un montón de productores es notoria la contribución de Q-Tip, proveyendo carácter y personalidad a la voz de Nassir. El flow y el sonido de este disco solo se compara con un grupo muy selecto de discos de la época/genero. Es rarísimo mirar atrás y decir que las letras de este disco son las más… ¿Educadas? Nas tiene esa capacidad de demostrar lo horrible de vivir en un ghetto y a su vez señalar la esperanza de salir, o de vivir en uno. Por supuesto que todo se vuelve full circle cuando lo comparás con discos que venían de la otra cosa como el amado The Cronicle de Dr. Dre. No hay notas adicionales, el disco lo dice todo y más. Si querés hacer un viaje por los gigantes del rap, Illmatic va a estar entre las 3 primeras paradas que quieras hacer.

Me gustó mucho. No puedo creer que este disco se me escapó cuando me estuve metiendo en Hip Hop de los 90s. En The Genesis, escuché una voz conocida ... el que canta en Public Enemy, puede ser? PD. En "NY State of Mind" dice "The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps", es contradictorio pero me hace querer un poquito más a NYC 4/5

I like this old school hip hop vibe. And q tip is a great feature artist. It's good lyrics and great flow. I like the tone of his voice too.

Good stuff. Beats are solid

I liked it

Dope album actually

Oh man, what an album! One of the best hip-hop records of all time! Even if you don’t like hip-hop this is worth a listen.

Great album

Simply one of the greatest albums ever, hip-hop or otherwise.

Not a Hip Hop/Rap guy. The beats were great. I could listen to this again, that's a rave review for me for not liking the genre.

Sick jazzy 90s hip hop

Bra gung :D

It was good

One of the greatest albums of all time. One of my personal faves and overall flawless. Lots of nostalgia everytime I hear a song from this album. Lyricism is amazing!

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

I was quite enjoying this album, but I did have to listen to it in three goes, as it was a bit much to have blasting at home. From what I've read, illmatic was the first album of its kind, making way for people like dre, Jay z, biggie smalls etc. For this, it definitely deserves to be up there on this list.

Ouch! Too spikey for me.

its illmatic, one of the best rap albums ever

Boomer Gut

GOATED

2/5 Not my kinda music.

Rap... not my style.

Рэп, но хотя бы не раздражает

This album had such a variety of feeling which is great. 'lifes a bitch' reminded me of the film 'fish tank' because there's this really amazing scene where she's dancing to it with her mum

I liked it, nothing profoundly touching my heart but still cool.

Can see why this is so acclaimed, really good tracks and lyrics

The world is yours NY State of mind Represent Stylé!

Not my favourite genre of music but for rap it’s more than listenable. While I did enjoy the pleasant flow it’s not an album I’ll actively seek to play again. If ‘90s rap is your style though, you’ll probs really dig it. 2 Stars!

The good news about Illmatic is it's sonically pleasant. The beats have flava (shoot me for using the slang) and the samples are tasteful, well-chosen and varied. There's some nice scratching on The World is Ours and Memory Lane. Olu Dara's sinuous trumpet lines are welcome on Life's a Bitch. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there. There are few new insights here, just the same old gangster rap tropes and DJ braggadocio you've heard a million times before. Okay, that might be a little harsh. Nas redeems himself slightly as a storyteller on Memory Lane and One Love, which have a palpable sense of place and an elegiac, melancholy tone, unusual in rap. Unfortunately, Nas' raps are rhythmically remedial. They're fluid enough, but lack creativity and variety. Frankly, Illmatic mostly bored the shit out of me. One small blessing: the usual misogyny and homophobia are kept to a minimum. 1 1/2 points for the musical backgrounds, 1/2 point for the raps. 2/5

If I never hear this again I will die happy.

2/5 it was somewhat tiring

Normaal niet mijn genre, maar dit vond ik aanvaardbaar

Amazing verses, liked the later songs on the album more than the well known first couple of tracks

A rap album that I actually enjoyed listening to and would consider coming back to if I ever wanted to listen to rap. Fav Track: Halftime

tria una

Started out a bit slow, but the 2nd half of the album is all bangers.

Enjoyed this, so much that I listened to it twice through without pain

Writes well, but not into the genre.

mmm ok i guess

I can understand why people think this album is so great, but it's really not for me.

OH HELL YEAH

Kwam echt niet verder dan 3 nummers. Soms worden de grenzen van wat je wilt proberen te waarderen bereikt.

Vind rap best tof, maar dit kon me niet bekoren.

Some lyrics still as poignant today as when they were written which asks questions about how much social progress has really been made

Hmja, wat kan ik hier nou nog over zeggen? Niet zo'n heel boeiend album.

Boring.

Only thirty seconds. I don't like this style

Not usually a big rap listener, but I really enjoyed this album. Great beats and lyrics.

nice album and a lot better than other music ive heard of the same genre from the same period but overall a good album

Fuckin' sweet. Boy raps from the streets. Hard but not as hard as Mos Def

Nice vibe, good production and samples. Played it back to back with my favourite Public Enemy album and it was more listenable. Lauded for it's lyricism but I couldn't tell.

Cool 90s East coast hip hop. Not my thing, but you can feel the musicality and quality in every of the songs of the record

Hiphop dieser Ära: ikonisch und doch mono. Ich darf mich glücklich schätzen, erst etwas später eingeschaltet zu haben, als Message, Samples, Struktur als Ganzes ein neues Level erreichten. Nas ist schon okay, aber für meine Lesart ein stepping stone zum goldenen Ufer. Kendrick gibt mehr als 1.9

Keine Ahnung, soll ich jetzt wieder das alte Lied anfangen, von wegen früher war HipHop besser, die MCs haben's mehr real gekeeped und von der Consciousness an sich? Naja, aber für mich ganz persönlich/meinen Geschmack war das schon auch so. Auch wenn Nas meinem Lieblings-Flavor nicht durchgehend am nächsten kommt: meinen kross gebratenen Rehspeck kricht er natürlich trotzdem, und kriegen Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip und die anderen für die Produktion. Für seinen supergechillten Old-Newschool-Flow, für das Selbstbewusstsein (mit 19!), für die klare Artikulation, und für Queensbridge: 4 Punkte

Hip hop clásico

Its that bridge to modern hip-hop. Halftime is rad. Memory Lane is rad. Aint hard to tell is a great closer

It's a very good classic rap album. For me, these songs could be more strong and the thematic sounds old for modern days, but I respect the historical music from the hip-hop movement.

El mejor disco de hiphop de todos los tiempos, dicen. One Time 4 Your Mind

Explicit at F*(^

According to Wiki Nas is a brilliant poet lyricist and this is one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all time. I think I would have appreciated more if I had listened more carefully and not just had it playing in the background while I worked. The lyrics may have been great but the beats were just ok.

Not my favorite of 90's rap but definitely not bad at all

Le basi sono molto interessanti e da profano del genere posso dire di aver adorato i testi e al contempo di non averli capiti appieno. Si tratta di una cultura troppo lontana dalla mia e senza approfondimento sono convinto si perda molto.

Honestly didn’t even listen to it for this.

2

I still have a hard time sitting and listening to rap because the words are a lot like poetry so I always feel like I need to read along. What I picked up from this I liked.

Probably a top 10 rap album all time. Nas is one of the great storytellers and wordsmiths of rap with a buttery smooth flow. Love this album.

Another one of those classic 90's hip-hop albums that I didn't care about back in the day, but that prove to be really good works of art.

I appreciate it for what it is, but not my style. David really liked it. Life's a bitch then you die

Nonostante non ascolti solitamente il genere ho veramente apprezzato l'album, basi solide ed interessanti su cui la voce interagisce bene. Per aprezzarlo meglio sarebbe probabilmente bene ascoltarlo con il testo così da capire tutte le rime

Love 90s rap way more than modern rap. Did enjoy this, but not something I'd listen to on the regs

Not for me, not my thing.

it was okay, I cant say any tracks got me excited

molto rap

No notes necessary

I see why this is a classic. The beats. The samples. Nas has a great flow and great word play.

Strong. Great attitude and energy. Strong lyrical content and i'm into Nas' rapping style.

flames

Classic hip hop. Great album

Finally, a rap album! I’m wondering how I’m going to feel about this one, though, as I’m not a big fan of glorifying violence. So I actually liked this one more than I thought I might.

Still can't pull out individual tracks but always enjoy listening as a whole

Absolutely classic

Love this album

L'album contiene diversi pezzi che sono rimasti dei classici del genere, i testi sono interessanti descrivono una realtà tanto cruda quanto desensazionalizzata. Le basi sono molto orecchiabili

called me a fag

Straight fire. I see where a Nas has influenced a ton of rappers. Beats were great.

Nah...

Fav: Life's a Bitch

Not really my cup of tea.

Gang gang

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

Couple interesting songs outside of the unnecessary language

Chill! 3.5 rounded up.

One of the best. Collabs are on point. I feel like this is the transition album between old school and new school.

Has a 'old school' New York feel. Can feel the pain but also filled with hope

perfectly balanced and smooth. as good as rap gets. fav track: it ain’t hard to tell

Can definitely see why this is considered one of the best rap albums ever

Old school hip hop

Very complex rhyming

Is this really THAT good like.

Too aggressive. I’m not a fan personally

I know this is a very good album but I just didn't enjoy listening to it

fantastic

Album pilier du rap américain Excellente production Des flows incroyables Intemporel

Good background beats, interesting lyrics.

Some classic tunes on there but not for me.

Classic album from a classic time in hip-hop.

Old School Rap. Rootz!

There's just something about this type of old-school rap that's so easy to listen to

damn decent . ill prolly listen to this as socially acceptable music

Yeeeh. Listen 4 times to this one to try to understand the hype. Sure the rhyme structure is interesting, his flow is nice and the production from prem is tight. For me, I think it lacks any killer hooks and maybe that is the reason I’ve never really got into Nas.

A true hip-hop classic. One of the top ten greatest rap albums ever conceived. .

Not my style

heard many times - my personal number 1 rap album of all time.

Classic album but I'm not super into it

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

3.5/5

Nas’s flows on this are so good, literally flowing. Just so smooth. The instrumentals aren’t super grand or anything, but they’re groovey and funky, sort of minimalist here and there. Almost lo-fi hip hop/jazz inspired. I think it’s good, I know how influential this was, how big it was and has been since, but I can’t rank it a 5. Would like more hooks, more instrumental changeups, bigger sound. A couple songs that maybe go on 45 seconds too long

An amazing rap album in every aspect, storytelling , lyrics, beat choice,... no misses one of my favorite hip hop albums 9.3/10

Nas oli teininä yksi parhaista! Edelleen lepposaa räbää ja muutaman kerran pyöri ympäri.

Nas was 19 when he wrote this album - the talent. This was the beginning of east coast rap as it is today. Thank you Nas! Side note, I saw him play most of this album at Gov Ball in 2013.

Fantastic album through and through, one of my all-time favorites.

Didn’t like it - too hardcore for me.

The lyrical flow is great and works nicely with the samples and beat. But the content isn't much different than other rap albums.

MUY BUENO

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).

One of the GOATs

Hyvähkö kokonaisuus, muttei säväytellyt kertaakaan. Parempaakin Nasia kuultu.

one of the most flawless albums of all time

Instant classic, from the day it was released. Not a bad track on here. Best hip-hop album of all-time? Best album of all-time?

im 100% sure one of my friends remixed the vocal stems from this but im p sure they removed the remix

Somehow I missed actually listening to this thing. Seems to be about worth the hype. The low end backs up the bars, and reinforces their sheer density. Probably the best fusion of East Coast sound and jazz that I've heard yet. Deserves a closer listen than I gave it, though.

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

yep

Hip hop

ok basically back on schedule now! been putting this album off for a while because tbh i was scared i wouldnt "get it" (hip hop is still not quite my genre of choice) but nah this bangs. mr nas raps way too fast for me to get everything hes saying but like the rapping is great and the beats are also really good so who cares? and when i can make out the lyrics theyre pretty great. lifes a bitch is basically perfect. not every beat hits it outta the park for me (one love) but its still fairly consistent just bc nas is really fucking good the entire time. dont get the love for the genesis though. feels like a bit of a superfluous intro. mayb i simply dont get it.

Wish I'd listened to it before now

Not really much to say about this classic slice of east coast hip hop except how ace it is. Top 5 hip hop off all time

Needs more listens, not as good as I thought it would be.