Reviews (page 2 of 13)
Super influential OG album, top 5 Hip Hop albums ever
Incredible lyricist and deserving of its respect
The hip-hop bible. Grimy beats, hard hitting lyrics, smooth flows. Everything here was on top form. Greatest rap album ever made.
I haven't really listened to Nas before, but have seen so many artist reference and praise him before and yeah I get it this shit slaps. I'm not sure if it's the 90s or East Coast style but it's familiar in a comforting way even if it's the first time I've listened to it.
I never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death. Absolute freaking legend.
Look, ok, this is a 5. But have some comments. I think it's showing its age - hip hop has definitely passed this by. It borders on cliche without ever becoming of it, which is a feat, but it's also something I spent time thinking about. Also, as someone who has spent most of my time living in cities that are culturally situated antagonistically to New York, the whole New-York-in-the-90s vibe that sweats out of this album at every possible instance riles up my lizard brain. But guess what it doesn't matter because this is a 5. No skips, no missed opportunities, no wasted time, no corniness. Ready for more when it's over but not feeling like you got short-changed. What else can you say?
It's already the best debut in hip-hop history; the only question is whether it's the best hip-hop record ever. Nas is the top lyricist in terms of both creating rhymes, including internal rhymes, and painting a picture of street life in late 80s, crack-infected NYC slums. He shows the life, the punishment, and even some hope. Samples range from jazz, funk, and soul, and references all types of culture, hip-hop and otherwise. Just a masterpiece.
Quintessentially NY. Det er en straight banger, NAS er for vild på den her. Han har 90'ernes bedste flow? Nu er jeg jo ikke nået til Biggie og Tupac endnu, men jeg synes virkelig lyden på det her holder helt frem til 2026. Det er 5 stjerner
Classic hip hop
It is some of the best hiphop you will ever listen to. The idea of getting some of the very best producers of the time on one LP with a lyricist who is able to hit you with bar after bar of memorable lines, something like this seems too good to be true. The only issue I would have with it personally is that some of the lines are outdated. fav tracks: all of them
Probably one of the best rap albums ever. For me it has a special meaning, as it was one of the best artist that I knew.
One of my favorite rap albums of all time. One Love and New York State of Mind in particular are person favorites
20/5
Outstanding.
The stranglehold NY State of Mind had on me in my tweens. A kid that lame had no business feeling that cool. This one is timeless. The lyricism, the storytelling, the sampling, the boom bap - it’s all top notch. No skits or filler or fluff just wall to wall east coast bangers. One of my favorite hip hop albums of all time. 5/5. Favorite tracks: ny state of mind, the world is yours, one love, memory lane.
This is a classic for a reason. Best hip hop album of all time?
I’ve never really listened to Nas before, but he’s incredibly talented. The beats are great, the flow is excellent, and the lyrics are powerful. This album is almost visceral in its portrayal of New York at the time. It deserves its place as a cornerstone of hip-hop.
The lyricism is insane on this album. Each track tells a story that is super fun to follow. The beats are top notch, and flow perfectly with the lyrics. This album is great all the way through.
This album ooooooooozes swag. The production and mixing are impeccable, with the samples/beats being the star of the show for me. In a way, the album felt intimate, a look into Nas's lived experience. The songs felt authentic, each one with an undeniable groove. This is a classic for a reason! Favorite Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind The World Is Yours Memory Lane It Aint Hard to Tell
I Don't Know How To Start This Shit 1001 Albums Generator 292 (5/15/2026) Illmatic is an all time classic hiphop album for a reason. The hard beats, turntablism, and great story telling in the lyrics all come together to make a nearly perfect album. So many classics on here, it's hard to choose favorites. There are a couple of songs in the middle that don't do it for me as much, but I'm grasping at straws a bit. 4.5/5, rounded up to 5. Favs: N.Y. State of Mind The World Is Yours It Ain't Hard To Tell Least Fav: One Love
LFG First 5 stars
For et forbilledlig kort rapalbum! Ikke dermed sagt at æ synes det e dårlig, men æ har rett og slett ikke tålmodighet til dem som vare i en drøy time, så tighte førti minutter uten skits e mer min stil. Og sjøl om mitt eneste forhold til Nas e at æ en gang i tida så dokumentaren om Illmatic på filmfestivalen, satte æ veldig pris på det her. Ingen åpenbare kjente hits, men likevel en lang rekke bangers, som ungdommen sier. Veldig positivt bekjentskap.
One of the best rap albums ever made. Nas’s rhymes should be locked in a cell. It ain’t hard to tell. Dude that human nature sample goes so hard.
A seminal work 🫡
going on the rotation
Felt really cool listening to this. Amazing album completely see how Nas was one of the greats and founders of what rap is today. This is way better than current tho imo.
Honestly there was not a bad song on this album.
hard and meaningful
(98/100)
If there were to be an objectively greatest rap album of all time, it would be Illmatic
Eu tenho muito problema de conseguir ouvir hip hop/rap...mas esse daqui me venceu. Adorei como o "cenário" é introduzido na letra, é uma coisa excepcional, não é atoa que as letras são a coisa mais forte desse gênero. Reouviria e até recomendaria esse álbum, que experiência legal.
o álbum de hip hop mais influente de todos.
Strong.
Very
If you don't rate this album 5 stars we prob shouldn't be friends.
nas es un genio. posiblemente de los mejores rappers de la historia.
One of the all time greatest albums. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” a definite standout.
This is cool! Songs seemed to blur into each other a bit though, but I need to relisten when I'm more focused. On relisten bumped this up from a 4 to a 5, this slaps.
Timeless
fav songs: n.y. state of mind life's a bitch the world is yours halftime memory lane (sittin' in da park) one love one time 4 your mind represent it ain't hard to tell immersive, storytelling, vivid, cohesive 90/100
A very essential listen in hip hop. The epitome of everything good about conscious rap. Hip hop wouldn't have been quite as great if Illmatic didn't exist.
love nas. i thought to rate it 4 bc it's more chilly than charismatic and i not very like a chilly hiphop music buuut the last one in this album made up my mind
Hit after hit after hit this thing holds up so we'll i don't really like listening to albums but every song held my attention from start to finish 10/10.
i loved every song on this album nas’ raps are so captivating i was hanging onto every word
Love it. Not only one of my favorite hip hop albums one of my favorite all time. No skips
this felt like a relief after all the modern rap albums bu artists that do nothing but glorify them like narcissists that keep infecting each other. This album is what rap/ hip-hop is like in my head. Adored the lyrics AND the melody. Nowadays all we hear is samples being used over and over with lyrics that have potential but are ruined by unnecessary degrading if ykwm. Nas really made the history of rap with this incredible album. Will be listening again
The pinnacle of hip-hop. The greatest rap album of all time in my opinion. Unreal that Nas was only 19 when he made this masterpiece. DJ Premier deserves more flowers in general and this album showcases how good pure, lyrical boom-bap rap can be
Perfect album
Second rap album in a row here but a goodie, might be my favourite hip hop album ever. Timeless
Illmatic is an all time album. It’s the Odell Beckham catch of albums. Incredible but not reproducible, so it’s almost a shame it comes so early in the career. Illmatic IS 90s rap. Simple, punchy beats and lyrically diverse across the whole album. Quintessential east coast and foundational to the 00s.
Sounds like New york
awesome stuff
Illmatic é um disco onde sua reputação o precede. Impossível ter qualquer tipo de discussão sobre Rap sem alguém mencionar este álbum. Já o ouvi antes, mas não lembrava de quase nada. Por algum motivo, eu não absorvi tão bem o seu conteúdo na primeira vez que eu o ouvi. Mente prematura, talvez. 39 minutos, 10 faixas, sendo uma delas a introdução. Um disco inegavelmente denso, rico em conteúdo lírico. Tipo de álbum que clama para ser ouvido enquanto você lê as letras. O álbum não perde tempo, nem sequer um segundo. Toda batida, todo verso, tudo é perfeitamente encaixado. O resultado não poderia ser outro, um disco queridinho pela crítica, e uma escuta infinitamente satisfatória e estranhamente reconfortante. Como assistir a cidade grande através da janela do metrô. A agitação e o burburinho da metrópole viva que respira e sangra. Toda canção é clássica. Raridade isso. A produção é estonteante. Os versos são implacáveis, genocídio lírico. Rap é o tipo de gênero onde o disco de estréia do artista costuma ser o melhor, justamente porque ele ficou anos escrevendo os versos, e é notável a dedicação e o amor em cada uma das faixas, em cada um dos versos. Algumas das canções Nas escreveu aos 16 anos de idade. Impressionante. Produção espetacular, versos impecáveis, flows invejáveis, disco clássico, um dos melhores de todos os tempos. Impossível dar outra nota, impossível apontar defeito algum. 5/5
Już przesłuchałem przedtem. 10/10 Ulubiona piosenka: Represent
OH MY GOD its the greatest hip hop album of all time highlights: ny state of mind, life's a bitch, the world is yours, represent, it ain't hard to tell easiest 5/5
just a classic
The rap album all other rap albums should be judged against
How can Nas be garbage?
5/5. Sometimes you remember Nas was only 20 when he released Illmatic and think “damn what have I been doing with my life?” all jokes aside, this is still one of the best rap albums of all time. And it doesn’t take long to see why with the first main song “NY State of Mind” which is an all-timer song. Absolutely love the piano part in the beat, the flow is great and the lyrics are also really good. And the rest of the album manages to stay at a similar level of quality with songs like “the world is yours” or “one love” featuring Q-tip from a tribe called quest. not much I can really say that hasn’t already been said by thousands of publications, an all time great album and essential hip-hop.
What if an album was just hit after hit after hit after hit after hit after hit after hit after hit after hit
CLASSIC !!!! it's one of my first Hip Hop LP i bought when i started my collection. It's just Timeless.
This is the last of the Mount Rushmore hip hop albums I hadn’t heard and it might be my favorite of the genre after one listen. It just has everything I want out of a hip hop album while dodging all the common mistakes I have with them. The production is great, I enjoyed Gang Starr’s album on here so seeing their involvement with production was cool. It has just blown me away and will be one of the few albums I give a perfect score to after a single listen. You can hear its influence on countless albums since. 34th perfect album, 1016 albums in. Rating: 5.0
A freaking great record, as a debut it's phenomenal that something of this caliber just effortlessly gets dropped like that. A lot of it is probably due to the rough life he endured up to this point. Nasty Nas forever man.
A debut that was so good, every subsequent follow-up failed to live up to it. Standout tracks: NY State of Mind The World is Yours Represent It Ain't Hard To Tell
Classic Nas album!
My head hearts from bopping it so much listened to at 11:24 pm on a Sunday night a day before returning from holidays im so finished for school so worth it tho w
this wasn’t even the album that introduced me to Hip Hop but it shows me all the reasons why I fell in love with this genre. I feel weirdly connected to it because 1994 is my birth year, but I have no idea how New York City was in that era, thanks to Nas I get a feeling for it combined with creative lyrics and amazing samples.
From Biggie to Nas I smell your game from here Random Album Generator. Got into this because of Ozark oddly enough but never really went further than that. Great stuff. Just such GREAT stuff
I love this album!!!!
Absolute perfection. Hits every time
i've heard the hits... but straight through is a hoot as well. listen to the background composition and realize how ahead of its time it was.
just sososoooo good
Big nas, grand wizard, god, what is it!
Big fan of this album, great lyrics and good beats.
One of the most iconic old-school hip-hop albums. "N.Y. State of Mind", "Life's a Bitch", and "The World Is Yours" run concurrently in the album and are the more popular tracks (the first one being my favorite), but every song is smooth, lyrically and instrumentally. An essential for boom bap enthusiasts.
Absolute BANGER of an album. Love it from start to finish.
Obv
Easily top five rap albums of all time. This is a great gateway for old rock guys. It helped me open the door.
On of the best albums in history
I was really into hip-hop close to 10 years ago. I remember listening to this album then, but I couldn't remember a thing apart from NY State of Mind. Now, my tastes and preferences have changed - and the first (and to this record last) hip-hop album the generator gave me when I started this is Stankonia, which I did and still do consider to be a bit meh. There was something there, but it wasn't for me. It gave me a bit of anxiety in the sense that "did I outgrow rap entirely"? No, I didn't. I still enjoy rap. This is a seminal album worth the hype. The lyricism and storytelling on display is phenomenal, and the production is beautiful and yet still grounded in a way that ties the atmosphere together. The only reason I was debating giving this a max grade is that this would be my third 5/5 this week, but who cares. The generator gives what the generator gives. I'm sure I'll be served many more weeks of mediocre 90's Britpop and 60's psychedelic rock, but for now I'm taking leave to be generous with my ratings.
Genre defining piece. Timeless. Detractors can suck it.
album to chill out. Could be in the gym or trip in a car. just a goood album.
Classic 5 mics
One of the best and most historically significant releases of hip hop. Everything is on point - beats, flow, lyrics (ok, so, like a lot of others at the time, there's a homophobic slur). But its impact is undeniable, especially with Nas's age at the time.
More '90s hip-hop that for some reason was never really on my radar. Yeah I know, this is a big one that EVERYONE raves about, but for some reason I never listened to it before now. Damn... I've been missing out. This lands squarely in my hip-hop sweet spot too. Classic '90s style; stripped-down production with simple but powerful beats and samples that really allow the rhymes and flow shine the way they should. This is great!
First and best Nas album. His flow was different from others and this album has a real voice to it. Great album that I've enjoyed countless times over the past however many years.
perhaps the best
Sæt jer ned Beastie Boys! Velkommen til the real NY. - The brutalizer, buddha-sizer, accelerator - The type of ***** who be pissing in your elevator
*93 Ding ding ding - vi er helt oppe. Lige så friskt som nyt sengetøj.
Nas er goated og hvis du ikke giver illmatic 5/5, så er du en hater :) Bare min mening : )
There is a reason this is considered an all time classic
I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
One of the most inspirational rap albums of all time. I absolutely love Nas
Hands down, one of the best hip hop records ever produced. The album is stacked with rap royalty on the feature verses and beats. The wordplay is immaculate and elegant while portraying the gritty side of NYC. So much more authentic than the hordes that try to emulate him even into 2026.
own
classic/5. A flawless rap album. A great entry point if you want to get into rap. "The world is yours" and "new York state of mind"are some of the best song of this entire genre.
This and 36 Chambers are the quintessential Boom Bap albums
Very good album I like it
“Life’s a bitch and then you die.” I don’t know, it’s Illmatic. It’s perfect? Okay, I’ll try. It’s unflinching and bleak while also being a lot of fun to listen to. It’s also about as New York as it gets. Nas’ pen is razor sharp and he’s a great wrangler of language and stories. This towers over other classics of its time for a reason. Everything about it slots together, nothing out of place. If I may say so: “The World Is Yours” is probably a top five greatest rap song of all time. What a performance, what a lush and beautiful beat. I guess some of the lyrics haven’t aged well. If hearing a homophobic slur in an early 90s rap album turns you off of it completely all I can say is I guess I get it but I don’t know what to tell you. It’s been thirty years.
I didn't really know Nas before this. I know I'd heard the name, and maybe one song. What have I been doing with my life. This. THIS. This is the top of the 90s rap game. Hell, possibly the top of the rap game, full stop. The beats, the flow, the lyrics, all top-tier. I'm blown away.
Simply one of the best rap has to offer in the 90s. So many hits on one record that its crazy I've heard most of the songs on here separately. The album clocks in at a perfect length of under 40 minutes that makes it feel like it isn't dragging on with a lot of filler tracks. Album cover is iconic too, 5 stars.
already listened to this one. one of the few albums I have a vinyl for. one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
Rolls Royce, Rolex, Yeti, Sennheiser, Snap-On and "Illmatic".
Cool
bulletproof, what an insane debut
Poetic, legendary
On top of this just being an insanely well written and well produced album, it’s also pretty ground breaking. There wasn’t anyone on the east coast making beats or records like this. You had Dr Dre out west starting to mess around with this level of musicality in beat production, but Nas and the gang take a completely different approach in the type of music they were making. I have to put this squarely in the same camp as the Chronic of albums that changed the genre and birthed the era of hip hop that we know today.
One of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and through it, Nas cemented itself as one of the greatest lyricists. It is his best album to this day and the beats and songs are all legendary. 5/5
The
Great every song is amazing
There are so many parts of this record that are astounding. Nas being 19 when he recorded NY State of Mind in one take is obviously legendary, but so many of these cuts are truly clear eyed social realist poetry. So many rappers are bullshitting about their art reflecting their lives, but Nas is not, because there is so little that he describes that rises above Crab Bucket shit, everyone dragging everyone down, everything being a competition for biggest crook, least trustworthy killer. A masterwork from a guy who went on to live entirely in the shadow of his early work, the Black Alex Chilton.
un des meilleur album de hip-hop ever 5/5
I liked it :]
I did a few laps on my morning walk at work to get a little more time with this album out in the sunshine. This kind of project, an artist and album which I have constantly heard recommended as the peak of their artform and yet I have never listened to personally, is exactly why I wanted to do this project in the first place. Nas is often regarded as one of the best rappers of all time, with Illmatic being considered his masterpiece, and countless artists I already love have directly pulled on Nas as an influence, so it comes as no surprise to me that I was a huge fan of this album. What is most remarkable about it to me is it's consistency: even many of my favorite rap albums of all time have a song or two which I find a little less compelling than the others. However, Illmatic never dips below great, managing to stay compelling and varied without ever straying from the fundamentals of its east coast sound. While the beats do a great job of keeping the energy moving forward, it's clearly Nas' flow and lyricism which steaks the show here. He absolutely deserves his acclaim in rap, balancing incredibly catchy flows and dense rhymes with personal stories and powerful imagery, managing to avoid dipping into the more nonsensical lyrical content that a lot of other rappers jump into when the focus strictly becomes complexity over message (there is absolutely a place for this style of rap, but Nas striking a best-of-both-worlds balance is incredibly impressive). In the street level storytelling throughout this album, I can hear the mix of musical priorities which will go on to influence some of my favorite artists like Kendrick Lamar; however, unlike other artists who serve as early inspirations of later sounds, Illmatic has not been supplanted as a classic. If this album were to release today, it would still be an incredible and modern piece of art. Highlights: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sitting' in da Park), One Love, One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell
FUCK. YES. the debut album of nas, unleashing hardcore and personal hip-hop music based off his experiences growing up in new york. nas had already gotten a bit of cred throughout the early 90s, and the material he's written for this album he's been brewing since he was a teen. prime focuses of this hip hop album are the mesmerizing way nas rhymes with zero effort and arguably some of the dreamiest beats ever made. whenever i listen to this album, i imagine peering out a bus window, riding through the dirty slums of the new york metropolis. a land of turmoil, but also a land of opportunity. some people can't handle the sometimes aggressive... true, blunt vulgarity and mantras of the album, including my dad.... i'd hate to break it to you, but life really is a bitch. life is hell but you've only got one. better just see what happens.
The GOAT
straight out the fuckin' dungeons of rap
Might be the best hip-hop record of all time. Full emotional range, beats and production meet Nas' flow like interlocking gears. Blunt at points, spacy at others.
One of the easier fives to give, many timeless lyrics in here, and I regularly wonder how musicians in their teens and twenties can write with any amount of emotional truth, like, you're so young. Same's true for Nas, he was like 19 and 20 when he recorded this album, how'd he do it. Sure he had help on the production, the music, the bass lines, the beats. But the words, the quick turns of phrases, and then the stories, were all his.
Imagine every time someone disses you they have to qualify it with “you admittedly ate with Illmatic though”
Head boppin' to this unintentionally the whole time. I see why people call him top 5. Listened to it twice plan to listen to it tomorrow as well.
Feet kicked up, smokin a fat ass blunt and head boppin for 40 mins straight.
There's a lot about this album that's been already said before that I don't need to go over. I fw this heavy
Nice reminder of this rap masterpiece. One of my favourite albums of all time. Listened countless times but there are still hard to process rap nuggets to find in Nas slick verses.
Six stars.
One of the best hip-hop albums of all time
Still one of the greatest Rap records of all time. It still sounds awesome.
What a first album pick lol!
5/5 THE RAP ALBUM
I did not remember that AZ was affiliated with Nas. Loved the Lady remix he did with D'Angelo (Rest in Peace). N.Y. State of Mind is awesome. It would be in the running for best Track 1 off a debut album if it wasn't for the stupid talking intro. Life's a Bitch is just a different rap over the beat for AZ's Sugar Hill...that's a little too close of a crew. It's a great beat though. So far so good, I like his flow, the beats are super chill. His dad is a jazz musician which explains the general vibe of the album. There is such a thing as too much vibraphone and it is most perfectly exemplified on One Love. Represent is a jam.
he was twenty! it's hard to believe, but at the same time, it's so, so obvious. it is incredibly 20-years-old to be this direct, this naked. for all of your memories, real or invented - dead friends, gunfights, birthdays, nights spent doing genuinely nothing - to push up against each other, jockeying for significance in your young mind. when you're from someplace where much of the world tells you your life doesn't matter, it makes sense that, defiantly, every moment would start to burn a little hotter in your mind's eye what isn't very 20-years-old at all is just How Fucking Good this record is. it is just really explosively good. you could pick this thing apart, select a few lines that are throwaway or silly or repetitive, but Illmatic is an act of portraiture, and works best when viewed whole. you see the entire young man - one who sometimes lives dangerously, sometimes frivolously, sometimes reflectively, like we all do one way or another. that's not to say that the record doesn't work at the micro level at all. it does, fabulously, especially when Nas is in present-tense reportage mode. there are moments that feel like being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and being plunged into the ice-bath of a life that is almost certainly harder and more violent than yours. that second-by-second retelling of a stickup on N.Y. State of Mind, which reveals in one quick line that the whole story Nas has been so high he hasn't realized or cared that the building he's robbing is full of children? insane, terrifying storytelling. the production, too, gives you these little moments all the time. the "aren't i hot shit" beat switch on Halftime, that mournful, melting sax solo closing out Life's a Bitch, the blurred, staticky chorus of ghosts on Memory Lane. wonderful stuff, always so considered back to the age thing - there's a lyric i can't find now where Nas alludes to being a quarter of the way through his life. it really cracks this thing open for me - the gravity with which he treats the little things, the mental effort put into the rhyme schemes for bars about smoking weed or meeting girls. his childhood and adolescence were a significant chunk of his life! if you look at CDC data for life expectancy for Black men born in the 70s in the US, he would more accurately have been looking at a third of his years gone by. from that perspective, man....what a shame it would've been to not make this record. to be that age, and that fucking good, and not think the petty crimes, young loves, joint hits, friends gone (to the grave or the state) are worth writing about. what a damning, thoughtful, generous thing to do, bringing these things so vividly to life
✋🏻😧🤚🏻
It felt good to go back and relisten to this classic. The foundation of so much rap that I love.
ELITE! NYC REPRESENT!!
It's hard to say you'd have east coast sound without this album. I don't listen to a ton of rap but there's no doubt the influence of this one. And he was twenty years old?? My absolute only nit with this album is that the "Human Nature" sample in "It Ain't Hard to Tell" feels a bit off, but it's generally ok. Great album. Wouldn't be in my playlist all the time but worth all the stars.
Really couldn’t find a fault with this honestly, only a 45 s intro. Great album cover, great songs, some of my favs in there. Flows very well. Specific rating - 4.9 Fav song - N.Y. State of mind Least fav - The genesis
Lyricism. Poetry. Storytelling. Nas is an absolute genius for this album. When I first listened to this years ago, I only picked up on the heavy boom bap beats and I do see why people think all the songs sound the same. However, I revisited it back again shortly after my first listen and really soaked in the lyrics. Thank goodness I did! If you're looking for an example of nonstop wordplay, listen to "N.Y. State of Mind". You'll find that nearly every single line has a meaning. Honestly, same goes for all the other songs. The sampling in this as well is top tier from all producers. The album clearly illustrates the environment that Nas was living in at the time in Queensbridge, New York City. Also, the fact that this was his debut and he was only a teenager when he wrote this makes him extremely talented. This has no skips and every song is a hit in its own way. The definition of pure, quality rapping. The review maybe a little bias but I'm telling you, this album grew on me. Has to be one of the best, if not, the greatest Hip-Hop album to ever exist.
Illmatic is yet another entry in 1001 Albums... where I find myself racking my brain, determining if I've noticed something new about it, if I have any unique angle to approach analyzing it from. ultimately, I don't; what's left to say about what might be the most pored-over album in the history of hip hop? instead, I guess I'll point out that this is the 200th album I've reviewed for this list, which is certainly a milestone of sorts. numbers are arbitrary and all, but I'm now more or less a fifth of the way through this thing. I hope not to take anymore half-year breaks away! (also, Illmatic is certainly far more interesting than the album I got for #100, Next by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a 70s glam rock LP that I mostly shrugged my shoulders at.) this is the album that, back when I was first getting into hip hop as a teenager, bloggers and forum users and music journalists all pointed to as one of its most essential documents, and a potential entry point for newcomers into the trappings of the style as a whole. I didn't fully get it at the time, but having listened to a bit more 80s and early 90s hip hop since I first heard Illmatic as a kid, I can definitely sense that it's an album which changed the sound of the genre more or less overnight, at least in Nas's own city. these beats are some of the first in rap history that feel truly timeless; the iconic opener "N.Y. State of Mind" has a beat from DJ Premier that still feels like it could've been made yesterday. the menacing piano and bass sample at the center of everything, and especially that hard-knocking, slow drum break, both give Nas a tremendous bed upon which to lay his slickly constructed, yet darkly sinister, verses. his pioneering use of multilayered rhythms and rhymes, as well as his impeccable sense of wordplay, set the bar incredibly high for the rest of New York City and the growing East Coast hip hop movement; some of its most prominent adherents, Pete Rock and Q-Tip, also make appearances on the production end here. along with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), released less than half a year earlier, Illmatic was at the center of a sea change for how hip hop songs and albums were made. the old guard's influences from disco and R&B were being slowly snuffed out in favor of dusty jazz samples and leaden, lumbering drum loops. it's a formula which rap acts, both on the East Coast and outside of it, are still working from to this day (including Nas himself, who's been on a pretty major run with Hit-Boy over the last few years, in case you haven't noticed). decent 9/10.
très très chaud
Classic. What else is there to say? Love every second
Favorite Tracks: NY State of Mind / Life's a Bitch / The World is Yours / Represent Rating: 4.7 A stone cold classic of East Coast hip hip, one of the best hip hop albums ever recorded, and one of my personal favs. 39 mins of straight fire. I get goosebumps every time I hear "I dunno how to start this shit" and Nas launches into the pure heat of NY State of Mind - recorded in a single take, first attempt, he'd just finished writing it. If you don't like this album, you don't like hip hop. Nuff said.
I don't think I recognized the genius of this on the first listen but I still found it very good. I think by the third or fourth listen it clicked. Massive caveat that I have some essential stuff to listen to still, but for me this is handily the best hip-hop record of the 90s, and is in the shortlist for greatest hip-hop record of all time. I came in knowing I was giving this a 5, started writing this out at NY State of Mind, and on basically every song after that went "damn he really frontloaded this one" until the record was over.
Legendary record! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Great album, already a fan
Nas is exactly as good as I thought he was. It doesn’t sound very unique though. Maybe it’s a sign of his influence.
I think I’ve just found the perfect hip hop album. Nas is a genius writer, I couldn’t believe he’d written some of this when he was just 16.
For me a legendary album. Easy 5/5
I think my previous employed would be proud of me. 5 starts to 90s rap.
Staggeringly great, an undeniable hip hop classic
I forgot what a masterpiece this album is. 10/10, 5-stars, and the best one we’ve listened to so far (in my opinion). Absolutely no skips.
Talk about an all time great rap album. I love Nas' voice and I love his flows. He really finds his pocket so effortlessly. He's not rapping over a beat, he's rapping with a beat. Yeah this is stellar.
Liking this album makes me feel more cool than I have any right being.
Already listened
I never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death
*Fantano voice* really enjoyed this project
Out and out the best hip hop album ever. Lyrically, so engaging and enthralling over some quality boom bap beats that provide an effortless back drop for Nas to shine. The only thing that is sad is how Nas was never going to better his debut and although he's had good albums, nothing has ever matched it or really got near.
Amazing rhythms, good album, hard shit af.
🐐
Damn, this album was solid. Reminded me of Lupe Fiasco with the flow and since Nas came before I’m guessing he was an influence.
Arguably the greatest hip-hop album ever.
a literal mf banger, listened to in twice
One of the best rap albums of all Time. Nas kinda a hoe for dropping this and low key being very average after. It’s lonely at the top, but at the top you don’t need a loan.
After decades of neglecting hip hop, i started with this album a few years back. I’m still not educated enough to explain why, but you can feel from the first moment that it’s a masterpiece — the perfect combination of cool and calculating with pulsating, dynamic, and alive. Returning to it this time I felt how much I jazz is in it… made it harder than the first time to pick a favorite track and so I just go back to the beginning and start again.
Wow always good to relisten to this. I think he might be one of if not the best rapper ever in terms of lyrical ability, as he has a certain flow and vocabulary, where he blends both his real life experience on the streets of New York, with genuine introspection and wisdom, which makes some of this feel quite hardcore, but other bits very conscious, sometimes at the same time. The beats are incredible, some of the most iconic beats ever are on here I think. The features are quite good as well, but I've always wished Q-tip had an actual verse rather than just the chorus of One Love. Yeah not too much else, it another one I've heard too many times to properly re-evaluate it. One of the best rap albums ever, I feel like I'm in awe of him more than most rappers, and he's still going so huge respect. Favourite songs: all. Overall around 10/10
Incredible album, great beats and lyrics.
GOAT rap album.
gooood ol'skewl hip hoooop – love it <333
Flawless.
- so much flow - not a single skip - is there anything else to even say??? this is a perfect album
5 out of 5 One of the all-time classic hip-hop albums of the 90s. This wasn't just in my Library, it was in my Downloaded Albums. Every song is a banger.
Fantastic album, strong lyrics and powerful performance
One of the best of the golden era!
Classic
I mean what am I gonna do, NOT give Illmatic 5 stars?
All-timer. Just a masterpiece. 9.5/10
If you are looking for the Holy Grail of hip hop, you have found it. Illmatic is widely regarded not just as a classic, but as the standard by which all other rap albums are measured. It captures the sound of 1990s New York City with a precision that has never been replicated. At the center of the album is Nas, then a 20 year old high school dropout from the Queensbridge projects. Despite his youth, he raps with the weary wisdom of a veteran observer and his rhyme schemes are dense, his flow is effortless, and his storytelling is cinematic. He doesn't just rhyme words; he paints pictures. The album is remarkably lean at 10 tracks, roughly 40 minutes, with absolutely no filler whatsoever and contains real hot shit in "N.Y. State Of Mind", "The World Is Yours", "Life's A Bitch", and "One Love". Illmatic is a perfect album. It is short enough to listen to in one sitting but dense enough to reward hundreds of rewinds. It single handedly revived the New York rap scene during the height of West Coast dominance and remains the blueprint for lyricism in hip hop.
I would say to others that I enjoy hip hop, but I admit that I hadn't really listened to alot of classic hip hop albums aside from the specific artists that I like to listen to. But listening to Illmatic was amazing. The smooth rapping perfectly complemented the great instrumentals that accompanied them. I understand that personal taste is a large part of these reviews, but even putting my own personal love for the sound of these tracks, I couldn't find a single flaw about this album that wasn't insanely nitpicky. Illmatic is an amazing piece of art, and I will probably listen to it again soon to get a handle of what Nas is saying in the lyrics. Standout track: The world is yours - I love the record scratching stuff!!!
One of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. The lyricism on this album is just incredible and the story Nas try’s to tell during the album is very very good. Also the music behind it is very good. However I understand that there will be many people who don’t like this album and I think that it will mostly come from either a lack of focus on vocals or just really liking hip-hop as a genre. However for me it’s a 5 stars A light 9 out of 10
crack your whole cabbage
it's an album i've heard before, i like most of the record but when i got on the seventh track i'm mildly overstimulated already. love nas' flow but i can only take so many words a day. beautiful record and storytelling.
I am not a fan of rap at all however, this was really damn good and I would highly consider owning a physical copy
sooo goooood this album made my drive home feel so short. i loved the instrumentation and his flow was dynamic and interesting while remaining steady. i need to relisten to focus more on the lyrics but i really loved the cast of voices coming in and out, it felt really genuine and helped break the album up nicely. my rap literacy is very low but it was nice to see a prime example of 90s rap outside of some others that felt corny to me. i saved a ton of songs!! can’t lib out to it tho lol faves: n.y. state of mind life’s a bitch one love it ain’t hard to tell
Classic
One of the best to ever do it
obviously an all timer. defining of its moment and virtuosic in its presentation. every bar, every beat, every track in its right place. i did a presentation on The World is Yours for a hip hop class i took. one of those albums where listing the highlights makes you say 70% of the track list deserves to be one of the 1001? of course!
fire rap album from early 90s
Favourite Songs: N.Y.State Of Mind The World Is Yours Represent
I was able to see Nas perform live in 2023 on the NY State of Mind Tour with The Wu-tang Clan and De La Soul as a special guest/opener. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with much of Nas’s music. I went mainly to see the Wu-tang Clan. I knew Nas was and still is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of this generation. The concert opened a bit slow to be honest. But Nas and Wu-tang were definitely worth the wait. The show centred around the history of hip hop since 2023 was the 50th anniversary of the genre. Which was wicked to see some OG big names on the stage giving their best performance co-headlining. Yet still wanting to wrap the show up for a respectable time to get home and to bed. They also paid respect to a large list of hip hop artists who have lost their lives over the years. Highlighting the systemic oppression that many hip hop artists were raised in. With some of the artists using music as an avenue to escape the struggle. Even if it was a temporary relief from everyday life. Of course many others not being as lucky as the few who have made it big and survived. Since Illmatic is one of the top 100 albums listed by Apple Music. I have played this album heavily in the past year or so and quite enjoy it. Being fairly new into the genre I’ve managed to grow a strong appreciation for the evolution of hip hop and the history as well. Also TIL this album is famous for being the first rap album using a first person narrative and breaking away from single producer albums. Was pleased to give this one a listen and a bit of a deeper dive into the history of its significance.
This is an absolute classic rap album. I've listened to illmatic before and back then I absolutely loved it. The relisten gave me a new appreciation for this album
Hardcore rap but make it fun and welcoming
Listens: Many Standout Tracks: NY State of Mind, Life's A Bitch, One Love WOW. I just came off listening Method Man's "Tical", and during an extended commute yesteday, I found myself in the mood for more hip-hop music, so after Tical finished, I put on Nas's "Illmatic", listened to that fully, and then put on Czarface's "Every Hero Needs A Villain". What a coincidence that it came up as the next album. I've only really started listening to this album on the regular in the past year, but in the past year I've probably put in 25 full listens. My coworker was giving me a lot of shit that I've never listened Nas, despite being such a fan of 90s rap (Biggie, Wu Tang, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, Del The Funky Homosapien, Gangstarr, etc.) So, I gave this album a try, and man have I been hooked. So many bangers and good beats. Songs that have stood the test of time. The jazz beat and scratching on The World Is Yours is to die for. I gave Method Man's Tical a 4. That was probably generous. I like Method Man, but that album doesn't truly have staying power like Illmatic does. This album is easily a 5. It's on the same level as other East Coast Rap albums: 36 Chambers, and Biggie's Ready To Die (which I have to assume is also on the list).
I get the hype. By far one of the best rap albums ever.
One of the albums that never leave my rotation
It's great
It’s very good. It’s always hard listening to these Greatest albums because you listen ready to either be changed as a man, or disappointed. I was neither here. But it was very good.
One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
Oh, well, what is there to say that hasn’t been said? Venerated high-water mark of the genre which has not oft been reached again.
Top 5
An all time classic.
One of the all time great rap albums. Up there with ready to die for me. Life’s a bitch, and then you die.
Very good
Already knew I loved this one going in.
Legendary album. I like the jazz focus of DJ Premier, generally, though the jazz samples aren't the main focus of the production here. Lyrics are great. Nas' delivery is of course next level. Wasn't sure if I was going to give this a 4 or 5, but ended on 5 because I never really wanted to skip a track and I've listened to this album a lot in life.
There is not a doubt in my mind, this is a 5/5 record. not a 5/5 rap record, not a 5/5 90s record, a 5/5 record point blank period. One of the best albums of all time, and a genuine argument for best rap album of all time. People will argue, Nas isn't the most entertaining. I will counter it by telling those people that they are absolutely braindead. Peak lyricism, production and MC ability. Can i rate 6 stars?
An all-timer from an all-timer. I have no choice but to rate this five stars because: (1) it entirely deserves it; and (2) I'm pretty sure Ladyfriend would kill me in my sleep if I didn't.
Classic album. Influenced a generation of rappers.
Well dang. I regret not listening to this earlier.
This is a good 90s rap album. The beats are all on point, and the lyrics are excellent for the time period. They paint a portrait of New York street life without resorting to the sexist and overly gratuitous tropes many 90s rap albums fall into. The flows and rhyming are extremely strong and, combined with the excellent beats, make for an essential hip hop record.
Hip-hop is not my favourite genre but when it is done well it is undeniable. This is one such instance. A classic.
Illmatic has it all: Nas’s gritty, real lyrics and incredible flow; nonstop hooks; jazzy, cool arrangements. Still the rap album to beat.
Cook
Benchmark rap album.
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*
Life’s a bitch and then you die! This one was really fun.
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
A storytelling hallmark of its era, but still hits like all good memories of the early 90s do. Solid gold.
The first album I’ve gotten so far on this list that I’ve already listened to a ton of times. It’s just so classic. Had a great time revisiting it today.
Generational hip hop album. Changed the game for everyone who has come since.
One of the greatest rap albums of all time
Great!
One of the greatest rap albums of all time 1. World is yours 2. Halftime 3. NY state of mind
The OG RAP
A no doubt 5 starer. The beacon or 90s narrative hip-hop. In a brisk 39 minutes Nas takes us through every nook and cranny of his environment. Every second is maximum engagement. Potentially matched by some early Wu Tang projects, but it will never be outdone. Just more fuel for 1994’s “best music year ever” fire.
Perfect album.
One of the greatest hip hop debuts of all time... 'nuff said!
Felt like it was summer time in new york city (i’ve never been). Orange haze over the skyline, people hanging out, kids playing. the instrumentation sets a gentle foundation for nas’ lyrics to flow over. I love this album
"Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary And my mentality is money-orientated" I haven’t thought about this album in forever. The structure, lyrics, flow, samples, beats, the best of the era and probably ushered in a turning point in the genre becuase - man, no going back from this one.
Already listened tö this very recently. Very solid rap album and truly one of the best ever Decent 10
I quite liked this as a matter of fact. The rhymes!! The beats!! The flow!!!
90's hip hop perfection. Plus, no dumb ass skits.
Einfache 5. Absolutes Endlevel im Hiphop-Skill. Rhymes and Flows und so..
I knew and liked N.Y. State of Mind but I don't think I had ever listened to another Nas song, and this fucking ruled. "N.Y. State of Mind" "Life's a Bitch" and "The World is Yours" are all fantastic
Definitely an essential album for hip-hop fans. Favourite Songs: Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours, One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell. Least Favourite Songs: The Genesis.
🗯 The perfect rap record. Maybe the best rap record ever. And the wildest part? Nas was just 20 years old when this dropped. Illmatic is a time capsule of New York in the early ’90s — gritty, poetic, cinematic. Nas’s storytelling is vivid enough to put you on the park bench, the corner, the train ride, the stairwell. His flow is effortless, his pen sharp well beyond his years. The production lineup alone is legendary: DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip. Each track is boom bap perfection, and together they frame Nas as the heir apparent to the East Coast throne. N.Y. State of Mind, The World Is Yours, Life’s a Bitch, One Love — all untouchable. It’s astonishing to think of an artist hitting this level on a debut. The weight of influence is immeasurable — whole generations of MCs still trace their lines back here. Verdict: Masterpiece (the gold standard of hip-hop) For fans of: Jay-Z, Biggie, Wu-Tang Clan, the sound of New York streets in rhyme
best rap debut ever, one of the best rap albums ever, needs no introduction, amazing record
The best
Repeat listen
Bangers
Ohh gawd… this was a nice throwback for me. This was one of my first hip hop records. This to me was when hip hop was at one of its greatest eras of all time. Favourite song on this album is; “one love” feat. Q-tip. Q-tip is another great, but we are talking about Nas. Great album all around, something I can listen to front to back
My pick for best rap album of all time. Tough to pick but I honestly can't rank any album higher than this. You know what they say, you have your whole life to write your first album, but damn he really didn't need that much time to completely change the game. Boy oh boy this was when Nas was at his best lyrically. The production staff on this is honestly unbelievable for a rapper who had no prior studio releases. Dude managed to get every hip hop legend in the game to make his beats, and they came through clutch. Every song is memorable. No skips front to back. One of the best intros as well with the genesis. I will stop here but I can talk about this album for hours. I can't name a best song. All of them slap so damn hard.
Greatest hip hop album of all time.. what you get here is a tight 40 minutes of impeccable rhymes, classic 90’s production from DJ Premier and impactful features. Following in the footsteps of the great Rakim a young Nas put together the ultimate debut album and put east coast rap on the map for good.
September 5, 2025 Album #734: Illmatic by Nas Genre: East Coast Hip Hop, Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip Hop, Jazz Rap Me getting this absolute classic of Hip Hop after Revolver feels a bit like a coincidence, though what surprises me more is that I haven’t heard this thing in full until now. Jesus Christ, I really should have listened to it sooner. Everything that has been said about this album has been said. It’s often called one of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time, sometimes the greatest. That last assessment is very much in the question. Nas’ masterful lyricism and charismatic performances and flow, the immaculately produced beats and instrumentals, everything merges into a master class of the Hip Hop genre. All of these qualities, and more, are found throughout the album. Like on the absolutely iconic and gritty *N. Y. State of Mind*, the smooth *The World is Yours* and *Memory Lane*, the raw *Represent* with group vocals on its chorus, and with its features like on *Life’s a Bitch*. It really feels like and captures the essence of NYC in the 90s. And to think that Nas wrote this album when he was still a teenager. There’s nothing new to say about *Illmatic*, hence why this review is rather short, but it still goes down in music history as a monumental work of Hip Hop and Rap as a whole. It’s an essential listen and absolute classic in every sense of the word. It deserves all the praise, I highly recommend giving this a listen if you’re even remotely interested in Hip Hop or Rap in general, it’s a cornerstone of the genre. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Strong 9 to a 10 Favorite Tracks: N. Y. State of Mind, Life’s a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park), One Love, One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent
All time great
Only listened to this one 1001 times in my life, including a couple weeks ago. My favourite hip hop album!
Classic album for a reason. The production on this album is so amazing, Nas has top tier lyrical ability, and this album is just so consistently good
There’s no way this wouldn’t be a 10, one of the most iconic and amazing hip hop albums of all time. Perfect sampling (with some of the greatest minds of hip hop production, especially Q-tip), perfect flows from Nas complimented by his choice of lyrics highlighting the theme of his childhood in NY. Honestly everything just compliments each other so well and culminates in a perfect album with every song fulfilling this level. Personally this isn’t my favourite of all time but it’s up there. Also, if anything, 39 minutes is too short. Favourites: all. Overall, 10/10.
I'm not a huge hip hop fan but this album is great start to finish.
Topp
Absolute classic and one I should revisit more often.
If you were seeing Oasis live at this time, you were seeing the best band in the world - for the simple reason that they believed it. Fuck the snobs, this is still a bangin album. Its not big or clever but it doesnt have to be. Every song is an anthem and I still know all the words.
Impeccable.
Classic. One of the best rap albums ever.
One of, if not THE, best rap albums of all time. Aside from the minute and a half long intro, not a skippable song on the album. No interludes, no skits, just track after track of awesome lyricism and rhymes combine with early 90s New York beats.
Ідеальний реп-альбом. Золотий продакшн від дрімтім східного узбережжя, Насір в топовій формі, жодного зайвого чи посереднього трека. Можливо кращий реп-альбом в принципі, точно в топ-5 має бути в будь-якому списку
Мабуть це кращий реп-альбом в історії
Чув наживо навіть у 2013му році. Один з улюблених хіп-хоп альбомів евер, знаю його від початку до кінця. It ain’t hard to tell.
I always knew I liked Nas. Seriously, just based on flow, production, samples, and length, Illmatic is easily one of the best, if not the best, Rap/Hip-hop albums I've heard so far.
The prototype that all other East Coast rap is measured against
HELL YESSS.... re-listening: Its so so good. favorites: NY state of mind, Life's a bitch, World is yours, Memory lane, One time 4 your mind, It ain't hard to tell