Illmatic

Cover design by Aimee Macauley. Photographers Danny Hastings and Danny Clinch are both credited with taking the often-cited, groundbreaking use of a child image in rap cover history, and awards have been won. Its not for me. Music is well liked too. It's not for me either.

Look, it's not my favorite East Coast hip hop record, but I'm an idiot if I don't recognize it as the platinum standard for that movement.

still impossibly fully formed and seamless. a lightning bolt debut the likes of which we've never really seen anywhere else

Incredibly rich hip hop album that has very easily stood the test of time. Any album that has a first full track as quality as N.Y State of Mind is already going to be an extremely engaging listen. From there, there is an astounding run of tracks up to One Love for me. Whole album is fucking perfect, but that first half and some changes alone makes this a 5 star album. Nas really brings you down to the streets of New York and describes in such vivid detail what life entails and as the listener, its hard not be completely at attention while hearing some incredible beats, lyricism, flow, and rhyme schemes. This man was moving so smooth this whole run time making every track so full of content and still having fun quotable lines. There is so much more content in this 40 minute run time compared to many other albums much longer than this even. Obvious picks here are gonna be N.Y State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Memory Lane (my favorite), Represent, and One Love with a perfect chorus and production by Q-Tip. Also found myself in previous listens sleeping on Halftime. Honestly just a spectacular album beyond its genre. Beautiful storytelling while keeping up great music the entire time.

Odlično. To se že neki cajta spravljam poslušat & I haven't. "N.Y. State of Mind" itak poznam - it's great. A je iz tega komada ("Life's a Bitch") prišel grafit moje mladosti? "The World Is Yours" mi je poznan... O, is that Q-Tip I hear? ("One Love") Valjda je on. Pa kinda lol, da je to vse kar prispeva komadu. Dve besedi on repeat. (Ok, producent je bil še.) Aja, "It Ain't Hard to Tell" tud poznam. (To je uno, k komad prepoznaš k ga slišiš, ne pa po naslovu.) In suddenly konc. Kratko, a sladko. Kul. Ni blo slabga komada na albumu. Will listen again.

I was not a Nas fan at the time, and the stuff I did hear was mostly the radio hits from the albums after this one. I was happy to go through his entire discography to hear the amazing way he entered music, how he then lost his way, but he has since gone back and made some better music later in his career. However, Illmatic was the pinnacle for me. I can't say that he is near the top of my list of favorite rappers, but the mix of music, samples, and his style of wrapping all comes together in something I'd give 4.5 stars.

Being a non-native english speaker, it's hard for me to appreciate rap albums. If you're into the genre this probably is a really good album. For me, it's okay.

It’s so focused and perfected in many aspects. “NY State Of Mind” alone has been referenced and sampled infinitely, so many phrases and one-liners pulled from this song. “The World Is Yours” has a chorus that is representative of the once-in-a-generation flow state Nas was in, flipping between deterministic verses and optimistic melodies. “Memory Lane” wields such a stunning few minutes of relentless flows, complemented by a very catchy looped sample. “Represent” brings an elevated fury from Nas, it’s got more lines delivered with more sting. Right when the album’s pacing called for it, too. 5/5 Nas was born for this

No notes. Maybe the greatest rap album ever. I can’t think of an album that transports you to a place and time more effectively than illmatic.

Kuuntelin taustamusana...

413/1001 Nas - Illmatic Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❓ I think Nas has a great flow and really brings tge streets of New York to life. The snippets of horns in the mix are a welcome addition to the backing tracks, which on occasion felt a bit obe note to me. Mercifully, this was concise and to the point, which can't be said for a lot of hip-hop albums. One the whole I really enjoyed this, but just never sure when I'd reach for it again...

I have to say I was disappointed by this album. It just didnt grab me. A couple tracks were more of what I expected but the lyrics that stood out to me are mostly drugs and fun related and thats not usually what I am looking for. I dont know. Didnt hit for me, but maybe I need to hear it again?

That was alright. What I liked was that the lyrics actually told stories and also they were skillfully delivered so that there was a flow through the whole album.

still ill

Radio intro East coast style gangsta rap (NY state of mind) groundbreaking for the time ig? fine

*NOT A NEW ALBUM* I love this album and have listened to it many times, almost too many times and perhaps this is why I do not go for it as often as I should.

Eh some songs were good. Some homophobia but expected in rap from the 90s.

Classic.

All killer, no filler. Well, some filler maybe but the filler is still really fricken good. Tight flows, great social conscious hip/hop album. Tells it in a very personal way and is more a diary than a manifesto. I love it! Easy 5.

Lesson I learned from this album: Life's a bitch and then you die. That's why we get high. I remember this song when it came out. But I was a pre-teen white girl from a conservative Christian household at the time so listening to this type of music was not on my list of things I was allowed to do.

Life’s a bitch and then you die #realAF

liked it more than i thought, not my favorite though

This album is a lock for top 5 hip hop albums of all time. Incredible all round

Nas – Illmatic (1994) On Day 249, revisiting this classic was an easy 5-star experience after hearing it multiple times over the years. It was one of the defining albums I fell in love with when I first started getting serious about music discovery. "Life's a Bitch" and "Memory Lane" are my personal standout favorites, but the entire record is loaded with banger beats and top-tier studio production from front to back. A tight, flawless masterpiece of 90s hip-hop. An undisputed 5/5.

4,1/5

Really enjoyable listen, even if hip-hop is not your favorite genre.

Unbelievably classic. No album can encapsulate 90s New York hip hop more than this. Nas makes it sound so effortless and authentic at the same time. His flows remain timeless, and it seems so natural to him, like he’s just talking and happens to be rhyming and flowing. His stories bring me to the Queensbridge ghettos, they’re so simple because it’s just a recall of his daily life. It feels like the verses were recorded as the stories he describes were happening. Like his boy got caught at a coke deal and he went straight to the booth to talk shit on the police and rival gangs. The beats do feel dated, but in a great way. It couldn’t be timeless since they are such a great representation of the blend of various cultures, genres and influences that come together to make it feel like that grimy New York 90s vignette he and the producers make, Beautiful yet simple use of sampling, tons of jazz influence, very solid production all around that I’m sure was incredibly innovative at the time. It’s simply a perfect representation of 90s New York hip hop. Lowkey mid lol

De vuelta, un rap que no me mueve mucho. Meh 5,5/10

It's understandable as to why many people include this in their Top 100. The production is top-notch and way ahead of its time. The songs are captivating and draw you in from start to finish. The features are perfectly chosen and delivered. Instrumentals add to the already lively lyrical performances. Favorite Song: N.Y. State of Mind Score: 91/100

Faktisk det beste hiphopalbumet noen gang laget.

Tja, eg er ikkje så glad i hiphop eigentleg. Men har høyrt dette nokre gonger no. Sterk 3 frå meg.

3-4 et sted Kult sound, energi, kule tekster,

I like it, but it’s not something that I will listen on a daily basis. I think I like it, but it’s not something that I will listen on a daily basis. I think it’s it’s almost to repetitive.

Cmon now a classic

good hiphop, but still doesn't rock my boat as much as it could

not memorable

Stone cold classic. I used to know all the words because I'm a cool kid.

I’m not interested in rap

I liked it, very enjoyable. Was good listen while doing my makeup

Such an outstanding piece of work. Still blows my mind that he was 20 when this was done. I enjoyed going through this one again, since it had been about 10 years since I had listened to it last.

Listening to this again on headphones before writing, because it's so good. I kept expecting it to feel dated before listening. It doesn't. The production is stripped back, raw, unmistakably early 90s New York, and even with multiple producers credited across the tracklist, it really feels a cohesive sound that's bare enough via the piano loops and drums to ensure that each element serves the lyricism rather than overwhelming it. I think that makes it feel timeless is, ironically, its specificity. Nothing dates faster than a setting that tries to feel universal by being vaguely contemporary, but this is a record that names specific corners, times, and addresses. Nas isn't trying to speak for everyone, he's telling a story from an exact time and place, and that groundedness is what keeps it from aging. More than the technical brilliance of the verses, which are extraordinary, this feels as authentic as Nas ever sounded. He's done more complex work since, but this will always be my favourite. NYC is a character here; most obviously in NY State of Mind, but in a way oddly similar to Simon and Garfunkel, much of this is about the feeling of being together but alone in the city. NYSoM is almost a documentary in verse. I lose track of time living in the world it's in when listening, especially in the narrative sections. And that documentary quality extends across the record. The production mirrors it: nothing plush, nothing polished past recognition, just the sound of a place captured honestly. It's also restrained in ways I appreciate more now. He's confident enough not to need to tell you repeatedly that he's good, he just shows you. There's a quiet loneliness in One Love, a hard-won pride in Represent, and a maturity running through the whole thing that I didn't fully register when I was younger and just vibing to the beats and flow (which are, on their own terms, pretty flawless). Coming back to it after years of engaging with denser, more intricate lyricism has been rewarding in ways I didn't expect. Not because this lacks complexity, but because that complexity is woven into something that still feels like it serves a lived experience and story rather than confected puffery. Nas is also real enough not to have to repeatedly tell you he's real.

a really good listen

Did I hear correctly that bisexuals caught a stray here? Rude

Vaca catch up

Classic.

Det här är definitivt inte min musik. Repeterande loopar och en trummaskin. 1,5 av 5.

music is love

Although Nas has a decent flow, I found his lyrics and music pretty boring. 2/5.

Probably the best rap album I've heard so far. Too be fair I am no expert on this genre but I quite enjoyed this

classic. liked better as a whole album than the singles.

Good example of hip hop sound

Pretty good! But I don't get why it's so highly rated... It's an enjoyable album. Maybe because I'm not a huge fan of rap, I can't understand why people love this so much. I actually enjoyed the Marshall Mathers LP more (someone might kill me for saying that). I think when I listen to music I don't usually focus on the lyrics as much, especially the first time, and since rap relies so heavily on lyrics (naturally), I end up enjoying it less. Either way, the music is still really good.

Hip Hop, 65eme album =>1/5

Not bad just not my style

Idag såg jag en intervju av Mick Jagger där han ifrågasatte människor som endast lyssnar på en genre, han menade att de som på riktigt uppskattar musik gillar alla genrer. Detta är relevant för det här albumet eftersom det här är en genre jag inte lyssnar på alls ofta, men som självutnämnd musikuppskattare kan jag konstatera att jag även uppskattar detta. Främst gillar jag de lugna melodierna.

ich checke, aber für vier Sterne reichts nicht ganz.

Hard rap. That's a hard 'Naw' from me, dawg.

Day 13 Nas released Illmatic at 20 and wrote these songs as a teen. What the hell are WE doing with our lives? Fav track: Represent

A hall mark of hip hop and one of my personal favorite hip hop records. Songs like “The World is Yours” and “N.Y. State of Mind” are truly timeless let alone how well the overall track list has stayed punctual over the years. It’s crazy that this is the first album that was generated for me because I listened to this album repeatedly in 2019 when I moved to Katowice, Poland to start my journey in esports. 10/10 Life’s a bitch and then we die!!

2.5

solid flow, beats 10/10

Nothing to discuss. This is it.

The street atmosphere really comes through, for an inexperienced hip-hop ear it is hard to distinguish between songs. No variety in terms of the overall mood.

Don't know that I've heard of Nas, but quite enjoyed this one

Good beats. Solid lyrics. Interesting samples and loops but it doesn't surpass gang starr's hard to earn or wu tang's 36 chambers

Gangster rap is so much more interesting when it presents as having come from genuine experience. It's nice to hear something from the genre that isn't all bravado. No particular enormous stand out for me but this album produces some great beats and hard hitting raps while still managing to have some fun. I liked it!

This album had plenty of energy, a good amount of gangsta, and still managed to sound very chill. Definitely would listen again.

Very good, like always, I wish it didn't have the explicit lyrics.

Amazing chops for a debut, new york state of mind a real stand out

ALBUMNAZO COMPLETAMENTE CIERREN LA PAGINA ES LA 6ta VEZ QUE LO ESCUCHO EN LA SEMANA

10/10 Classic rap album, great features but really Nas is just one of the best poets to ever do it, and this LP shows just how good he is. Not to mention one of the most influential albums in the genre.

As far as hip hop goes, I loved this

Unreal. Production and beats are super original. Lyrics are awesome - delivery even better. In the context of modern rap it’s a simplistic, but iconic for a reason.

Rap is not really my style but I enjoyed listening to this. Rhythmic and jazzy.

A Classic. I have always enjoyed this Nas album, I haven’t listened to it in a while so this is a treat. The first 4 tracks have been etched as favourites for a while and this listen has cemented it. ‘ The Genesis, N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch (feat. AZ & Olu Dara), The World Is Yours, Halftime and Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)’ Rating: 4/5 GEMV (14.08.2026)

There's a reason why Nas if your favourite rapper's favourite rapper, and this album is that reason. After the rise of the west coast scene that made NYC rappers look outdated, Nas comes out swinging with a response that put everybody on notice; New York bows to nobody. It's a landmark in east coast rap and a foundational example of the style. The flow is wild, the rhyming schemes are unlike anything the industry heard before and the attitude is as raw and unashamedly honest about what it was like to be poor and black in NYC in a time of major gentrification.

So good

good background beats and stuff

Day 366 First time listening to this, can hear why it’s so highly rated. Highlights The World is Yours Halftime Represent

Hmmm nah no really

Master

An incredible album. I can’t believe it took so long for it to get the recognition it deserves. Loved it.

Hip-hop isn't really my genre, but this was a super refreshing. Not bragging, but it’s actually more like a raw audio documentary. Nas captures the reality of growing up in Queensbridge. Obviously, I can’t relate to his background at all, but the storytelling is great. Sonically, it’s really good. The beats are built on these really smooth jazz samples. I get why rap heads call it a 5-star —the craft is undeniable. But since it’s just not my usual style, it won't be on repeat for me. Glad I checked it out though.

I really like this actually it has that classic hip hop sound that modern music is majorly lacking I feel. idk just very smooth and enjoyable, the choppiness that comes with the spoken word flows into the songs very well, mixing and backing is great. Really good music. Favourite: Represent Least favourite: The Genesis

Bangers all the way around

I still remember this line from when my English teacher tried to make English cool and played Sakespeare vs. Rap: "..sleep is the cousin of death"

A: Yaaaaay riktig hiphop. Barndomsminnen lol. Nej men gillade det. Det var chill, det var bra. Förtjänar 100% o va me på denhä listan. Nu sku vi ba behöva få nå kvinnliga rapartister hit. Förstår också varför RM har Nas som idol och hör många element som han har tagit inspiration av. Joo 4/5 (B-tier?) D: Här fanns inte den typiska hiphop soundboarden typ lika mycket med. Påminde ganska mycket om typ Public Enemy men gilla dom kanske lite mera. Förstår också varför Lil Nas X har Nas som idol och hör inte många element som han har tagit inspiration av. Hmm. 3/5

A masterpiece, obviously. And an easy classic. I would even go so far as to say that this is to the genre of hip hop as Miles Davis’s Kind Of Blue is to the genre of jazz, in that to the uninitiated, it’s real good, but nothing special, and yet, to trained ears, it’s everything. “The Genesis” is easily top 5 hip hop introludes, showcasing all the drive, passion, and personality that a hip hop audience could want. And immediately, that attitude is delivered upon IMMEDIATELY. “N.Y. State Of Mind” is one of the greatest hip hop performances ever, every single word strung together to create an absolute masterclass in the genre. And to get one thing straight, it’s important to stress the fact that this was the one of the best hip hop albums ever made the second it was released. People didn’t really do this before a certain time, and few had made an album this consistent in the genre. The only others are Tribe’s latest joint at the time and 36 chambers, and neither of them were nearly as intricate as Nas’s flow and rhyme scheme, or at times his sheer artistry, in the case of “Life’s A Bitch,” which fantastically blends rnb, jazz, and a hundred different kinds of rap, from pop, to gangsta, to hardcore, to jazz. It’s an excellent song to hear, and not even counting the actual genre mastery, it’s an incredibly iconic and well-rapped track. The other song that I really favor is “Memory Lane,” which is one of the few times that I feel connected to New York as it is. The wistful, soulful, yet vaguely menacing sample works perfectly with Nas’s performance, which blows me away every time I hear it. It’s not strictly a 10 simply because some songs don’t really pique my interest in the same way others do (most notably “One Time 4 Your Mind”), and the kayfabe gets to be pretty tiring after “One Love.” That being said, it’s an incredible album. Highly recommend. 9.8/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: INCREDIBLE QUALITY AND INFLUENCE

Truly meh.

I don't know what there is to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's either the greatest hiphop album of all time or top three. Take a young, generationally talented lyricist with great imagination, top notch rhyme schemes and a poetic sensibility and pair him with four of the greatest producers of all time (Premo, Pete Rock, Large Pro and Q-Tip) and you already have a great album. But then, the greatest track on the album is produced by LES, a relativley unknown producer, and the greatest verse by the one guest rapper--AZ. The latter's rhymes and especially, his flow, on Life's a Bitch are absolutely peerless. That song may be one of my favourite rap songs of all time. Then you've got amazing tracks like The World is Yours, Represent, One Love, Halftime. It's not that what Nas was doing or rapping about was totally revolutionary at this point in time. It was the way in which he dealt with the topics. One Love, conceptualized as letters written to his buddy in jail describing what's happening in the hood. NY State of Mind's griminess. The nostalgia of Memory Lane. The grim view of the future in Life's a Bitch. All it takes is 10 songs. Nas, and indeed hiphop, has spent the last three decades since trying to mimic or best this masterpiece.

I recognize this as talent, and even like a few songs. So i'll rate it 3 even tho rap isn't really my jam.

Один из знаковых рэп-альбомов 90-х

Absolutely phenomenal, bars are great, beats are amazing and it's a legendary album. Features are great and wits stood the test of time.

Almost definitely the greatest hip hop artist of all time.

This is one of the best us rap albums of all time

Incredible follow up to yesterday’s album, The Low End Theory. Spending my last weekend in New York for a while hangin with Q-Tip. I feel like there’s no world where “Life’s a bitch and then you die that’s why we get high cus you never know when you gonna go” wasn’t on all my fellow Long Island white girls’ aim profiles while we were in middle school (not mine bc let’s be real I don’t know if I fully knew hip hop existed until well after Tupac and Biggie died)

It's all a bit samey, though compared to others these songs can at least be taken seriously.

Easily the finest debut in an era of fine debuts.

Why did I sleep on this record for so long?

The first time I heard NY State of Mind, where, shortly after declaring he doesn't know how to start, Nas starts and then feels like he doesn't stop, or even take a breath, for ten minutes, absolutely blew me away. The rest of the album is good, but never quite manages to hit that highest of highs.

Ok album

I understand why it's great. Not my favorite but great flow and wordplay. Ahead of it's time. Some language I don't like tho

I wasn’t feeling it but there were some decent songs in there.

Судячи з інших відгуків, якби я розуміла б тексти треків — мені, мабуть, сподобалось би більше. Але як не англомовній людині, сенс та рими мені важко оцінювати, тож оцінюю суто за звучання

Not my vibe

One of the greatest Rap albums of all time! Probably my second favorite after Outkast's Stankonia. It really makes you feel like you're on the streets of New York City in 1994! It's insanely good! Not a bad song on there!

Same thing with the last one. Incredible what it did for hip-hop as a genre. Reviving the NYC scene, and very well written lyrics changing the game to a place where hip-hop would rhyme a lot more with poetry, which is something that still happens to this day. Very impressive feat for only a 19 year old kid. It still isn't fully my kind of hip-hop, but I do like this slower, jazz/r&b/soul influenced style of hip-hop much more.

One of the best hip hop albums of all time.

Great example of that jazzy boom-bap New York sound with a great MC over the top of it. Honestly could have gone for a bit more variety in delivery and production to get it to a higher level for me, but I can see how it’s sort of the platonic ideal for a certain kind of approach.

Un des rares albums presque aussi bon que Tribe.

Not for me, Clive

Nah.

Hip Hop vs Rap... we may never know but my neck hurts for bobbin'. this album is always welcome, flows nicely and NAS doesn't stumble once. Lyrically underrated and pulls at the heart strings at times.

Just another Rap album to me. 2 stars or D-.

Classic, men gillade bara sista låten. 2/5

Behöver ingen förklaring xD

Not bad, I'm not sure I would say it was the definitive hip hop album.

3.78

Абсолютная легенда. Дух восточного хип хопа живет в этих треках. Обязательно к прослушиванию

Some real good shit here. Life's a Bitch, The World is Yours, and One Love are all fantastic. This album basically is just New York, though. The first track, The Genesis, basically just being a bunch of people talking over each other really just sets this one up. Loved quite a bit of this.

Represent

7,9,10曲目がすきです 一回聴いただけなのでまだまだ良さを発見できそうだけど、とりあえずヒップホップを感じました。 歌詞の意味もあんまわかんないけど、リズムとビートがいいとおもいました。

Good stuff, I haven't listened to much of this timeframe of rap so I'm looking forward to more

Never listened to Nas before today, except through ignorant cultural osmosis maybe. Still there’s something both familiar and comforting about his voice and flow style. It wasn’t enough to trigger any kind of aggressive dive down the rabbit hole, but I’m definitely open to take in more as it comes.

The antidote to the hiphop I was kinda-sorta-totally ragging on in an earlier one of these little posts

yep

classic

A phenomenal hip-hop album that helped shape the mid-to-late 90's rap scene. 5/5.

Perfect one of the albums that got me into Hip hop

Suena justo a lo que busco escuchar cuando quiero escuchar esto

i always thought this album was pretty overrated, but these last couple relistens have made it even worse .. it's a mixed bag at best, some great tracks like "N.Y. State of Mind" and "Represent", but also some tracks i don't care for, such as "Life's a Bitch", "Halftime" and "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)", and even some tracks i'd straight up like to never listen to again like "One Love" and "One Time 4 Your Mind". overall a mediocre album with high highs and low lows, along with a lot of meh.

Um ótimo álbum de rap com uma lírica foda e alguns ótimos samples (Michael no final do Álbum foi A+). Provavelmente senti falta de uma produção um pouco superior por ser um álbum referência do gênero.

4.5

Like sitting in on Nas' private thoughts over some sick beats. His raps are conversational, effortless, like we're just hanging out while he's dropping pearls about life on the streets. The production's smooth, not flashy but always solid. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions - N.Y. State of Mind - The World Is Yours - Represent - It Ain't Hard to Tell

Good rap album. I can see why it is lauded the way it is.

Ok so this is pretty good stiff

Hip hop is not my thing but this is kind of entertaining.

This album makes you feel like you’re in NYC in the 90s. The mood, the beats, the lyrics are all on point, and Nas is one of the best in delivering them. This is quintessential east coast rap.

Nas delivers hard lyrics over stylish beats in a calm, yet confident manner. While not necessarily complex, the tracks are far from elementary and keep you grooving along throughout the album. A good listen for an artist I’ve only sampled previously.

I could simply say that this shit was dope. Or I could tell you that Nas delivers a lyrical masterclass, demonstrates tremendous feel within the beats and uses intricate poetic devices (notably through variations of rhythm and cadence, internal rhyme, assonance and enjambment) to powerful effect throughout. Illmatic highlights his gifted understanding of vocal delivery and a raw but compelling vision of life in Queensbridge in the mid-90s. A stunning debut that refocused the rap game back to its roots.

Glad i finally listened to this album. Very grounded tone, the beats and the rhymes feel very natural. Unlike other hardcore rap artists Nas isn't trying to be menacing or fierce, he's just showing us around the hood. As if we're on a tour bus, looking around while our guide tells the story of his home. The most creative and and objectively well made rap album from the 90s we've had thus far.

like

tung tung sahur. its mine its mine its mine. tung tung sahur

Some of the best rap/hip hop on this list.

I like the clarity of his lyrics. This is good but the beats aren't as good as some of his others.

No strong opinion on this one. Didn't like the opening track, but it improved.

I like rap, but NY hip hop has always been tough for me. The beats and samples are super tight, but I have a hard time getting into the constant flows that make hip hop is own distinct thing. I get the influence of this album, but hip hop just isn't my thing.

Not for me

Illmatic is one of the most influential hip-hop albums ever made, and it's easy to hear why. Nas paints vivid pictures of life in Queensbridge with sharp lyricism, thoughtful storytelling, and a level of maturity that was remarkable for a debut album. The production is equally impressive, with legendary producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Large Professor, and L.E.S. creating a timeless East Coast sound. That said, my experience with the album was just okay. I can appreciate its craftsmanship, lyrical depth, and historical importance, but it didn't fully connect with me on a personal level. The tracks are consistently solid, though few stood out enough for me to want to revisit them immediately. I understand why Illmatic is often considered a classic and a blueprint for lyrical hip-hop, and I respect what it accomplished for the genre. Even if it wasn't a standout listen for me, it's an album that's worth hearing to understand its influence on rap music.

I liked this a lot. Sips has a lot of classic hip hop stuff in his favorites on YouTube and this reminded me of when I was listening to that and was really into hip hop for a hot minute.

not my style, didn’t really like a single song

This debut album by Nas is considered by many not just to be a great album, but the greatest rap album of all time. In theory, it should be great in every way: it sold well, it consistently ranks high on various best-of lists, other venerable rappers sing its praises; Wikipedia has an article on "Impact and legacy of Illmatic" — how many similar records do you know? Basically, by all accounts, it's a gem. I listened to this gem, and... is it just a typical '90s rap album? No, maybe it seemed incredibly innovative for the time, with nice beats and decent lyrics (sleep is the cousin of death!), but I still haven't figured out how it's fundamentally different from the records of his peers in the genre at the time. Although, no, there's one thing: unlike hour-long rap opuses, this album is just under forty minutes long, never gets boring, and that's definitely a plus.

Smooth and dope album!

Liked it a lot; can't buy it because of the swearing though. Doesn't fit with kids.

Clasicazo. Primer album además de Nas, muy loco. Te transporta directamente al Nueva York de los 90 y diría que marca una tendencia para ese estilo hardcore callejero. Lo único malo, y no es cosa del disco, es que creo que sin ser de allí no te pega tanto, pero aún así muuuy guapo.

Asi de fondito me ha parecido guay

It all kinda sounded the same to me except for the Lauryn Hill feature. The lyrics are good 3.5

Great album!!! Amazing beats, amazing production and amazing rapping!!! I'm surprised the only song I don't really care about is the one with Q-Tip, cause I love ATCQ. One of the best hip hop albums out there! High 5!!!

My opinion on this album is really influenced by my personal music taste, which does not contain almost any rap music. I have to admit that the ideas for the lyrics are cool. Some melodies are catchy-> for example The World Is Yours. But it is simply not for me.

quintessential this is the standard of the great lyricist and the great beatmaker and the great album curator and the great feature and the concept album it is what it is. The first album that i've heard doing this 1001 thing that makes me say, this IS one of the 1001 albums that EVERYONE should listen to before they die. Even if they don't like it, it's important to gauge whether or not you have a future in listening to AAAAAANNYYY hiphop after trying this. It is a snapshot of 90s New York, audibly presented as a movie through a masterful storyteller's pen. The first time I can say, yeah, it's a 5/5

Feels really ahead of its time, defined an aesthetic for east coast rap that followed the genre for a decade plus. One of those classics for a reason. Had not heard this since college.

7/10

I am very against violence and drugs, so personally hiphop is not for me.

It's all right. Definitely not my thing though. I have trouble rating hip hop albums as I don't have as much experience with them. This one, however, I enjoyed it more than the others I've previously reviewed

The Genesis - 3.5/5 N.Y. State of Mind - 5/5 Life's a Bitch - 4.5/5 The World is Yours - 5/5 Halftime - 4.5/5 Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) - 4.5/5 One Love - 4.5/5 One Time 4 Your Mind - 4/5 Represent - 4.5/5 It Ain't Hard to Tell - 5/5 Probably one of the best rap albums there is out there. Nas tells you the reality of what living in New York in the 90s was really like, away from the glitz and glamor that everyone else tries to portray it as. It's just 40 straight minutes of excellent beats and lyricism, and it's hard to miss a beat when none of the songs really make you want to skip them. You know when he starts out by saying this came "straight from the fuckin' dungeons of rap" that you're in for an amazing ride. Overall: 5/5 Favorites: N.Y. State of Mind, The World is Yours, It Ain't Hard to Tell

Damn this album is just so good. It's got moments where it's just to raw and you can feel the emotions. The flow is amazing, the music is perfection and his lyrics are just, damn. Seriously one of the best hip hop albums of all time.

Good hip hop album

One of the best hip hop albums ever, one that will be remembered forever as a landmark album in the genre. Every song is a banger, perfectly done, Nas has unmatched flow and lyrics here

Mit hotte take er at It Was Written er bedre, men det er stadig svært at komme udenom at det her er klassiker efter klassiker

Beats er out of this world

Pretty slick!

What a landmark, even at 40 minutes, it's a lightning fast album that paints a strong view of Nas's New York. The World Is Yours has to be one of the best song ever, it's got one of the most quintessential scratch solos. Genius and influential.

Loud, in your face. One of the cornerstones of rap. Great stuff.

[17th of July, 2026] Fave song: the whole second half of the album Funnily enough, I'd hear this album for the first time a few days back. Includes some hip hop classics, nice to jam out.

pretty easy 5, just a really good album Will I listen to again: 100%

3/5

I am not really a rap listener, however this was enjoyable. I found that a couple of songs really stood out. I liked some of the instrumentals/samples that were included in the tracks. For me overall, nothing lifechanging, however was a good album to listen to. Will listen again.

The Rap bible. Illmatic itself is amazing album,with some of the best rapping in the game, with amazing beat selection (thanks premier) and even with this, one of the most influential rap album OAT, if not the most influential

👍

One of the best.

Cool album, not my genre.

very enjoyable

Had to relisten because I was raging at mariokart too much the first time. I didn't find it that inspiring but my head was nodding so it gets a 4

Iconic front-to-back, and one of the great New York albums. Life's A Bitch and The World is Yours back to back *chef's kiss*

just don't care for this type of music

it's pretty good rapping 💥n.y. state of mind 💥life's a bitch 💥the world is yours 💥represent 💥it ain't hard to tell

CLASSIC. Loved this

Not my thing I can recognize it’s great

Honestly really enjoyed this more than I thought. Great flow, beat and classic 90s rap lyrics. Not big on Rap, but I can absolutely see myself spinning this one again.

Love the sampling in this album and the excruciating poetry. Amazing

I liked it. Did I listen closely to every single lyirc? No - but an album I'd return to in the future. 90s street rap. Good beat.

Pretty good, and I don't usually like rap

Als der zwanzigjährige Nas aus Queensbridge sein Debüt bei Columbia Records veröffentlichte, verteilte er die Aufnahmen bewusst auf mehrere New Yorker Studios – Chung King, D&D Recording, Battery Studios und Unique Recording Studios –, wodurch jeder der zehn Tracks seinen eigenen Produzenten und damit seine eigene klangliche Handschrift bekam. Genau diese Zersplitterung wird zur Stärke: DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip und L.E.S. liefern jazzgetränkte, staubige Beats, über die Nas mit einer für 1994 ungewöhnlich literarischen Präzision rappt. Sein Vater, der Jazzmusiker Olu Dara, steuert einen Kornett-Part bei und verankert das Album zusätzlich in einer musikalischen Tradition, die weit über Hip-Hop hinausreicht. Inhaltlich bleibt Illmatic radikal auf den eigenen Erfahrungshorizont fokussiert: die Queensbridge Houses, der Verlust von Freunden, das Aufwachsen zwischen Gewalt und Selbstreflexion. Nas erzählt das nicht anklagend, sondern beobachtend – fast dokumentarisch, mit Bildern, die sich einprägen, ohne auf Effekt zu zielen. „N.Y. State of Mind" und „The World Is Yours" zeigen diese Balance aus urbaner Härte und poetischer Leichtigkeit besonders deutlich, während „Life's a B*tch" mit AZ als Gast eine seltene Verletzlichkeit offenlegt. Dass ein Album mit gerade einmal zehn Songs und knapp vierzig Minuten Spielzeit bis heute als Referenzpunkt für lyrische Qualität im Hip-Hop gilt, sagt viel über seine Verdichtung aus. Illmatic verzichtet auf Füllmaterial und funktioniert bis zur letzten Sekunde als geschlossenes Werk. Ein Debüt, das den Anspruch an Hip-Hop als literarische Kunstform neu definierte.

Absolutely fantastic hip hop album. Simple and succinct with an understated depth. Every song is engaging and entertaining to listen to, and does everything it sets out to do well. Might be one of best prototypical hip hop records as a building block for everything that comes after it. Top tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, The World is Yours, It Ain't Hard to Tell

As my first album in the 1001 Albums project, Illmatic made a strong first impression. I'm not the most experienced hip-hop listener, but it's easy to understand why this is considered one of the genre's greatest albums. The structure feels incredibly balanced, the production is consistently excellent, and Nas' cadence and delivery are unforgettable on several tracks. Even without catching every lyrical detail, the album's quality and influence are impossible to miss.

Actually really helpful to listen to when working.

One of the best debut albums of all time also one of the best in general. Nothing to be said that hasn't already

Overall Rating - 2.55/5 (5.10/10). Solid album. Good flow, decent skill.

Lauded for production and lyrics, east coast rap

One of the greatest hip hop albums ever recorded. Years before I ever visited New York and realized how true to life the descriptors in here actually were, this album dropped me in and showed the good, the bad and the ugly through the lens of one of the greatest lyricists in the history of rap music. Nas has spent his career chasing this high, but inspired so many great rappers and musicians with this awesome debut. A milestone for the genre and a gold standard for rap. The World Is Yours is peak.

🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 (rounded down for re-listen value) Another one that makes me hang my head and say "I'm 25, what am I doing with my life?" Incredible that this came out of a 20 year old, but in sort of a different way than, say, Kate Bush's "The Kick Inside" because it's like, shit, he's been through it. In light of that it feels evil to give this any lower than a 4, especially with the poetry on display, but it really does excel more at the poetry than the music. The beats aren't bad—I enjoyed every song—but there are very few I'd come back and listen to because the music itself went in one ear and out the other. One Love with Q-Tip was my favorite, or maybe hit me the hardest. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

Poetic brilliance, though there were so many references that I didn't know so I couldn't fully appreciate the details. Absolutely insane that this was a 20-year-old's debut.

Still fresh and killing. Never really sat and listened to it before but really liked it!

This album was ok. I see why it is so popular. It it just not the type of music I like to listen to.

muemer glaub mol glost haa hä. huere funny zum so goofy 80er rap laufe "what is this shit on the radio" loh und denn ny state of mind usehaue mit geilem flow. song kenni beat isch huere geil und er chan reime moll. the world is yours hani au scho ghört huuuere geil. d klavier chords sind de hammer. halftime au seehr en geile beat und reimkettene bis an hag ane. aber d homophobie mösst nöd sii. würkli nöd. one love au rieeese banger. ha freeeud. git e guuuets vieri. aha uf chillo mit 19i gschriebe alles. merciiiiii.

hana jz währendem autofahre glost und jch meine de groove und flow isch uuhuere geil. han einigi sache kennt oder wiedererchennt aber einiges isch auchli ah mier verbii. muss aber nöd umbedingt am album liege life's a btch und one love sind gkaub am meiste ussegstoche AH und natürliich ny state of mind

I’m enjoying more than I thought I would? I’ve never given hip-hop a try before really but it’s really not bad! I’m finding I really like the relaxed beat in the songs as it gives it a nice swing feel. Everything is rapped in quite a satisfying way as well.

Great grooves, flawless flow, a true hip-hop classic. Since I am a white, middle-class Central European, the lyrics don't hit me close. For the lack of cathartic identification, I'll give this a strong 4.

I'd never heard of Nas before, and when I found out he was a rapper, I wasn't expecting to enjoy Illmatic. I was right, I didn't like it. The album felt boring and repetitive, and I couldn't help but think I'd just wasted 40 minutes of my life.

Have this, but haven't listened in a long time. NY state of mind is still a classic, the rest is pretty good, of course its a sound that was copied a lot the following years. Ends very strong with 2 bangers. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes, 91/343 (26%) Will I get: Already have

Good nigga music, i rlly fw ts

Interesting, bueno, bien, rap con onda.

One of the best hip hop albums ever.

I was not familiar with your game, Nas. Listened to this while playing THUG PRO.

Ótimo álbum de Hip-Hop. Samples bem elaborados. QKZXHBB.

It is a album which was highly influential to the genre of hip-hop, that alone commands respect. I found the album to be pretty great though since it only the beginning or in depth storytelling in rap. The Jazz sample was great to see especially the song I grew accustomed to in it full body of work. It insurmountable to say this style has involved to way more then the scope that this album covers, and that might have played an influence for how a person of a younger generation as myself takes from it compared to others. i found a few of the closing track disorienting ot the album as a whole, but it just speaks louder volume to the juvenile factors of it as Nas was only 18 years old or less when he made this.

Undeniable classic. I’m one of those chumps that thinks the AZ verse might be the best one here, even though Nas is the better rapper on the whole. I guess I’ve been through a lot with this album now, and I’d like to reflect a bit on that now. I’ll stick to just three stories. I spent the summer before college getting into a bunch of big hip hop albums for the first time, and Illmatic was always my favorite of the bunch. During those first few weeks of school, I made a new friend because I mentioned that Illmatic and 36 Chambers were some of my favorite records. He’s one of my best friends to this day. Thanks, Nas. Around a year later, I started figuring out that I was bisexual, which came with all sorts of eye-opening realizations. “Halftime” might’ve been the first song I knew that directly attacked my newfound identity with that corny awful line, “I’m not bisexual, I’m an intellectual.” Here was a song and an artist and an album I loved to death, and yet it was actively insulting me. My relationship with Illmatic became complicated: I began to dread hearing that song every time I listened to it (I’d even skip it sometimes), but I still loved the album as a full package. That line helped me realize how many callous microaggressions towards minorities exist throughout pop culture; it was a strange, memorable step for me towards greater empathy. For the thirtieth anniversary of this album I saw Nas perform Illmatic live with an orchestra. Once again, I dreaded hearing “Halftime,” but when the time came I noticed he’d swapped out the bisexual line and I smiled. I smiled because clearly Nas had learned some empathy over those thirty years as well, shedding away the casual homophobia and misogyny rampant in ‘90s rap culture. In that moment, I could recognize that we had something in common, even though he was a fifty-year-old rapper from the projects and I was a twenty-something white kid from the suburbs; we’d both taken the time to mature and understand other people better. It was a nice thought. I smiled, and I haven’t dreaded hearing “Halftime” since. Thanks, Nas. One love. For the record, Nas is no fluke. Go listen to King’s Disease III, the peak of his late career resurgence. Man’s still got it.

Solid album, but I'm still biased towards West Coast LA Hip-Hop

Most albums like this are an hour & a half so I’m grateful this was 40 min…that felt like 2 hrs… By the “second hour” I think it finally clicked for me. Maybe I just gotta LA state of mind! Bazinga!

Damn, a rap album from the 90’s that’s under an hour and not riddled with the worst attempts at comedy you’ve ever heard? Who knew it was even possible?

7/10

Classic 90s hip hop album by one of my favorite artists. Definitely a highlight. 4.1/5.0

fav track: The world is yours im glad to get to listen to 90s rap/hiphop because i find that i actually really enjoy it this was a great album to get me started in the morning

Listening session: june 29th, while taking the train home Listened to before: listened to this album many times Thoughts: as someone who loves 90s (east coast) hiphop, I’ve listened to this album many times before and this will always be very special to me. If you don’t think this album is one of the best rap albums ever made, then I don’t trust your opinions about music Favourite tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, The World Is Yours & Represent

This album feels like something of an anomaly to me, cause I’ve listened to a couple other Nas albums besides this and I truly don’t understand how this one is as good as it is. He’s just missing something is his music since, but this album really has it all. He’s good, the features are good, the beats are good, it all just comes together for a phenomenal listening experience. There’s really nothing like it. Favorites: N.Y. State of Mind, Halftime, It Ain’t Hard to Tell

I mean, it feels on first listen like a 4 because of how much it sounds like other albums. But it's probably a 5 because of how influential it is.

Favorite songs: The world is yours Halftime Represent

7/10 sounds good i dont have anything bad to say its just that i dont really like or listen to rap

“I don’t sleep because it’s the cousin of death.” I have no recollection of this album in the ‘90s, but I wish I did. The flow and lyrical compositions are great. It made me realize how long it has been since I have heard any really smart rap. In recent years it seems it is all dubstep-style flow, high hats and redundant lyrics, usually about race, sex or money. Despite having those elements, this told a story, a life in his world. I loved the jazz and R&B backing it had too. I also appreciated how it I listened different from song to song but also consistent in its stylistic choices. Key songs for me were the slow One Time and Life’s a Bitch, because the flow is like Tetris it it’s so well. This is a classic.

Random thoughts: * I knew this was one of the greatest rap albums coming into this. I’d never listened to this one before so I came into this listening with some trepidation and respect. * I’m not an east coast rap guy as I grew up with the west coast rap as my go to. * This album holds up and I can see why it is revered as one of the best rap albums of all time. * I like that the skits were minimal and blended in easily with the vibe of the album when they had something that wasn’t a song. * Stand ou tracks for me: NY State of Mind, Life’s a Bitch, One Love, One Time 4 Your Mind, and It Ain’t Hard to Tell. * I love a Q-Tip guest spot, that is welcome on every rap album! * loved the Human Nature sample on the last song. I’m also currently obsessed with Human Natire so that helped. * Nas’ flow is wicked and I’ll need to keep listening more time to get all the great lines. * This is a 4-star for me only out of lack of familiarity but I could see this grow to be a 5-star album for me personally. Man I wish I’d been turned on to this in the 90s. I could see this being a classic to me.

Suena a que inventó el rap que escucho básicamente.

This really captured a vibe and a style

Good vibes

Forty minutes. Ten tracks. One of the most unanimous critical verdicts in hip-hop history, and listening to it now it's easy to understand why — Nas was twenty years old rapping about Queensbridge with a specificity and lyrical density that made everything around it sound approximate. The authenticity is total and audible from the first bar of "New York State of Mind," which remains one of the great album openers in the genre and sets a standard the rest of the record spends forty minutes living up to. The production is the other half of the argument. DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and Large Professor each contribute beats, which gives the record an instrumental variety that shouldn't work at this length and cohesion level but does completely. The jazz samples and piano loops sit in adjacent territory to the Low End Theory listen — same DNA, rawer energy, street-level rather than late-night. The drums hit with genuine weight throughout. The honest ceiling is the same one that kept good kid m.A.A.d city at four — very good and not my music are compatible verdicts, and this is both simultaneously. The lyrical density and the Queensbridge geography are doing something specific and irreplaceable for the listener this record was made for. For everyone else it's a document of craft at the highest level that stops just short of the personal pull that earns a five. Illmatic wasn't a radio record on release — it grew into its canonical status over years rather than arriving as a phenomenon, which explains the absence of a crossover moment without diminishing what it actually is. A strong four, honestly delivered.

Here we are. I got excited when this one popped up - and I'm glad it's on the list. Short, sharp and hard as nails. Rugged boombox boom bap beats, lyrics spinning and spiralling but always in control. Rhyme schemes that frequently make you shake your head in amazement. Incredible storytelling. Really redolent of a grimier side of New York that - particularly at that time - was usually glossed-over in favour of more bombast and flash. This is the grit. Master craft. Not an ounce of fat on it. Simply one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. A whole mood. And the guy was only about 20 when he was making it. Glad to see that despite a few questionable choices in the intervening years, Nas genuinely made it through and is still (jaw) dropping his amazing scattergun lines aged 50+. When all the fake-hype-beefs and commercial pop-sampling 90s nonsense fade into memory, you're left with a serious body of work from a serious artist. And this, his debut, still holds up incredibly well.

I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. The musical undertones were jazz and had a great sound. The subject matter was dark but the songs didn't feel dark. Towards the end it felt more harsh. Interesting album.

Ta chido

Some of it is pretty good, but it feels much more dated, both lyrically and in production/beat style than some other rap of the era such as A Tribe Called Quest. It’s got a nice feel overall but none of the songs are particularly memorable by the time the album ends.

Nah, not really my thing

What more can be said. 5/5. All time classic. Maybe best hip hop album of all time

Yes, I could never really get into hip-hop, but it felt very vintage in a pleasant way.

4.7/5 strong debut life’s a bitch n then ya die

The greatest hip-hop album of them all? Could be!

album makes me feel like sean when he shake that album makes me feel like sean when he shake tha album makes me feel like sean when he shake th album makes me feel like sean when he shake t album makes me feel like sean when he shake album makes me feel like sean when he shak album makes me feel like sean when he sha album makes me feel like sean when he sh album makes me feel like sean when he s album makes me feel like sean when he album makes me feel like sean when h album makes me feel like sean when album makes me feel like sean whe album makes me feel like sean wh album makes me feel like sean w album makes me feel like sean album makes me feel like sea album makes me feel like se album makes me feel like s album makes me feel like album makes me feel lik album makes me feel li album makes me feel l album makes me feel album makes me fee album makes me fe album makes me f album makes me album makes m album makes album make album mak album ma album m album albu alb al a

Hyviä kappaleita. Vähän sellaisia totisempia gangsta biittejä, mutta myös muutama letkeempi kappale, et ihan hyvää kesäfiilistä kyl saa. Parhaat: N.Y. State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, Represent, Memory Lane

Actual hood classic.. Damn good start but need relatability to understand the second half of the album. Can and will listen again. Songs I like: 1) NY state of mind 2) life's a bitch 3) memory lane 4) represent Rating - 9/10

this era of east coast rap is so good. I wasn't totally into it but I'll probably revisit sometime.

liked this! i have Get Down on a few playlists but idk if ive ever rlly listened to nas. saved

Not my type of music. But I like the vibe

This artist and album was on my radar as one of the best of 90 hip hop, but never got around to listening to them. Another one of those 'what have I been missing' moments. Great album, deserves more love.

🔥🔥🔥

yeah this is great

goated album

the perfect 90's hip hop record. it'd be difficult to find a wasted second on its just-under-40-minute runtime

Nice and jazzy, with cool collaborations! Great selection for the list!

Not a boring moment on the record yet somehow I don’t find much about it memorable. Solid throughout though.

5 Maybe the best hip-hop album in my admittedly not worth all that much opnion. The flow and lyrics are perfect throughout

There are few lyricists better than Nas, and he established that on his arrival with Illmatic. The production is tight and crystal clear, complimenting the street poetry on offer. Illmatic falls short in the beat department, but that's honestly something Nas has struggled with his whole career 🤷‍♂️. It's considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time, and that's 100% on the talent of Nas and his pen, though some of the samples are perfectly used.

I recognize a few of these tracks by title, but otherwise have never sat down to listen to this album start-to-finish. This is solid. I'm adding it to my list of albums to listen to again.

Excellent first album by nasty. The beats are a little samey but the message is not. Very clear and concise rapping with memorable songs. Highlight of which is towards the end with it aint hard to tell

Really great. The kind of rap album I didn't know I wanted. A little blown away at how many moments are sampled from this but I suppose that's what this journey is for. Would happily listen to this again on repeat

I found this album to be interesting, it just misses me by a little. Its like there's a lot to identify with here, but it feels like art that isn't for me. And that's fine, there's plenty of talent on display here.

Sr Lauryn Hill??. Bring back this type of album please! i need it on vinyl

Maybe 2nd or 3rd time listening. Leaves me a little cold but some undeniable bangers

Thats what i have in my ear when i think about old school hiphop. Nice record!

An iconic hip hop record. Such a sick representation of East Coast rap - bars are clever and there isn't a weak song. I'd say the only problem is it's a bit one note - that one note is great but it doesn't venture far outside Nas' box. Still awesome though.

This album is a lock for top 5 hip hop albums of all time. Incredible all round

I liked One Love because I’ve heard it before. a good album but i’m not a huge rap person

ugh... muy para su people...

Memory Lane (Sittin' in Da Park) Life's A Bitch One Love

creo que es uno de los albums que puede decir que enseña como es que suena una ciudad uno de los mejore albums de hip hop

Fat Beats - sehr viel Jackson Einflüsse...

very good album overall

Didn’t relisten but it’s Illmatic

It was fine. Listening I could tell that this was a well-made album and had some interesting storytelling about New York in the early ‘90s, but there wasn’t anything that made me go ‘wow! That was a great song’. A decent listen but didn’t do that much for me.

As with (for example) ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’, I can appreciate this album’s importance in hip-hop history, the high esteem it’s held in, and the craft, artistry, storytelling, etc. that went into making it, whilst not personally enjoying it to the same extent as most people, judging by the current rating distribution. ‘N.Y. State of Mind’, ‘Life’s a Bitch’ and ‘The World Is Yours’ are great, and the rest of the album was pretty good too (the production was really solid all through), but I did find it quite samey, and it was losing my attention by the end.

ya la escuche 4

Best Song: Life's a Bitch This was really solid and before its time. If someone put this on and told me it's from 2002 I would have believed them. You can hear Nas' influence in a lot of hip hop that followed, especially East coast. 4/5.

Bona fide classic, already one of my favourites before this challenge. Didn't have to listen as I know it, but I did anyway. 5/5

I spent more time listening to Nas's Stillmatic album than any of his other albums. This album, his first, shows the same lyrical skill and beats though a bit rougher and raw. While I'd probably still reach for the familiarity of Stillmatic over this it's a fine example of the things I like about Nas that separates him from the rest of the pack.

The man has flow. Great internal rhymes, impressive speed, and some pretty deep lyrical cuts among all the drug and gun references and N-drops. The production is extremely polished as well, and the samples and beats are choice. It's still not a genre that particularly calls to me, but I have to give props to the talent involved.

One of the great hip hop albums. Nuff said

Truly a fantastic hip hop album that embodies the era it's from. Really fantastic dark themes in some of the songs too

i enjoyed the first songs, but each track quickly melted into one given their similar base and beat leading me tired and unimpressed.would probably not listen again besides the two songs i saved.

This is a legendary album. I have considered buying this on vinyl, which already means it's on the 4-to-5-star scale for me. I think 4.5 stars would be optimal, since the one thing the album is possibly missing is a truly strong single. While 4 stars might feel a bit low for this, I really want to highlight that it is a solid album from front to back.

Meh. Not my taste but it's not bad

I already know this album n its one of my fav hip hop albums of all time

I'm not a hip hop fan but I didn't mind listening to this. It feels very emblematic of the time, I just don't have any desire to revisit it again later and some of the songs just droned on for way too long

Okay sejt.

Pretty good. Three stars

God awful shite

Straight and to the point. It was good.

probally the greatest hiphop albym ever

Tooth, strong, literate, poetic

This is one of the few Hip-Hop albums I like.

Damn...

Okay

If you told me this was one of the most average hip hop albums of all time I'd believe you. Maybe I'm just too white to understand it... 😔

A near perfect album. 9/10

3/5