Reviews (page 6 of 13)
been wanting to get more into the hip hop scene and this was both interesting and fun to listen to. no wonder it's critically acclaimed, the songs flow by
This was good. Great sounds and interesting all around.
Another great hip hop classic. Great samples, great beats. One of the best of the era 4
I really like this. I've listened to this album before years ago and it still stands up. It feels genuine and I found it interesting to lock into the lyrics and get a feel for the world that he lived in.
En mode boum boum tchack et ça marche bien
Really good album. His rhymes and delivery are exceptional. The beats are good, though a bit repetitive. The album only lacks a truly great song. 3.5/5 Will listen again
I'm not the best judge at evaluating what is "good" rap. Sure, I have my preferences, but rap is not a genre I ever fully committed to. That said, evaluating a rap album seems anathema to me. Knowing that Illmatic is not necessarily the style of music I would listen to, how should I judge it? Lyrical fluidity: the best rappers can amaze you with their rhyme schemes. Nas scores highly here. Choice of music: again this scores highly here. Window into an experience removed from my own: again, scores highly.
I listened to stillmatic after this finished. I owned it back at school. Perhaps a controversial take but its the album I prefer of the 2. Maybe it was just my entry point to Nas. Regardless, luxury hip hop is a good description.
Real luxury hip hop. I can see why this is so highly regarded. (WAK47s favourite album) 4/5 only because when it really started to get great I realised that it’d gone onto radio.
The most 90's hip hop album of all time
I don't quite understand the appeal of this album.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jazzigt och svängigt. Produktionen är konsekvent och Nas har flow. Det här kan jag sätta på och bara låta flöda och digga till groovet. Jag är ingen som tar mig tid att verkligen lyssna på texter så jag antar att jag missar mycket av albumet. Velar mellan en tre och en fyra men känner att det nog lutar mer åt en 4a. Bäst är N.Y. state of mind, Halftime och Represent.
It’s a classic. It’s referenced to this day for a reason.
Save:2
Incredible beat collection
This album starts off so strong that I was thinking that a 5 was a given. NY State of Mind is kind of chilling in a way that stays with you. It's wild that Nas was a teen when he wrote these songs/20 when it was released. The World is Yours also amazing and musically does it sort of predict the rise of an entire genre in Lo Fi Hip Hop to Study/Relax to? There's a cartoon who's been cramming for her grad school for 16 years that needs to thank Nas.
You can always tell when you hit a good hip hop album because it somehow doesn't date itself. A lot of earlier albums you can hear the decades sound, but albums like this seamlessly blend in.
Kollade på en video med kevin langue... där nämnde de Nas och hade ingen aning vem de var så kul att nu få lyssna på honom, känns som typsik 90-tals rap men är bra melodier och skönt att lyssna på!
I wish I was cool enough to love this. As it is, I'm only cool enough to like it.
A classic for a reason. No doubt one of the best 90s hiphop albums.
This is one of those albums that was so built up as a landmark that, by the time I bought it 15ish years ago, it was kind of a letdown. Not that it isn't great, but I can count on one hand the number of times I've listened to it since. "N.Y. State of Mind," "One Love," "Represent," and "It Ain't Hard to Tell" stand out for me, and it's all solid (though AZ or Olu Dara's annoying repetition of "Life's a bitch and then you die" brings down that song). 3.5, rounding up to 4.
Certified classic.
Мне понравилось
Yeah it bangs.
Didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but I absolutely do
An absolute classic and one of the essential albums of 90s hip hop. The beats throughout are fantastic. Lively, with groove and Nas dances across them expertly with lyrical ease. The only reason I downgrade to a 4 is because personally, I don't believe there is enough variety on the content of the lyrics. I absolutely get the albums focus is to document life growing up in the rough parts of New York in the 90s and the difficulty that goes along with this. However, I think if other prominent hip hop albums from the same period and whilst the content is largely surrounding gangs, guns and what it takes to survive the streets, there are brief moments away from this content. All in all a great album and an undoubted classic. 4/5. Essential listening for anybody exploring 90s east coast hip hop. Best Songs Represent Half time One Love Worst songs N/A
This has aged remarkably well
ai q fofo a capa :3 FAVS (top 3): halftime, one love, represent mençoes honrosas: lifes a bitch, the world is yours, memory lane um album bem hiphopzado, definitivamente um album de hiphop! curti nota final: 4/5
Easy-listening
pre-listening: I loved this album I haven't listened to eveything yet but im excited!! Post-listening: loved the songs i love the suede of all rap omg nysom is so good beyond campare obvi a classic i also liked genesis theres something about nas' voice. and the world is yours was wonderful!!
Great album!
I don't have a lot of genre expertise on which to base this impression, but I will say that from a single listen, I don't doubt this album's status as a classic. But ultimately this style of right-down-the-middle, lyrically-focussed rap isn't immediately appealing to me (even when it's as good as Illmatic), so not necessarily something I'll be picking up to revisit.
Adorei. Um ícone por motivos
i like west side rap better but top 3 from this album are it aint hard to tell memory lane and the wolrd is yours
Not my style but I enjoyed the listen
Inspirational for the new gen rap
Yes I enjoyed
Hip-Hop står og falder med hvad der samples og hvordan. Nas (og alle hans producere) formår at bruge jazzen og give den et friskt skud. Det fungerer til tider mega godt på albummet her. Særligt står N.Y. State Of Mind ud.
banger oldskool hiphop
Absolute 90s New York vibe. Peak.
Nas is an incredibly talented rapper, and this is a really solid album as a whole. 90s hip-hop is not usually my genre, so I'm not surprised that I feel meh about this album. But I can recognize how influential this was on all future hip-hop.
This album had some great beats. The vibe was consistent across the album in a good way.
I once got into an animated argument with this guy named Tim. His (preposterous at the time) position was that Nas was a better rapper than Snoop. I vociferously held the inverse position. Now that I have heard Nas, I admit I may have been wrong...but I would never let him know that.
I’ve listened to this album already— remember NYC w Jos? My fav songs before listening: N.Y. State of Mind + The World Is Yours After listening: Memory Lane + It Ain't Hard to Tell Thoughts: I liked it, but I'm not always in the mood for this sound. Definitely see how he influenced Joey Badass. BARS, nonetheless.
Great. My favorite this about this album is that it just *feels* like New York in the 90s. The jazz motifs throughout are masterful.
It's a five on a good day.
Feel like I have listened to this album before, but honestly remember nothing from it. Fresh ears though, yeah I understand why this is considered one of the best hip-hop records of all time. Do feel like some of the songs stretch on a tad long (Which is crazy with this album being a very trim 39 minutes long). Previously I got Jeru the Damaja on the generator, and I'm hearing a ton of similarities between the two (Pretty much the dissonant keys, but it's a lot more subdued on Illmatic), but it's obvious why Nas became the household name and Jeru didn't. Nas was just far more accessible a sound whereas Jeru was just too dissonant for mainstream appeal (Being the closest thing I've heard to the rap version of Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica or Gorguts - Obscura, maybe not in experimentation, but definitely in dissonance). But yeah, standouts for me are songs like N.Y. State of Mind, The World is Yours, and Represent. Amazing record.
Okay ja gewoon goed hip hop album, maar ook niet revolutionair ofzo. Zal het vast nog een keer luisteren!
"I never sleep, because sleep is the cousin of death" is one of the single most iconic lyrics of all time!
fucking lekker album
peak rap
If not the greatest rap lyric album, it's damned close. Nas has a lot to get out and these tracks are brimming with thoughts across ten tracks, introspectively ruminating on life in the Queensbridge projects. Nas may in fact have a little too much to get out, because the album is very lyrically dense and all that lyricism is so compacted in such a limited space that there's very little room for anything other than Nas to spit it without pause, and while his flow is fine, it sounds more like a recitation and not as much of his personality comes out the way it would in his later albums. But the album is still terrific. My favorite track is "One Love", a story told to someone in prisoner through visits from friends that weaves a compelling story of things changing beyond his control. There are quite a few producers on this album, but sonically, it holds together well, centering around jazz samples (Nas's father is jazz instrumentalist Olu Dara, who guests on "Life's A Bitch").
fenasal
Solid production and Nas has great flow. While it's not amazing, Illmatic still manages sets the bar for quality.
Базированно качает
Not my style but top notch
#8/1001🇺🇸 In 1994 when this album came out i was concerned more with the American "alternative" music scene and drifting towards electro, house, drum & bass etc. I have to say that the hip-hop thing largely passed me by. Hearing it now now with a greater appreciation for the genre its easy to see why this wins its plaudits. The production is gritty and raw with some nice melodies and jazz breaks behind the vocals. Lyricaly this is really strong stuff and very much paints a picture of growing up in NY at the time. I loved it and will be back for another listen. Best tracks: Halftime, NY State of Mind, The World is Yours.
vec rapa iz 90h morm poalusat pa to bo sigurn en od albumov k ga bom celo poletje poslusala
Good rhymes good beats.
Fast eine 5. Einzig One Love fand ich bescheiden.
Kann man mal machen mit 19.
Mächtig. Habe das zu wenig gehört, um schon 5 Sterne zu geben, aber das ist auf gutem Weg dorthin.
I had never listened to Nas before. I will now be listening to more Nas. 8/10
tgis was a really solid album
When people say music doesn't sound like it used to it's usually a pretty cringe statement. But there's something to be said about 90s hip hop. The beats, samples, scratching, and flow all have a specific feel. Nas has very few peers on the mic. A quintessential NYC album.
Great
Lähellä 4.5. Uskomaton tuotanto, biitit, riimit. One love paras.
I get why this is one of the most acclaimed rap albums ever. It is great but I still feel like I can’t fully appreciate it like others. There’s some rap that has clicked with me but it’s been rare, and this album almost got there. Maybe if I give it a relisten or two then I’ll fully get it
A lot more enjoyable than I expected. Scrumptious instrumentation that complemented nas' voice in rap. 4/5, only loses a point because I don't actually enjoy the sound of rap when compared to other singing tech
7/10 очень вайбовый альбом, базовый хип-хоп 90х, инструментал крутой и в принципе слушать приятно, обложка довольно интересная есть вайб центрального округа, послушала бы этот альюом еще раз
With lyrics that read like street poetry layered over timeless ’90s hip-hop instrumentals, Illmatic was an album I surprisingly enjoyed more than I expected.
already knew a few songs, loved listening to this whole album! i truly enjoy the "old school" flow and the music with the beats
enjoyed it! although the style of the music itself was a bit repetitive in terms of souhnd but he is extremely talented
I feel like I knew all these songs from listening to Nick dj over the years. The classic, go to 90s rap album. I’d listen to this one 99/100 over most that have come out recently
Already listened to and got record for, incredible start
Surprised to not have had this in childhood circulation in my dad’s car! I really enjoyed it. I love scratching Favorite: The World Is Yours
Classic hip hop album
Just great
Great beats, considered rhymes. Very good.
Mellow grooves, harsh lyrics, and only 40 minutes! One of the better hip hop albums I've had in awhile on here.
Listened Before? N Ah yes, the famous Illmatic. Seems like every list of top rap albums have this sitting up near the top. Seems that (like myself) many reviewers have not paid much attention to Nas overall, and this album is my first extened exposure as well. The beats and the flows are awesome, and you can feel the grime and desperation of poverty in NYC in the music. This is a good one. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: The World Is Yours
It’s a good start, really recommend to other musicians who are into more dark rap. 5/5
started- the world is yours enjoy the song and i recongize some songs
Oops all bops! 4/5
Nice👍
massa.
Still very (very) early in my rap and hip hop journey, it's funny to start with Kendrick's albums and then work back. Enjoying this one after a couple listenings, yeah I was caught by the first person narrative but assumed that's always been part of the genre - good to know this album was the first to do it.
Insane how young he was when this was recorded.
This wasn’t really my jam but I think I could appreciate that it’s a good album
This album is a straight classic, Ive heard these songs many times before but dont think I have listened front to back. Sick flow, catchy riffs, clever rhymes. The instrumentation has a certain twang to it that gives the whole album this gangsterish edge and attitude. 8.5/10
To zdecydowanie nie jest moja muzyka ale jest tak koherentny i tak cudownie widać po nim working class aaaa
7/10 Nas isn’t the most engaging rapper over the course of a whole album, but there’s so many all-timers on here it’s an undeniable great
Loved it. Definitely the best 90s hip hop I’ve heard yet.
Absolutely an essential album in hip-hop history. There are a lot of layers within the lyricism to explore, and deserves a revisit.
Good beats, good lyrics, a little repetitive
Really enjoyed this!!
When I was young I had an acquaintance that said he really liked Nas. Over the years I knew of Nas being a well-respected rap atist. But I found it odd that he never had the crossover appeal that his contemporaries had. (Snoop Dogg, Dre) And that just might be my alternative white kid bias speaking. This was good and Nas should have reached my ears sooner.
021121 13:38 4
Classic. Quintessential 90s hip hop. I hadn't actually heard the album in full, but really enjoyed it.
Great listen, one of my favourite hip hop/rap albums
Favorite Tracks: N. Y. State of Mind The World Is Yours One Love (feat. Q-tip) Represent It Ain't Hard To Tell
Great rap album. Hailed as one of the best of all time. It is great. Not quite up to a 5/5 for me. I feel some of the songs are a bit weak. Favourites: N.Y. State of mind Halftime One Love Represent
Strong 4
Impresionante. Boombap del bueno. 8/10
Life’s a bitch and then you die
I don't feel cool enough to listen to this Album, but I really enjoyed it. Hip hop 90s nostalgia.
Not what expected, even better! Never been a Hip-Hop person, but this album is amazing.
Fantastic beats, samples, flow. Thematically and lyrically its so far from my experience it stops it from being a 5 for me, but only just. Call it 4.5. Fave tracks: It Ain't Hard To Tell, The World Is Yours, Memory Lane
yuh
great
Nas has all rap album skills and none of the crutches.
My exposure to Nas prior to this was very minimal and I’m so upset because this is exactly the type of rap that I enjoy listening to!! Immediately added to my library. Will def be listening again.
gggg
Cançó(ns) que més m’ha agradat - Life’s a Bitch - The world is yours - Halftime Cançó(ns) que menys m’han agradat) - cap Comentaris: moltes cançons i sons icònics que no sabia que coneixia ni de qui eren Nota: 8/10
Nice vibe, rap, chill
I can’t believe this came out in 1994, it sounds much newer than that. This is a really good album.
duuude so buttery smooth and nostalgic. don't dabble in much hip hop anymore but this was nice. love the production. saved: life's a bitch, the world is yours, represent, it ain't hard to tell.
Enjoyed the beats and the lyrics. Think it’s better than The Chronic which came out 2 years before. Ranked 44 on Rolling Stones top 500 albums. 3.8 on my scale.
Quite a pleasant listening experience from start to finish. I can see why it's a classic.
I've never listened to a full Nas album, but i really liked it, I'm starting to get why the recognition. It felt like a clear break and step forward from the 80s hip hop
First time I've given this a listen. Tight as hell.
Debut album. Hip Hop. As debut albums go this is up there as a real good one. Hip Hop isn't a genre I am super knowledgeable on but this album has great flow and beats. The production is slick and the lyrics go hard.
Aldrig riktigt fastnat för Nas om jag ska vara ärlig. Med det sagt, jävla klassiker det här. Stark 3a, alternativt rak 4a.
Ooh, äntligen något för alla äkta skallar där ute. N.Y. State of Mind sätter ju tonen direkt. Det är SÅ JÄVLA MYCKET RAP. Och sen bara pågår det. Tycker alla låtar är bra och enhetligheten är väl den stora styrkan. …Och så bjuds man förstås på Represent och ett riktigt jädra Premier-beat för Nasty Näslund att digga diskbråcket till.
Encore une belle découverte moi qui pensais ne jamais aimer le rap! 4/5
An album I've heard people reference a thousand times but I have never listened to it. I might have built it up a little too much in my head prior to listening, but it still went down smooth.
Iswa
Really good album, I had never heard of Nas before but I was very impressed with this one. In saying that the first track didn’t instantly grab me but from Life’s A Bitch onwards I can’t really fault it. Top Track - The World Is Yours
Virtuosic brilliance. Wasn't he like 16 when he wrote these? And such good rhythm and flow. My kid constantly tells me about this record, so it was fun to give it a focused listen.
yet another obv must hear
Strong album with some good jazz vibes along with the rap. Enjoyed.
Looooove the beats engineered for this album. Definitely a top rap record. "Life's a bitch and then you die."
A New York City classic from Nas that outlines wonderful flows and lyrical genius from the 90s flavor.
I like it, but feel unqualified to critique it.
Absolutely classic
Favorite track(s): The World is Yours, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Love Heard before Previous rating: 8/10
Really cool album honestly.
Life's a Bitch and then you die.
Really enjoyed this album, played it on a roll 3 times, hip hop, Jazz - right up my street, don’t know how I’ve missed it?
Just really good, have listened to this three times in one day. Lyrically amazing.
Enjoyed this, though not my usual style
Jazzy, great rhythms, smart lyrics. This artist wasn’t on my radar at all!
mostly enjoyable!
Ill as hell.
Classic
Never listened to Nas before, but I really enjoyed it.
I’m not a huge hip-hop guy but this seems pretty dang good
ny, world,represent
Yeah I enjoyed my time here with Illmatic! Nas' lyricism is very good stuff, all accompanied by groovin beats and just a generally good vibe.
One of the finest examples of East Coast boom bap that we've yet gotten, and quite possibly one of the finest of this challenge! Every beat and every lyric hits.
I just wonder what it would feel like to hear this album for the first time as an NY native, with Nas' rhymes and references being so rooted in its street culture. I will say that you get a vivid picture of it from the lyrics and beats alone -- this album is grimy, bassy, hard as hell. Everything boombap should be. Classic record, though far from the greatest ever by today's standards. Standouts: N.Y. State of Mind • Life's a Bitch • The World Is Yours •
This is through album where I start liking east coast hip hop. His flow is amazing and the beats are so sharp. I just wish there was more variety between tracks. I start to zone out and lose my place.
One love has some kind of fusion marimba rhythm. Very cool samples all around, fire.
Quality
Great gritty 90’s hip hop straight out of NY, excellent sampling.
Life’s a bitch and then you die
Classic album, not really a hiphop fan but this album feels really solid & raw where it needs to be.
This is my second NYC 90’s rap album, the first being Biggie’s “Ready to Die”, which I gave 1 star. I thought that many of the parts that I didn’t enjoy of NYC Rap would persist into “Illmatic”, but I felt that the tone of this album was much different, supporting better beats, features and lyricism. Not every song is a hit, but I quite enjoyed the tone and direction this album showcased.
I liked it, listened on a long run. I have not listened to Nas before deliberately, and cannot relate to the subject matter. But the beats were good and the the the rhymes were tight 3.8
very vibey, not really my usual go to genre but I will definitely go back for the songs again
90s rap classic
I liked all the songs other than The Genesis, which seemed a throwaway. Otherwise, a strong 4 stars, top to bottom, 5 stars for NY State of Mind.
While I've always kind of been averse to the east coast boom bap style hip hop, this is truly the gold standard in my book. I don't think I've heard this record in full since high school, so it was very nice to revisit. I don't think my opinion has changed all that much even with time and perspective. It just really is a classic, great record.
I always sleep on Nas! Tracks are great, I need to give this a few more listens to get some more of the lyrics. He's non-stop, in a good way!
I think the only hip hop album I've listed to all the way through before this is De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising. Really enjoyed this way more that I would have predicted. Loved the jazz elements. Definitely conveyed a whole world and mood. And I got the Scarface references!
Life’s a bitch
Great flow over super raw, gritty boom bap beats. 3.5 outta 5
All rap, no skits. This is a lean and mean quintessential 90s rap album. Top tracks: "The World is Yours," "Halftime," "One Love," "Life's a Bitch"
God what a throwback classic. East coast has always sat behind west for me, but no denying how fucking HARD east coast rap goes. This was great.
Gutes Rap Album aber sticht für fünf Sterne zu wenig vor
This was real nice, will be listening to again
Starts off an all-timer and has ensconced itself into the hip-hop canon. I mean, perennial top 10er stuff. I reject a fifth star here mostly because for as long as I've been listening to this, I never feel as entranced by this album track-to-track as I am by a specific smattering of tracks. The hits - NY State of Mind, Life's A Bitch, The World Is Yours - are an insane run (opener The Genesis is excellent too.) One of the best three track runs ever, no debate. And that run actually does continue down to Track 7, One Love. But the highs of the album leave me wanting something more from the final three tracks. They're class but I'm always listening to them colder, worn out by the insane sprint. Nevertheless, a grower of the album. Dense stuff, icy, subtle. Crazy to think Nas was 21 when this dropped. Just thinking about that has me leaning towards a fiver on this fella but I'm early in this project, I'll be choosy.
This is not an album I'd particularly want in my collection, but it's not crap rap either, so I'm giving it four stars.
Smooth but between a 3 and 4 for me
Best Track - "NY State Of Mind"
This has been a gradual grower for me over the years, bridging the old school hip-hop from my childhood 80's and more modern production values and forms. This is tight as hell and may not have the colour or variation of a Tribe Called Quest but sometimes a consistent vibe has its place. Nas has great flow and isn't revolting in his subject matter which makes everything easier to stomach.
Good now and Great for its era
lynne it both lyrically and musically, but it’ something’s not enough for me 4.5
Good samples, great beats, excellent flow. NY energy to spare here.
Just great
Good, but not as good as the Nas I've heard before.
I’d been meaning to listen to this album for a long time now, I’ve only ever heard good things about it and came in with high expectations. And those expectations were most certainly met. Great album through and through, certainly the gold standard of what hip hop debuts can be. I love its jazzy feel, I guess Nas was the son of a jazz musician, so I really enjoyed that influence.
easy listening, did not know your game Nas
I am understanding so many pop culture references now, omg. I'm very inexperienced with rap, and this is pretty good! Makes me feel tough. FAve song is "The World is Yours"
I needed a little more…oomph, but otherwise it was pretty good.
This is a very solid Hip-Hop album. No frills, just awesome.
life's a bitch
I liked this album more than I expected. I think for the genre (which is not usually a top one for me) I liked Liquid Swords slightly more but this one was quite good.
That was enjoyable considering rap isn't my favorite genre.
Op de fiets naar de kmu, lekker agressief racen
I like Nas pretty good, and this is a solid debut. This is probably sacrilege to say, but of the Nas records I’ve heard, this isn’t my favorite. It’s good, but from what I’ve heard, he grew over the years as an artist. Still, Illmatic was a great start and showcased a lot of why people consider him one of the modern greats. 4/5
I would absolutely buy this if I saw it in the wild! I'm giving it a second listen because when it was finished, my first thought was 'that's it?' 4.5/5
Classic NYC rap. This shit holds up 30+ years later. So fucking good
This is a legendary hip-hop album.It's an 94' East Coast Boom Bap hardcore NY hip-hop actually. Nas is a natural rhymer,and the whole album is a passionate reflection of Queens street war zone. From the beggining with the Genesis intro you can hear the quality of this album, NY state of mind is a repetitive,monotonous track flooded by Nas's lyricism and i can say he rhymes like a male Lauryn Hill, Life is A Bitch has an excellent sampling including some jazzy trumpets,great atmophere,bliss, The world is Yours has a jazzy sampling,flawess rhyming,back male vocals,i really enjoyed it, Halftime is amazing,the soul funk bass sampling,fluttering trumpets,female vocal and the lyrics,wow, Memory Lane(Sittin' in da Park) has a haunting vocal sample that gave me the goosebumps,so good,the scratching,the lyrics all works out perfectly here like a Swiss watch, One Love is again a more monotonous marimba like sampled track but Nas raps like his life is dependending on it.Least favourite but still good, One time 4 your mind again pushes the weight in Nas with his tight rhyming,the production is minimal, Represent is like a rhyming battle in the streets with his homies,raw and to the point, It ain't hard To Tell got me from the beggining with its famous samples(M.Jackson's Human Nature,Kool and the Gang's N.T hook/riff, and Stanley Clarkes's Slow Dance drums),Nas is again unmistakable here so instantly became my favourite,ON REPEAT. Excellent album,i was bopping my head in most songs,but it's a 4/5 to me for the monotonous ones.
great album
Not always a big hip-hop fan but this is a classic.
Much more chill than I thought going into it
Dad- 5 Mom- 8 Mike- NA Lori- 8 Michael- 8 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 7.25
Can see why it's well thought of, good flows and production. Certainly of its time. Not really my jam, though.
I think it's good, but I don't know if it's GOAT.
One of my favourite hip hop albums
Still, somehow, sounds fresh.
4.5
Damn good hard-hitting rhymes and beats. But it gets a little stale after a while.
Listening to today’s album reminds me that the authors of the 1001 project owe the greats of 90’s East Coast rap an apology for that Jeru the Damaja album we got a few weeks ago.
The lyrics and the flow are exceptional. Totally not my world but I recognize and respect.
This album is fantastic. Hip-hop is not my go to genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed this record. I can't believe I haven't heard it until now
scriptures, beats, a blueprint for what east coast would be. whats not to like?
Det er sånn det skal gjøres.
I never sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death
i liked it
Life's a bitch and then you die. That's why we get high. Solid album! Very well written lyrics and great beats from start to finish. I personally like my rap a little more raw. But Nas is definitely a talented man.
This is a really strong album, great flow, great beats, really catchy hooks, at 39 minutes it's nowhere near overstaying it's welcome the way so many 90's albums do. I can understand why people from New York would absolutely love this. right now I'm feeling a strong 4, but if I revisit could become a 5.
Generally speaking, I'm really not a fan of hip-hop and if I do like it, it's usually not straight up hip-hop but rather some kind of mix of styles. This one seems to be an exception. It doesn't stand out in terms of originally or innovation, but rather through superior quality. Kudos to you, Nas, good stuff.
It’s hard to go wrong with productions by Pete Rock, Premier AND Q-Tip
Pretty good. I liked it.
9.5
Posiblemente el primer disco de hip hop que haya escuchado en mi vida (este o uno de Public Enemy). Un amigo de la universidad, Fernando, escuchaba mucho hip hop y, durante nuestros interminables intercambios sobre música, siempre me decía que yo tenía que escuchar a Nas. Y yo escuchaba a Nas, sobre todo a este disco, y me parecía una reverenda porquería. Todo bien con Fernando, pero tenés que ser un poco pelotudo para tener a un yanqui joven que habla sobre la marginalidad neoyorkina como máxima evidencia, ¿no? Más allá de todo el talento que tiene Nas, es algo demasiado ajeno a nuestra realidad. Es un poco como ser Johah de Veep. Otro amigo, Rafaela, me recomendó unos años después My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy de Kanye, que definitivamente cambió mi percepción sobre el género. Y recién ahí pude empezar a apreciar a Nas, y sobre todo a Illmatic, por la grandeza que tiene. ¿Cuál es la fuerza de este disco? Tiene una gran ventaja respecto a otros discos, tanto de Nas como de otros músicos de la época: es super conciso: es un disco inmersivo que te cuenta una historia desde el principio (la intro The Genesis y NY State of Mind), donde se describe la sórdida realidad de los negros pobres de Nueva York, en el que Nas emerge hasta el final "Nas will prevail" (en It Ain't Hard to Tell) en menos de 40 minutos. No explotan la capacidad del CD para darnos 70 minutos de contenido, y no tiene skits molestos de gente garchando, gangsters pegándose tiros o interludios humorísticos que pierden su gracia para la tercera vez que los escuchás. Y cada canción tiene algo para decir. La recordamos por x o por y. Tanto las canciones que me gustan como las que no. Es el caso de Life's a Bitch. Nunca me gustó mucho el estribillo, "Life's a bitch and then you die, that's why we get high 'Cause you never know when you're gonna go". No niego su potencia lírica, pero siempre me irritó la ejecución de AZ. Dicho eso, recuerdo Life's a Bitch, entiendo su mensaje, su importancia. ¿Con cuantas canciones de It Was Written... pasa lo mismo? Ni con la mitad. Y eso que It Was Written... es un buen álbum. No estamos hablando de Distant Relatives, for Christ sake. ¿Cuáles son las canciones que me gustan más? Creo que mi tema favorito es inusual, Halftime. Los samples de la Average White Band son perfectos, y también ese bajo con todo el groove del mundo. La melodía es buena y la letra también. El otro gran highlight del disco es el último, It ain't hard to tell, donde Nas se corona como nuevo campeón de la escena. Tanto en el disco como en la realidad. Me encanta como está usado el sample de Human Nature (Me debe gustar Large Professor). En general todas las canciones son buenas, y solo mantengo cierta distancia porque realmente son temas muy alejados de mí. Memory Lane y One time 4 the Mind deben ser las peores canciones, junto a The Genesis (que está bien pero es solo una introducción). Con Life's a Bitch no conecto nada, tampoco con Represent... aunque reconozco su importancia. The World is yours y One Love en cambio me gustan bastante más (sin llegar a la altura de Halftime). Ah, otra cosa que tengo para destacar de este disco es que salió en 1994, pleno auge del gangsta rap, y Nas consigue hacer un álbum que atraviesa problemáticas similares a las del género sin caer nunca en él, mostrando así la flexibilidad tanto del hip hop como una forma de arte, así como de Nas como artista. Cuatro estrellas.
Fav songs: life's a bitch, the world is yours, Memory Lane, Represent
Good samples and Nas writes poetry.
I enjoyed this a lot more than nwa
Good
Life's a Bitch - album highlight, not representative of personal views
Man, it's been a few years since I heard this one. Smooth, soothing story rap is just such a vibe especially listening to while at work. So many lyrics just pop out and stick and twist in your brain: I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death, in particular leaps out in NY state of mind.
Best album of the selections so far. Had always heard this album was huge when it came out. I'm glad I finally gave it a listen and I see why it was so we'll likedm
I'm not a big rap fan but Nas is a legend for a reason and this is his biggest album.
Great DJ, so-so lyrics
Life’s a bitch and then you die!
3.5 stars rounded up It’s a pretty tall task to evaluate one of the “best rap albums of all time” in one day with little context. Because at my core I’m a simple nerd, I hate feeling like I haven’t done my homework. I sometime hear Nas’ songs on my favourite radio program that I listen to near-daily, Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC 6Music. I’ve always liked The World Is Yours and I’m glad this challenge reminded me to listen to the whole album. I like the beats over the jazzy sampling (because I’m a noob, I’ve only recently learned this sound is called boom bap… I tend to like this style of hip hop though I’m too much of a dummy to recognize it when I hear it) and the New York storytelling. “I never sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death” from N.Y. State of Mind, what a line. Wish I had more time to spend diving in with the lyrics and learning more about the production etc. I’m sure I’ll be back.
Ouais
Отличный альбом, который по своему звучанию является проотцом Лоу-фай.
yes
Great
New York state of mind...!
Si parteeee
I'm generally not really into rap, but this is some great stuff.
Perfectly fine hip-hop and seems like a milestone in the long-term maturation of the genre. One likes the intensity and directness.
dobry klasyczny rap
Bueno
Damned fine album of raps and beats.
A classic of the genre, the influence is undeniable 4.5*
Classic
This album goes unnecessarily hard - I saved N.Y. state of mind to my saved. Not usually my jam but it had me grooving - I felt a Jazz influence coming from here - after doing research turns out his dad was a jazz musician. Very good album.
Jazzy rap
Greatness
Shit is mad real right now. These is some tasty beats. Sometimes life's a bitch and then you keep living. Very chill album smooth jazzy samples.
Nas delivers fluid, complex lyrics with an incredible rhyming style in "Illmatic". Understandably one of the best rap albums of the decade.
I'd never listened to this album before, even though I always felt I should. It's good and it's clear to see why it's considered such a classic (and why Jay-Z was shook). Nas is a smart lyricist and the samples and beats serve his flows.
le rap n'est évidemment pas mon genre préféré, mais il est quand même malgré tout très bien pour ce qu'il est. instru très sympa
Good beat throughout. Quite cool . Stand out song: Life is a bitch
Great album structure
Did not listen to all of this but what I did was great 4/5 stars. Hadn't listened to this before
This is #day351 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… wow, turns out hip-hop records can be of bearable length. This one's just 10 tracks, clocking in at under 40 minutes, which, knowing how sprawling albums in this genre can get, took me by surprise. Anyway, this is the kind of hip-hop I relate to musically for the most part. But then there's a vibe. It just feels real, you know what I'm saying? I remembered that for a brief time in my childhood, around the release of 8 Mile, must've been 2002 or 2003, I had a short-lived nickname: "Nas." Hilarious to think about now. Now, this record? A gold-standard canon of '90s hip-hop. "N.Y. State of Mind" and "Life's a Bitch" are my favorites. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day352.
Pues me gusta bastante. En general siempre me ha agradado bastante el hiohop así clasicote de la época. Me parece muy buena música para llevar de fondo y tener buenas vibes. Se que este disco es mítico en el estilo y está muy bien valorado por los chavales que se creen mega críticos mega guays rate your music ahí. Pero admito que me gustó. Las bases son inmaculate todas. La producción es la ostia, todo equilibrado en su lugar con un sonido muy analógico a pesar de ser todo samples. Destaca lógicamente "N.Y. State of mind" porque si porque es mítica. 7.5/10->4/5 raspadito
Cuando tuve mi época de obsesión con el graffiti (hace aprox 2 años) escuché un montón de hip hop y, obviamente, a Nas. Escuché ya varias veces este álbum y que decir, es muuuy pero que muy chulo. Unas bases simples pero guays y diferentes, con canciones icónicas como The World is Yours o N.Y. State of mind (las más famosas). No mucho más que decir, dentro de su género es de mis álbumes favoritos, le doy sobre un 3.8 o 3.9, así que le daré las 4 estrellas.
aunq no sea muy fan del rap, reconozco q absolutamente todas las bases d este album son alucinantes. Supongo q como es rap, debería prestarle más atención a las lyrics pero me da mucha pereza. En general me encantó la vibra d el album en general, así q 8/10
Clever rhymes and great use of samples
No mi primera escucha de este álbum, pero cada vez se vuelve mejor. 9.2 de 10
"I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death". Oh wow, this album feels like a movie, or at least an excellent soundtrack to a movie, where NYC becomes pretty vivid through the beats, samples, and lyrics. I only knew of "NY State of Mind" coming into this, but was nicely suprised by the other tracks, like I enjoyed "The World is Yours".
Ah. Another album whose reputation precedes it. Listening notes: -NY State of Mind is just so anthemic. I love the fuzzy backing sound. -It's hard not to listen to this without comparing the other titan of East Coast Hip Hop, Biggie, whom I personally like a bit more (but who has much worse interludes). But there's really no reason to think of them in competition. (lol @ me writing this as if I know anything about 90s hip hop culture) -Life's a bitch: Q-Tips jazzy influences here are nice. I had a whole riff on Camus' responses to the absurd but it was too pretentious even for me. -A lot here kinda feels like looking at a Dutch masters painting (but not Frans Hals): I can see that this is artistically near perfect, but I just don't feel anything the way I might even with less talented artists like Grunewald or Giotto. This is a totally inaccessible analogy, but nobody reads these anyway so there we go. -One Love: Q-Tip is great on this. It's amazing. And the xylophone kills it(?). It seems at odds with the broader contours of the album, but I'd have to listen a few more times to get what the broader messages of both this and the album are. Review: I feel like I'm supposed to find this utterly spellbinding. It's frequently cited as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. It's certainly well built, with tight rhymes. I can't speak to any specific complaint, but for whatever reason, I just can't quite give the full 5 stars. Like, other albums just move me more, which is kind of an absurd complaint for me to levy (why should they feel like they need to move me of all people?). But that's how it is. Other artists with experiences far further from mine have more successfully connected with me. It's almost that it's too tight, too well constructed, for me to really be able to latch onto. 4 stars.
I have a lot of issues with the idea that this is the best rap album of all time. There’s some very good songs on here. But also the album is a whole lack a cohesiveness, and doesn’t tell any sort of story.
great
A slice of 90s hip hop nostalgia. A lot of hits on this album- Nas is so lyrically talented and smart with his rhymes and approach to hip hop. Overall- great rap album
Pretty cool, very typical of its era
One of the most important rap albums of all time. Nothing but amazing songs here and Nas is a lyrical genius. This album just doesn't have an emotional connection for me to be a 5.
One of the better rap albums I’ve heard.
Not a big fan of the genre, but really enjoyed this one. Life's a bitch and then you die, that's why we get high 'Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Excellent - no notes. This makes you feel NYC.
Das gilt als eines der besten Hip Hop Alben aller Zeiten. Es hat mich nicht ganz so umgehauen wie ich erwartete, aber es war nicht schlecht. Mit der Zeit schmolz es aber etwas zusammen. Hm. Ich bin bei 3 1/2. Aber weil es keine furchtbaren Skits hat und ich das Gefühl hatte, dass er nicht nur über die üblichen Hip Hop Themen sang, runde ich mal auf.
4.5 stars. Landmark hip-hop album. East-coast urban ghetto life captured in poetic lyricism. Shorter runtime (39 min). Standouts "N.Y State of Mind" "Halftime" and "Life's A Bitch".
87% Best: N.Y. State of Mind; Halftime; One Love; One Time 4 Your Mind; It Ain't Hard to Tell Must-Hear? Sure
Not my usual listening fare, but surprisingly engaging Top track: Halftime
Never heard this before. Didn’t even recognise any of the tunes. Was I under a rock when this came out? Crammed full of absolute bangers. Kept it on loop for hours
That's some solid flow. Somehow missed Nas at the time, even though I was quite into hip hop
This album is greater than the sum of its parts. Singles don’t make as much with this, but it together tells a story and gives a snapshot of the 90s. I enjoyed this more than I thought, will listen again!
a great piece of history, gets a very high score of 4.5 for me only because i couldn't warm up to just one song, but who knows maybe with enough time it'll round up to a 5! 4.5/5
LOVED this when it came out, fanastic start to finish - I still listen to this record!! Represent represent! So good.
I listened to this three times in a row and my favorite tracks were Life’s a Bitch and Memory Lane. Very solid 4.
Surprised I had never heard this. Overall pretty good.
Very new york in a different way... For never having listened to this album in full, it's very different from other 90s hip hop and rap which i have listened to before, with a more RnB influence. It's not hard to see why this album has held up as a classic over time, with middle aged white men claiming it's the best album of all time. Even Mac Miller had a sample of "The World is Yours" in his cult classic "Nikes on my Feet". Good flows, lyricism, thematic continuity, story telling, realism and a good beat. Finding out that Illmatic was Nas' debut album was shocking. Even more shocking when I remember that I lived down the street from Queensbridge. I couldn't imagine seeing what Nas saw then given the Queensbridge I know today. 3.9
Not an album that is aimed at me, or that I am well equipped to judge.
4/5. I have so little experience with rap, but I was riveted to this start to finish. The lyrics are dense and first rate. The rhythm is infectious.
Klassiker
Hahah, fattar äntligen vad Nathalie såg med honom där i högstadiet. Vilken jäkla platta.
Oh the instrumentals alone makes this top tier
This is an incredible hip-hop album. Nas's talent is just undeniable. Amazing delivery and incredible grooves and beats. I really enjoy this type of early 90s NYC hip hop. I could listen to this album and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) on a continuous loop. Superb album.
I am conflicted on the album, which is probably a good thing. Musically it is cohesive and flowing, with a variety of beats and soundscapes to give each track their time to shine. One listen gave a general chill feeling to the whole work, if a little repetitive in the backing tracks. Listening in, I just don't connect with the lyrics on a personal level. I am fully expected to not get certain references and generally being dissociated from a black city gang experience, but there's a layer of overly manly professing that I don't gel with. I am sympathetic to loss from gang violence, the ideas of living your best life, the lessons to fight for yourself and supporting your social network. I think the rub was the idolization of climbing the ladder within a gang. Rationalizing crime as a need vs as a desire is an uncomfortable, and hey, that might be the intention all along in which case, they succeeded at all levels.
Not my usual genre, but enjoyed it. Was great to work/ code to.
Awesome
4.0 - Very Good
excellent wordsmith with seemingly effortless flow. this is how it’s done kids.
I liked this a lot. Actually listened to it a couple of times. For the mid 90s this one felt more modern, not angry or corny like most -early 90 hip hop/rap. I’ll give it a 4. Listening to this made me go back to maad city by Kendrick. That one is awesome.
I've always wanted to listen to this album. I've never gotten around to it and my taste has changed so much over the past couple years that I feel this would have been loved much more in 2023 when I only listened to rap. But I did a lot of things in 2023 through insanity rather than pure love so maybe it's for the best this one kept hidden. But here we are now and I can make 2023 me proud.
i dont think I will ever like a classic rap album like this one
Buen álbum de rap. Crudo, consistente y al punto con sus temas y reclamos a la sociedad. Genial música y grandes arreglos, y eso que no me encanta el género.
Some questionable bars for sure but overall great
Really holds together well as an album. Not perfect. A bit too much of its time. Not every song is compelling.
Complete
Great album. Am writing this at the same time as Knicks vs. Pacers 2025 #BeatTheKnicks
It was good. I like Nas’s flow, the beats are pretty easy to grasp and the whole album is “smooth”. Nothing really bad to say about it, but it didn’t blow me out of the water.