Reviews (page 7 of 13)
short record! a classic. i found myself bobbing my head a few times for sure
Very solid throughout, great beats and flows. Really enjoyed this one.
love!
I've listened to this album many times before. Never disappoints. 4.5/5
I've given a lot of 3s to this genre so far - very little has offended my ears but hard to get on board where I don't often focus on lyrics. In this case I've also never been to the US, let alone New York, so I don't have the familiarity required either. This one does have great production, has aged well, and is actually a good length for once. Very decent debut and I'm sure it actually deserves a higher score.
classic
Soulful ass beat and flow
Wow, definitely should’ve listened to this already. I’ve seen this album get lots of praise but never got around to listening to it. But this is an all time rap album. Literally one of the greatest ever. It’s a no skip album easily. Also very short which is always a winning strategy for me.
I’m not generally a hip hop fan and I was aware this is highly regarded but I had never listened to it before. It grabbed me quickly and wouldn’t let go go
It was tough choosing between 4 and 5 stars for this one. I ultimately went with 4, because although the entire album is strong, none of the songs other than "New York State of Mind" really grab me. Nas is an amazing MC but I need more melodic hooks in my music these days. This whole album is great, even without the melodies I crave.
low-key giving this a 4, solid 90s rap
Pre-listening thoughts: I was always confused why Lil Nas X named himself that. Does it have to do with this guy? Lil Nas X is more pop than rap imo which is what makes this name choice confusing for me but idk Post/during listening thoughts: this is pretty good! I don’t have a ton to say but I wish Q Tip got a verse on the song he produced 😔. I like the samples, I think the rhymes are very creative and make for some interesting flows, but I think the first half of the album is stronger. Stuck between giving this a high 3 or low 4 but since there weren’t any songs I disliked I’m gonna go with 4. 7/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nah Fav tracks: NY State of Mind, Life’s a Bitch, Halftime, It Ain’t Hard to Tell Least fav tracks: I guess I didn’t really have any?
Funky, clever, great production, concise and energetic. Amazing grooves between bass, drums and piano. Favourite tracks: NY State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, Memory Lane, One Time 4 Your Mind,
Very good rap Added one time 4 your mind to playlist
Great raps, good beats, loved it! Every single song on this album was good, Nas's raps are amazing. The rhymes, the metaphors, the imagery, all top notch. Every song is a solid 4, really hard to pick a best one. Best song: N.Y. State Of Mind
Surprised I liked it as much as I did. Will be adding to my future listening.
Goat shit
His stacks were indeed fat and this was indeed what it's all about.
Classic boombap album
Nas’ jazzy beats and smooth rhymes won my love back in ‘94.
classic hip hop with standout beats and lyrics. I liked Halftime and It Ain't Hard to Tell the most! I grew up with kendricks good kid maad city and can hear the immense influence that Illmatic had on that project.
I was putting this off for some reason, but I loved it. Smooth. The beats are minimal but powerful, the focus on the lyrics. Feels 90s but timeless. Classic.
Liked it a lot. Definitely gonna listen again, not my favorite genre though
Good melodies and beats
3.9 For a very long time I thought this & Mobb Deep's the Infamous were the pinnacles of rap. Until I heard to pimp a butterfly anyway. Looking back 20 years later is interesting. I think one of the main draws is there's not a lot of padding shite. 10 tracks and 39 minutes in an era where every rap album seemed to be 76 minutes, 23 tracks of which 10 were skits. This album, other than having an intro, just hits you with decent track after decent track. Admittedly some don't hit as hard as they used to, the lyrics often alluding to getting stoned which some of the ambling within a few tracks gives evidence to. Still, a lot better than the rest of rap at the time, although it's seen been surpassed.
It sounds like one song in one.
Good flow
The opening line of Nas' debut album, Illmatic is "I don't know how to start this shit." What then follows is the delivery of a series of vivid tales reflecting his experiences on the streets of New York City. Lyrically, the album is intense, raw, and authentic. The production is solid, with beats that blend elements of R&B and Jazz, featuring distinctive touches such as the piano in "N.Y State of Mind," the horns in "Halftime," and the xylophone in "One Love." I appreciate the contrast between the anger and frustration expressed in the lyrics and the calmness of the beats, creating an atmosphere that feels more like a rational discussion than one completely driven by angst. However, one aspect I found lacking is the diversity of sound. The beats across the tracks tend to be too similar in tempo and rhythm, and at times, the lyrics can feel somewhat repetitive. While this is not the type of music on my regular playlists, I still felt this was a fascinating listening experience
Yes.
Unnnnnngghhh. Nasty Nas and 90’s hip hop FTW!
A classic. The album is cohesive, but no standout or breakthrough songs for me (which was a surprise).
Great rap album
Loved it. Played it on repeat.
Rap isn't usually my type but this shit rocks!
An absolute classic If hip-hop is supposed to be a window into the streets, ILLMATIC sounds, feels, and even fucking SMELLS like NYC in the '90s. When the war against the Disney-fication of NY was still being waged.
Sometimes I sit back with a Buddha sack. Mind’s in another world thinking how can we exist through the facts.
The greatest hip hop album of all time but I've never heard it, or him. It's a raw example of a decade where we Brits were just listening to very different music to America. Even then, I'm amazed I haven't come across it before. It's a fine example of hip hop. I can see why it gets the plaudits. Something just a bit higher level about the way it all fits together.
Hiphop is really not my genre, but I've heard other stuff by Nas and I usually like it, so I was expecting this to be good. It was good, but maybe not as good as I was expecting. I did enjoy listening to it, and I did listen twice, so I can't complain. Four stars.
Great storytelling + beats, enjoyed!
A strong album that transports you to Nas's environment in NYC in the early 90s. The struggles, trials and tribulations are real. The lyricism is great, delivery is excellent, but a lot of the songs are at a similar tempo and while they are different, they can fade together more if you don't pay attention as closely.
Great album. Concise 90s rap album too which I feel like is rare
Cool stuff but did space out a lil. Beats are nuts tho and some classics.
Illmatic goes hard for a debut album. Nas showed up with top-tier bars, killer flow, and production that still sounds great today. “N.Y. State of Mind” and “The World Is Yours” hit especially hard, and the whole thing is tight with no filler. It’s not something I play on repeat, but you gotta respect the craftsmanship. Solid 4 stars. Favorite song: "The World Is Yours"
A classic that I've never quite connected with as much as I wish. The first three tracks after the intro are unimpeachable, and I'll always love a track with Q-Tip on it. It's pretty damn good, but not as good as people often cite is as being imo.
Suca Pozzo
Good, solid 90s rap. Flows incredibly well, very relaxing album. Eastcoast rap debut, impressive. Has been recognized by writers and music critics as a landmark album in East Coast hip hop. Considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums.
A stone-cold classic, obviously. "I don't know how to start this shit" into -that- verse is a GOAT level hip-hop moment. A few songs don't hit the same highs for me, so it's a 4 as a matter of personal taste (I take ATCQ over this).
Nah bro jetzt werden die big arms ausgepackt. Auf jeden ein sehr sehr gutes album
A classic for a reason. Dude's wordsmithing skills are unmatched. Knocking a star off because musically, it's lacking a bit. Like, I get that this is old-school no-hooks hip-hop. But it's a lot to take in. I've listened to this album many times, but today was the first time I was able to get through the whole thing. Fatigue sets in after about 5 songs. but damn can that man rap.
It was great to hear this again with a fresh perspective. The vocal delivery is masterful, the tight beats add to the tension. This was a different era for hip hop. Music seemed to matter. It's almost a cinematic album with the sharp storytelling.
Quite enjoyed this album. Not ordinarily a genre I would listen to until I started the album generator. Found this to be more melodic and easier to listen to.
Een regelrechte klassieker, maar toch voor mij geen 5 sterren. Ik ben te weinig into het genre om dit een perfecte score te geven. Toch 3.5, wat ook een mooie score is.
the genesis- 6 NY state of mind- 7 lifes a bitch- 7 or 8 the world is yours- 6 or 7 halftime show-7. my style switchs like a f but not bisexual. okay girl memory lane- 7 one love- 7 one time for your mind- 7 represent- 7 it ain't hard to tell- 7
Today was a lousy day, yet I didn't mind listening to this. The songs fit together. I found it strangely comforting. Will add it to my collection and revisit.
I like every song, but overall it just feels a bit repetitive.
At a cafe while visiting Paris, the waiter asked where I’m from. I said ‘Queens,’ and his response was, ‘Ahh, like Nas!’ What I like about this album is that it’s short and sweet. It isn’t overpacked like a lot of other rap albums. Every moment is iconic. Go Queensbridge!
Great beats, great flow, great delivery. A classic in all forms.
Feb 25th 2025 (Wed) | Day 2 - Fav track: One Love (feat. Q-Tip) #1990s #1994 #spotify #'25 #feb '25 [4*]
Classic 90s hip hop. Life's a bitch is a quality song
Interesting that the mix of producers works so well.
I know fuck-all about the intricacies of hip-hop, but I know what sounds good to ears. And this album was seriously awesome. It has aged well compared to other 1990s music, and the energy and brilliance of the flow is undeniable.
1. Illmatic 2. The Wall Its an album much dynamic in the feel that put in the street mood
Good influential rap album, not one of my favorites ever, but it's good Favorite song: The world is yours
fav songs: the genesis, n.y. state of mind least fav songs: one time 4 your mind, represent
Liked it. Good old 90’s era hip hop. Had never heard it before.
A surprisingly enjoyable album for me, relatively short and sweet and with beats that I could get behind. Not what I'd ordinarily pick to listen to but a nice listen nonetheless.
Great hip-hop album
A better album, I felt, than the ones I've gotten so far on this list. Namely from song catchy beats and strong lyrics, bust importantly it didn't overstay its welcome.
OOOOH THIS RAP IS SO NICEEE, 90’s rap built diff with those breakbeats Fav song : miss honey - jingoro
I love Nas's style, but the nihilistic attitude can wear thin if I'm not in the mood. I like a lot of the production, though it doesn't feel quite on par with the top shelf material of that era. An excellent overall album.
Standout track, “Life’s a bitch”
Good music! Nice for car rides.
Brilliant storytelling from a king of the east coast rap game.
Was aware of Nas but had not listened to this album previously. Really enjoyed it - great beats - strong smooth lyrically delivery and no gimmicks. Strong 4.
This is one of those 'life on the streets', hard hittin' albums, in that Tupac, Biggie, beef vein (beef vein!) - gangster confessionals, if you will. Whilst not exactly my cup of tea, on the evidence here, he does take his place amongst those respected luminaries. That's when it manages to pull away from cliché. Thankfully it does that a fair bit, and it is far superior to the gangsta rap which it birthed. It is pretty much a diary, and Nas's lyricism is undeniably good. The album is too long. But I do like the way the cars on the cover look like one of those nose tapes athletes wear. It was growing on me each listen. It has just tipped to a low four.
Nas is someone that I always skip over other names when in a hip hop mood but this album is incredible. Hard to believe this was his debut. First half is stacked with bangers
Classic. One mic. So many others 🫡
Fun og
this album is quite great. it just doesnt hit that level greatness that makes it a 5 for me. when it comes to early 90s classic rap albums, im more of wutang and Nation of Millions girl myself but NAS is undeniable, and ILLMATIC is unignorable
Good album. Very enjoyable listen, Nas was definitely in the echelon of the biggest names in the rap game at that time in the early to mid-nineties and if I would have given this album the time that I gave Tupac, Biggie, and OutKast’s. I think it kinda just didn’t get the rep in the southern states as it did in the northeastern US.
Throwback but nice. Can totally hear his NY accent in this album.
Some badass og hip hop. Particularly love the world is yours.
Good shit
good and classic
ainda lembro do quanto o opener OBLITEROU minha mente do rock em 2014
Pretty good, no low points.
I didn't know I liked this album this much but ended up playing through it three times, wasn't totally unfamiliar with it just not really properly listened to it, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Has a good slow jazz vibe. a little redundant song to song.
Well it's not hard to see why this is so beloved, and there's not much else insight I feel I can provide. Great listen and I'm glad to have learned about something new
A hood classic Nas showing lyrical prowess impressive to his age at the time of recording.
If you've heard 90s hip hop, nothing will suprise you here. Hard to be blown away by a sound that was copied over and over again for way too many years. That being said... it's Nas, and if I was listening to this 20+ years ago it'd be one of my favorite albums out. A must listen for any hip-hop fan. 4.5 out of 5
It's like a strong 8 on first listen. I definitely get that it's super influential, but the back half was a tad bit lacking for me. I think it'll grow on me though and it was very enjoyable. Life's a Bitch and then you die still the hardest line for me in most of hip hop and life in general.
I don't have much of a story here. I just remember not fucking with this album when i heard it when i was 14 cause my english teacher kept talking to me about it and I was sick to death of him talking about it. I hope he's in prison now a bit. Albums p awesome cool though glad i got to listen to it again.
For something we'll out of my usual wheelhouse I really enjoyed this
The beats are so clean, the overall production smooth as glass. It feels like less sampling and more like composition. The opposite of Wu Tang and other contemporaries, but still part of the same story. Even when they are using samples, it's so damn clean. The rapping is such a great bridge between the late 80s/early 90s stuff and what we would get in the late 90s into the 2000s. Obviously very influential, a turning point. Just a stellar album all the way around. Maybe a little bit of filler, but not enough to ding it. He's obviously one of the best rappers, incredible rhyming.
One of the most important and influential albums in American music over the past quarter-century. I don't listen to it often but Nas' lyricism and general intensity have solidified this into a stone-cold classic. "New York State of Mind" and "Life's a Bitch" is still one of the best one-two punches in rap history. I think the second half is generally weaker but still consistently good, with some of the beats sounding a bit dated by today's standard. Still excellent.
thank god its something new. i am not super rap cultured so looking forward 2 it! love when an album starts w a media clip and or crosstalk so liking that. smth i admire the rap i have listened 2 for is that its so lyrically dense but it does make it slower to listen to attentively bc i keep wanting to pause n read the genius annotations lol. like his stream of consciousness narration it feels very fluid. also "straight out the fuckin dungeons of rap" is a great opener. "full of children" lmao. okay i like this guy. sleep is the cousin of death thats fun. ny state of mind by which he mean it sucks billy joel. "life is a parallel to hell" man i feel like i could listen to this like 5x n not run out of interesting snippets to think abt. the turntable scratching shit is extremely Rap From The Nineties tho lol. "he released this album when he was 20" thanks what am i doing w my life #??? etc. awwww his dad is the guy playing trumpet....no guys like out for Dead presidents. braves mentioned? sorry my notes r sporadic for this one bc i keep having to pause to think abt / read the lyrics lmao. ohhhhh its halftime bc u have to flip the track....ngl i do admire the its a physical item ness of records vs cds or streaming like u miss the opportunity to do fun stuff. boo f slur throw it in there w/e. okay sorry im just reading the genius dot com im not sayin anything particularly smart abt this 1 iknow. i wouldnt say this is an album id listen to on repeat--its By Design centering experiences, making references etc i dont get as a white guy from not queens + theres (as w every album we fucking listen to on this site) still the element of straight guy being edgy in ways that dont further his point mixed in w the instances that Do what hes trying to do--but the craftsmanship + the emotion behind the verses are absolutely dead on good as hell. really feel like as i said on ny state of mind i could listen to this one forever n consider the lyrics from a new angle forever. like my head feels stuffy from thinking abt it. i also know juuuust enough ball to see how this mustve been massively influential + how thisll give me new insight listening to rap/hiphop from now on bc i see a little bit more of the tradition now so unlike fucking aftermath by the stones or the blues breakers for once i feel like this was a 100% deserved inclusion on the albums to listen to before u die list. thats gonna be a 4/5 from me. standout tracks: ny state of mind, halftime, memory lane, represent. would i buy a physical record? idk but if i did i would relish flipping it over after halftime. going to have to come back to this one later honestly
Really pretty good, and that's high praise given it's not really my genre of choice!
Interesting. Not my style but I see Why this is considered a good example.
honestly hip hop kinda goated ngl
I’ve heard this album before and really enjoyed it. First time listening on my new headphones though and being able to hear more of the intricacies and more oomph with the base felt like listening to it for the very first time. Halftime stood out to me on this listen as my favorite.
Life’s a bitch, and then you die…that’s why we get high! (cause you never know when you’re gonna go…)
Smooth
First introduction into this genre of music, thoroughly enjoyed.
if you gave this one star and have hip hop in your least favourite genres on your page, i hope to never have to interact with you.
And the story continues. I can't relate, as this is a part of reality that is very remote from mine. I can only say that people tell this one to be very authentic, despite aggressive and hard. But on account, such is that part of reality, and it is said that this record is a more than adequate reflection on it. Musically, this resonates very well with me, the flow of the story telling, the musical execution, quotes, citations all sound convincing and original. Due to my technical non-competency to rate this, I build a position based on the music and the above opinion -making. I will have this one as one of a few records of its genre to give a repeated listen.
An album I've come to appreciate over the past few years, especially this time around. Way up there in terms of rap albums for me.
Very enjoyable. Especially the first half. I definitely want to spend more time with this album as I don’t really know it. I loved his delivery and the overall sound of it, evoking a strong sense of place. You feel as though you are in New York.
Nas once asked us to collaborate with him. Imagine Nas, Houmous & Chutney. Unfortunately Len thought he was just an overhyped potty mouth. Len can be so stubborn at times! 4.2
En 1994, le hip-hop avait un accent, il parlait avec la nonchalance ensoleillée de la Californie. Dr. Dre et Snoop Dogg avaient imposé leur G-funk suave et hédoniste au monde entier. Le rap, c'était des voitures qui rebondissent, des barbecues et des rythmes lents qui sentaient la weed. Pendant ce temps-là, à New York, le Wu-Tang Clan jouait la carte de l'agression pure, du son crade et des mythologies de films de kung-fu. L'East Coast cherchait sa nouvelle voix, son nouveau prophète. Et puis un gamin de 20 ans a débarqué des cités du Queensbridge. Il s'appelait Nasir Jones, alias Nas et il n'avait pas l'intention de jouer le jeu. Son premier album, "Illmatic", est un ovni. Un disque court, dense, d'une maturité absolument stupéfiante. Oubliez les CDs interminables de 70 minutes, remplis de skits inutiles, qui étaient la norme à l'époque. Nas nous livre 10 morceaux en 39 minutes et pas une seconde de gras. Chaque titre est essentiel, chaque rime est pesée, chaque instru est parfaite. C'est un bloc de béton, un diamant brut poli à l'extrême. C'est là toute la force et la beauté d'"Illmatic". C'est un album intemporel. En 1994, je voyais passer des dizaines de disques de rap qui, six mois après leur sortie, sonnaient déjà comme des reliques. Les productions vieillissaient à une vitesse folle. "Illmatic", lui, pourrait sortir demain matin. Pourquoi ? Parce qu'il ne repose pas sur une mode, mais sur deux piliers indestructibles : le talent pur du parolier et l'excellence des architectes sonores. D'abord Nas, à 20 ans le mec n'écrit pas des textes, il peint des fresques. C'est un putain de poète de la rue qui ne glorifie pas la vie de gangster, il la raconte avec la précision d'un reporter de guerre , la lucidité d'un vieil homme et la rage d'un gamin qui a vu son frère et son meilleur ami se faire tirer dessus la même nuit. Son flow est d'une fluidité irréelle, ses rimes sont d'une complexité folle. Il ne se contente pas de rimer en fin de phrase, il tisse des toiles de mots, des échos, des assonances au coeur même de ses vers. C'est technique, c'est virtuose, c'est du grand art. Ensuite les producteurs et le casting est hallucinant, DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip. La crème de la crème de la production new-yorkaise de l'époque. Chaque morceau a une couleur unique et une âme. Les beats sont jazzy, granuleux, mélancoliques. Ils samplent des vieux disques de jazz ou de soul pour créer une atmosphère cinématographique, une bande-son parfaite pour les chroniques de Nas. Cette production, riche et texturée, est la deuxième raison pour laquelle l'album ne vieillit pas. Il a un son organique, chaud, qui transcende les époques. Alors, pourquoi un 4 sur 5 ? Pourquoi pas la note parfaite pour un album que je viens de décrire comme un chef-d'oeuvre ? Illmatic est un album que je respecte infiniment. Que j'admire, c'est une merveille d'intelligence et de technique. C'est un disque qui parle à ma tête mais pas à mon coeur. C'est un disque d'une telle perfection formelle qu'il en devient parfois un peu distant, un peu froid. C'est un tableau de maître qu'on contemple avec admiration, mais qui ne vous saute pas à la gorge. Pour moi, un 5/5, c'est un disque qui, au-delà de sa perfection, provoque une réaction physique, un choc émotionnel brut. C'est la mélancolie suicidaire de Joy Division, l'arrogance des Stone Roses. "Illmatic" est d'une autre nature, c'est une oeuvre plus cérébrale, plus contenue dans son expression. Sa violence est dans les mots, pas dans le son. Sa tristesse est dans le constat, pas dans les larmes. C'est pour cette raison, cette toute petite distance émotionnelle, que je lui accorde un "gros" 4 sur 5. Un 4 qui vaut le 5 de 99% des autres disques de rap. C'est un album mature, essentiel, un classique absolu du hip-hop que tout amateur de musique se doit d'avoir écouté. C'est une leçon d'écriture et de production. Un monument. Mais pour moi, il lui manque cette petite étincelle de folie qui transforme un chef-d'oeuvre en une obsession.
Memory Lane was good. I appreciate this one, I can understand it, its draws a picture well of a story and feelings on a world/life (I don't understand) and it is not solely focused on ho's and how great he is. I am not a big rap fan, but I can appreciate there is something really impressive behind this album.
I really liked this. Great lyrics, great raps, great beats. I was groovin.
the stuff that i write is even tougher than dykes!!!!!!! the beats go harddddd, catchy and satisfying with a great variety of sound/melody, not too repetitive or samey. i liked this a lot. and obviously i loved all the NYC references. the outro of “the world is yours” made me kinda tear up ngl… fav tracks: NY state of mind; halftime
I was reminded of a conversation I had with my professor in college who was an old white gay man that said he didn’t like rap (classic), and when all the students of course were trying to clock him on his old white guy bias and ask him why he didn’t like it, he said the music that resonated with him was more oriented towards lyric melody than lyric rhythm. While that is, to this day, the closest thing I’ve heard to a valid justification for anti-rap bias, it did actually help me articulate what it is that draws me in about a lot of rap, particularly the era of *Illmatic* (and a lot of east coast hip hop). I don’t really have the language to describe what is so satisfying about the delivery on this album, other than he is obviously extremely skilled at rapping over a beat *on beat* (a low bar I realize, but a feat that many rappers nowadays cannot achieve), and his flow and the songs’ hooks are insanely catchy. I also am a sucker for any album about New York (he’s from Crown Heights 😎), especially with such vivid storytelling (even if some of the language has not aged well). It’s a time capsule without sounding corny and dated; even the songs that didn’t pop out to me as favorites are all still interesting and feel part of a cohesive body of work with no lulls. Fav tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, The World Is Yours, One Love (feat. Q-Tip), Represent
Not really my style at the moment, but with that in mind, I liked it.
A classic
Gear: Moondrop Variations Artwork: 👶🏿🍼🌆 Production: 😑🙂👌 Music: 🎤📜🌆💔💡🔊💲 Rating: 🌆🌆🌆🌆(🌆)/5
Best wel nice 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10 This album inspired so many rappers that its hard to analyze it on its own. The beats are chill, which I find hilarious given the lyrical content (Nas grew up in a violent environment). Pretty stellar album that I'll need to revisit. Fav Song: Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park) Least Fav Song: Halftime
Not my thing, but the beats are great and Nas' flow is great. By the time this album was released, I was no longer a hip hop head and I was pretty detached from popular music. I mention that to make clear that I have no sense of how this album fits in the progression of hip hop. Regardless, the groove is deep enough throughout this album that it kept my head bobbing through the whole listen. I'll go 4 stars on it.
Rap
love this one, it doesnt resonate with me though, but I can clearly see the master piece it is
Man. I know I say this every time but rap isn't my genre. Even I can't deny that this is great. The rhymes and flow is better than about any I've heard. It doesn't really feel like the grittier bits are glamorizing - it feels more like he's reflecting the environment he knows. NY State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, and The World is Yours, Halftime are standouts.
DJ premier!! Undeniably talented lyricist and had a big cultural impact on east coast rap scene. One of the best debut albums…
Well, this is a long time coming. Of the "greatest rappers" out there, I hadn't listened to Nas until now. I've heard of him before as an East Coast rapper, and the reputation of his debut album Illmatic eclipses the rest of his discography. I just never sought it out until this journey, and after listening I can see the hype. What Nas accomplished early on with his lyrical flow and storytelling on this record established the standard to which we hold rappers today. He employed a lot of intricate wordplay and rhyming schemes that utilized some vivid imagery to paint his upbringing in the streets of New York, where drugs and violence were rampant at the time, as well as his understanding of hip hop's history to push the narrative forward. I can point to lines from the get-go "Musician, inflictin' composition of pain/I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine/Holdin' an M16, see, with the pen I'm extreme" ("N.Y. State of Mind") or "King poetic, too much flavor, I'm major/Atlanta ain't Brave-r, I pull a number like a pager/‘Cause I'mma ace when I face the bass/40-side is the place that is givin' me grace" ("Halftime") and recognize the degree to which Nas articulates in a manner that I can follow along as if we're in a conversation while still trying to up his own game. The various people involved in the production, such as Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Q-Tip, helped accentuate Nas's lyrics. They each brought an eclectic mix of samples and thumping beats to keep pace and bring out the vibes with elements from jazz, funk, and soul. Some personal highlights include the Hammond organ prominent throughout "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)", the swirling mix of horns on "It Ain't Hard to Tell", and the eerie electric piano sample for "Represent". That said, as much as I recognize this is a landmark album in hip-hop music, I still found the album dated in some of the language Nas used. There are lines such as "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me" ("The World is Yours") and "Versatile, my style switches like a f-----" ("Halftime") which were probably notable for the time but haven't aged well as the years went on. Especially where I can see how Illmatic influenced later albums that I've already listened to on this journey such as Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city, and Common's Be which have a more refined sense of wordplay and more polished production. I respect Illmatic for what it brought to the rap game. This is one of those albums that walked for others to run, while still being enjoyable. As such, I can recommend it to those curious about what came before.
Nasty Nas k-ills it with this debut album. This is hip-hop boiled down to its essence but with added complexity. The beats are raw and the lyrical content is smart. Nas' flow twists through rhyming schemes that come together flawlessly. This album cracked the code and the balance is almost unrivaled. Nas is one of the top wordsmith masters of all-time and on this album It Ain't Hard to Tell...3.75.
I don’t know a lot about Nas but know a lot point to this album as a major inspiration or at least an important album of the genre. Liked this a lot, pretty simple overall which really allows Nas’ talents to take center stage.
A classic but not an all time favorite of mine. Rounding up based on influence alone. 3.5/5
Smooth
Classic hip hop album and you can tell. Feel like I’m selling drugs in New York in the 90s while listening to this. Very solid throughout, not much to complain about. Can’t give it a 5 because it didn’t age as well as other albums from around the same time
Without a doubt Nas is lyrically excellent. Illmatic is like a window into the Ghetto, for a white brit the whole topic is another world to me, but Nas is a storyteller. It's good, production is great. Beats all meld into 1 on this album though, sounds like 40 mins of the same track imo. Heavy topics, well worded, I think he might have smoked an L at some point. Don't think he mentioned that. Was going to go middle of road but listening to those samples perfectly repurposed is something magic, also It Ain't Hard to Tell is a great track. Love the flow.
Used to be five stars, but still amazing. I especially love Halftime and Sittin in da Park with that awesome organ sample.
This is my era of rap, beats, flows, life stories, and all smooth. A classic
Nas is one of the greatest rappers of all time and represents NY rap better than almost anyone. I really like this album, but its lyrics have aged poorly and have a lot of misogyny, homophobia, and racist tones. I suppose that's part of Nas's life experiences through 1994, but it still needs to be included that despite the excellence in flows and beats, the content of the lyrics doesn't fit in with the social conscious of today's world
Strong mid nineties hip hop album
Lives up to the hype, though I will need to relisten and dive deeper to fully appreciate.
Life’s a Bitch was a vibe.
One of the few albums have that come up that feature regularly in my normal listening history. Not enough belters to justify five stars but not far off.
good beats n stuff
Sooo good. A blast from the past.
Incredible album. But not every song.
pretty good, didnt expect rap from this time to be this enjoyable. good as background music
Solid album, only heard 1 f slur. Which, for a 90s hip hop album, is pretty impressive
East coast rap goes hard. Great, driving, pounding beats.
Defining hip-hop album & personal favourite. Kinda tough to come out with such a good debut album, not sure Nas ever topped this
Good hiphop
It Ain’t Hard to Tell when you have found a great album.
One of the greatest flowing albums ever made. You will find it hard to locate another album that conglomerates hip hop this well. Forty minutes of constant flow, yet still distinctly separate and varied between tracks. Pickup after pickup comes nigh-on to overwhelming the listener, but Nas’ frenetic yet controlled approach keeps the album on the edge, but never over it. A pure masterclass.
++: N.Y. State of Mind, The World Is Yours, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Time 4 Your Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell +: The Genesis, Life's a Bitch, One Love, Represent 9,1/10
Peak cruising down the main street with the window open on a sunny day music
Knowing next to nothing about Nas (other than that he has been around as a rapper in the industry for several years) I went into this album completely blind, and was pleasantly surprised at the grittiness and raw emotion. Really made me feel like I was an up and coming kid in NYC during the 90s, when the city was undergoing such rapid change (for better or worse, depending on your perspective/upbringing). Hesitant to give a 5/5 since some of the tracks didn't stand out much, but overall it was a great ride.
Heard of it, never heard it. Damned if this isn't some heavy shit -- and well-written shit at that! Nas walked so Kendrick could run, I think. Well worth a listen.
The lyric writing is insane in this album.
Feel like zenci
I can't give this full points because it uses misogynistic language here and there, as well as a single instance of a homophobic slur (although he censors himself in modern performances of that song). Putting that aside, there's no doubt this is a pinnacle of hip hop. The production is classic and tight, and the stories of his life in New York are expertly expressed and vibrant throughout.
Smooth hiphop, enjoyable
Always heard of Nas but hadn't listened to much of his music. His hip hop is really smooth and I recognized some of the rhythms were sampled for other songs.
Solid. New to me. Heard the name but not the music. Glad to fill this cultural gap. Not my favorite but well above average. And holds together as individual tracks and as a cohesive album. 4
I had never heard of Nas before so I wasn't expecting much from this. Wow what a surprise. Lyrics and flow are great. He's an amazing rapper. I do find that musically this lacks a little, with small samples overused, which I find a tad annoying. Still an enjoyable album though.
love the avant garde samples of the city, a true NYC classic.
Not my cup of tea when it comes to rap. Still a pretty dope album though. Songs stream naturally from one song to the next. Great samples; the baselines sampled are absolutely nutty. To figure out a tone and cadence that fits the vibe of the samples is insane. Super talented guy, just not my personal choice when it comes to rap. Stand out songs: NY State of mind, Life's a Bitch, The World is Yours, Halftime, Represent.
Great album.
I was pretty into the first half but couldn't get back into it after an intermission.
Great, lean album with no filler.
There’s a few great rap albums out there and this is one of them!
I listened to this album a year or so ago for the first time (I wanted to explore hip hop some more and this seemed like a good place to start). Listening to it again today, it brought along the expected pleasant familiarity. It still feels enjoyable, and doesn’t stick around long enough to start feeling stale. It’s odd though, despite enjoying this a year ago, I never went on to listen to any more Nas. Perhaps I should.
This was really impressive, I liked this a lot. It's one of those albums for me where even when I wasn't like wildly loving a song, I still felt that something important was happening. This might be the most "New York" album that I've gotten on here (though there's a few contenders). Nas was only 20 when this came out, and it's really just an autobiographical piece about his life in the Queensbridge Houses. It's a bit bleak for sure, but not in an overwhelming way that some of the other hard rap albums fall into. He just comes across as an incredibly talented writer and storyteller that ended up in a really tough place. All older rap sounds a bit dated (and this has it's moments), but I'd say it falls into that less so than a lot of the other '80s and '90s albums I've gotten on here. My biggest issue is that this doesn't have a major stand-out track to me ("N.Y. State of Mind" seems to be the most popular, but it's like my third or fourth favorite song on here). "The World Is Yours" is great, and "Life's a Bitch" stands out too, but this one really works more as a whole work to me. Favorite song: The World Is Yours Other: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's a Bitch, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell 8/16/24
I was so excited to listen to this when I saw it on the list bc I’ve always heard what an important album this is in hip hop history!! Loved it!!!
very enjoyable!
i don't think i'd ever listened to Nas before now but he's got good rhymes, beats, and just overall production. I'll definitely revisit these in the future! favorites: NY state of mind, the world is yours, halftime, represent
Nas' debut album is a gem. The production is not over the top and allows Nas to use his lyrics to describe the backdrop of his story. You get transported to the time and place of his choosing and feel the day to day struggles of his experience.
I think I should stop listening to albums outside so often, especially at night, because i get too cold and have a harder time focusing on the album. I’d also imagine having an easier time enjoying an album on a computer or TV First Impressions: fantastic rapping on every song from every artist, and phenomenal, warm, classic beats.
This lived up to my husband’s reaction when I told him this had been generated for me.
Tried listening to this on my way to school in 2018 when a pair of mormon boys sat across me on the bus and started conversing with me. I never ended up finishing the album but whenever I think of it now I think of them. I probably wouldn't have liked the album to this extent if I had finished it back then, so maybe they were secretly doing me a favour
Enjoyable
So so solid. Love the production and flow especially.
I can't add much of substance to what's been written about this album. It can be a tough listen from a sheltered life, but real is real. I appreciate that it can hold up to casual listening on the back of great production and flow, but also has depth and layering in the lyricism that I can't really process without reading along with the lyrics out in front of me.
The thing my friends and I would bring up when listening to and discussing this album was Nas' age. There had been adolescent rappers before; younger than Nas even. Biggie Smalls was roughly the same age when he released his own debut album 'Ready to Die' in 1994. But whereas Biggie shows that he has the capacity for sprawl, for levity, and let's be honest, for filler, Nas does not, at least not as much. Biggie's message can be a little diluted, which is typical of easily-distracted young people, I guess. Nas, on the other hand, goes hard and (mostly) stays hard with a level of discipline that's only forged through life experience, mostly erring on the side of traumatic. The production is absolutely on-point. The opening chords ringing through on "N.Y. State of Mind" sound like a car alarm blaring off in the distance, with a truly menacing piano sauntering through. This song gets analyzed to pieces, and truly, all I have to add is that my favourite line is NOT "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death" but rather, "life is parallel to hell, but I must maintain." Note that Nas isn't exactly saying life IS hell, but runs in the same direction. Will they intersect? What would make that happen? How can he PREVENT that from happening? Does he even want to? I mentioned the relative lack of filler on this album, but "One Love" and "One Time 4 Your Mind" are viewed as the superfluous tracks. However, the groove on the latter song feels so deep, it's like gradually filling a room with smoke from several cigars. My favourite cut off the record has to be "Represent," another DJ Premier beat if I'm not mistake. With a hook like a music-box, we have another song about memory. The echoes you hear sound woozy, as if it's all in a dream or some hazed out recollection that makes you question whether it even happened. A common trauma response. A
Absolute classic. There are no skips on this album imo. Nas delivers on every song. 8.5/10
Classic
I'm ill so I didn't get all the money at through it but I'm intimately familiar with this record. It's a classic from the production to the flow.
Illmatic by Nas is definitely a classic album. Although I’ve reached a point in life where hip hop doesn’t resonate with me as much these days, this still remains a timeless album that is always fun to revisit from time to time. The production of this album is raw and gritty yet high quality, with amazing producers like Pete Rock, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, and a few others. Nas is truly an amazing MC. His lyrics are vivid, and he has a remarkable way of giving a clear visualization of life in NYC, with a smooth and intricate flow.
Great listen, I enjoyed this more than many of the other hip-hop albums I’ve had so far. Super lyrical rapping but the samples and scratches are cool too. Heard of Nas but never listened to any of his music. You can really feel the gritty sounds of NY from the 90s
7/10 One that comes with a big reputation Loved Nas style and flow, impeccable Production good and brought a specific vibe, weren’t particularly intricate though But unlike my favourite rap, it (the tunes/beats especially) didn’t speak to me on a deeper level. it took until the last song for me to really engage with the music Best: It Ain’t Hard To Tell
Fantastic. Great rapper with some good collaborators here. Thirty years later it still sounds good but more n bombs than I like was always my problem with Nas and hip hop of this era generally. Hearing this again reminds how I never made the t-shirt for our hood: illimantic
I feel like I've heard of Nas for a long time, and this album too, but never really had a sense for what the fuss and attention was about, and also never bothered to seek it out. So thank you, 1001-albums project! Overall, I enjoyed listening to it, and particularly liked "Life's a Bitch", "Memory Lane", "One Love", "Represent" and the video for "The world is yours" (not as much the song, though), as well as his impressive lyricism throughout. I particularly appreciate it that the themes of many of the songs are thoughtful and not glamorizing tropes of gangs, drugs, women and violence (but clearly based on a lot of experience among all of that). I do feel like one of the unwashed masses listening to this album, though, knowing (after reading the extremely extensive Wikipedia article about the album) that this was a seminal moment/album in East Coast hip-hop. Kudos to Nas for breaking ground 30 years ago!
För att vara rapp så var den ganska bra. 90-talet, vilken grej! 4/5.
life's a bitch the world is yours memory lane represent it ain't hard to tell
Classic classic
Great beats and a good mood album
This is not in my wheelhouse. Though it is well put together and fun
Could do without the queerphobia but otherwise this shit still goes hard.
Fantastic beats! Certainly foundational to East Coast hip-hop.
Never listened to this until today. Couple songs I recognize. I prefer west coast hip hop.
I enjoyed this album
Pretty good.
I've said this in other hip-hop reviews, but it's generally a genre that I didn't dive into in the 90's. Was much more of an alternative / rock fan than a hip-hop fan. It's been fun to go back and listen and realize how much I missed. I expected this one to be a 5 based on what I've heard about it. But for some reason, it didn't quite resonate with me as much as others. Still excellent, but didn't quite hit a 5 for me. Unfortunately, I don't have enough context for where it fits in the timeline, and maybe that's the difference between my opinion and others. Still, will definitely listen again and put it on my list of great hip hop albums.
Yup, it's rap from the 90's.
An impressive album, beginning to end. Spellbinding flow and a vivid lyricism that evokes a space in time in a way few albums do. Fave Songs: Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), N.Y. State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, The World Is Yours, The Genesis, Halftime
first listen fire production
One of the best.
Listening to this reminded me of an article I read years ago talking about the roles of both technical skill and charisma in rap music. The writer of the article used Nas as an example of a rapper who was technically great, but struggled with charima. I think that's a fair assessment. There's a lot to like about this album, but it's missing that final, unquantifiable something that would push it to 5 stars.
Really solid album with excellent beats and flow, but lost a good amount of my love when I heard the F slur.
Fantastic beats. 'N.Y. State of Mind' is an amazing track. Completely random, but whenever anyone says something is 'ill' my first thoughts are always with the Beastie Boys.
Very lyric/bar-forward. The flows speak for themselves, the musicality that is sprinkled in is beautiful in its simplicity and really underscores that the verse is what’s doing the work.
N.Y. State of Mind Life's a Bitch The World Is Yours Halftime One Love It Ain't Hard to Tell
Aw man I already listened to this lol. But it is good, so I shall revisit!
Only good 90s rap
Always liked Nas but have never listed to the full album, loved it He’s funny
Sure
I loved Nas when I was younger and haven’t really listened to him much in the past few years. This album is great overall, and Represent is a standout for me. I think this is his best album and one of the best rap albums.
East Coast 90s at its finest
I enjoyed it, always have loved Nas' rapping and this didn't disappoint
If you told me this guy invented being cool, I would believe you
One of the most classic hip-hop records of all time, and while it may be a tad overrated, it’s undeniable this thing is a beast
4.0 Im not the biggest Hip Hop head so I wont be the best one to judge this album. I know that it belongs in many a top 5 lists, and I could see that.
Here’s another one from my deep-ish dive into hip hop from like, almost 20 years ago now. I hadn’t thought of this one since then but I remember really liking it. It definitely holds up! Weirdly I think what made an impact on me was more the sampling than the content of the rapping, and I’m glad to say this holds up on both counts.
This was great, except for the typical 90s rap problematic lyrics.
Classic
4.5 Boom Bap, NY Gritty
STANDOUTS: N.Y. State of Mind Life's a Bitch The World is Yours Halftime (kinda homophobic but I was into it) One Time 4 Your Mind OVERALL: 3.5/5; for a genre I don't enjoy and with themes i do NOT relate with, the lyrics were great!
Was very good! Just not the type of music I usually listen to 8/10
He’s the goat, or at least, one of them. Don’t listen on the regular but I always enjoy when we get an album like this. 8.5/10
Really good, a few got a little repetitive though
already listened to it, very good
Awesome friday vibes.
Some classic hip-hop track son here from the mid-90s.
Really like the vibe of the album as a whole, it draws you in to a particular mood. The rhymes are impressively dense in the lyrics too. Not enough bangers to reach 5 stars, but quite an enjoyable listen
This hits hard. The flow is insane, even as a non-native speaker I can hear how well the lyrics are crafted, the background music is really good, with jazzy bits and is less annoying that the "blips" and "wheeez" of his older brothers from NYC.
4 yas
40 minutes of probably some of the best rhyming you will ever hear. The fact has wrote this all before he was even 21 is extraordinary. It breathes, sounds and smells like New York. And paints pictures with clever lyrics and gives you an intense one on one guide through his life at the time. My only criticism is sometimes there’s so much going on in each verse it can all feel rushed and as a result looses some of its impact, also makes the songs feel somewhat blended into one. Still it’s an all time rap classic, arguably the best rap album ever made (or at least that I’ve listened too). Had there been any change of pacing it gets a straight 5 star.
Undeniably a classic hip hop album, although it came out just as was losing interest in hip hop so I only got into it years later . Production and samples are excellent, the vocals really iconic. Wouldn't choose to listen to often these days, but wouldn't complain if it came up on random !
This is what hip hop should sound like. Hard beat, hard rhymes, stories of life on the Streets of New York. Killer.
Solid album from front to back. Wasn’t the greatest but was not bad at all. 7/10
Super talented artist: I liked the way he says a lot in a creative way and the songs are catchy.
Giving me major 90's nostalgia, reminds me of teenage days working at an indoor skatepark.
I am not a huge hip hop fan but this is a brilliant example of the times when hiphop really resonates with me: Politically charged and interesting lyrics, as well as intricate beats with creative use of samples. This is brilliant!
Illmatic is an absolute classic. I was able to give this a really good listen while mowing the lawn today. I am very familiar with this album, but it's one that never really gets old.
ok i screwed up on the profiles but also if i give this a 4 here it perfectly translates into a 7 sooooo
Super fucking chill. Very nearly a 5 for me
Writing a review for an album like this is hard for someone like me. Because, sure, I enjoyed the beats and the samples that made them up, and I really dug the flows. Me tending so naturally towards melody, of course I do. But ILLMATIC is an album that's all about its lyrics; complexly-formed street poetry about inner-city life in Queens, New York. And it's just, unless I force myself to spend a whole day listening to nothing but this album and focusing on the lyrics, I can't grasp them. Sure, I can appreciate how the lines their constructed and all their internal rhymes, but I don't think I've absorbed enough of the actual meanings to really be able to comment on them. And with albums like this, I feel like if I'm not able to comment on the meanings, then why bother? Not that they'd mean much to me personally—me, a Canadian living in 2024. At the very least, do I think the lyrics expressed his stories well? With how well each line is made, it's hard to say they don't. I mean, I'unno. If I can appreciate MF DOOM's technicality without really understanding a lot of what he means, I can like this album, too. Besides, my favorite Nas song is "Hip Hop Is Dead", so how much is my opinion worth, really?
This was pretty good. I don't think I've ever listened to Nas before. Sadly my background in rap is pretty limited so I'm glad to be broadening this aspect with this listening project. I really liked the energy of the album.
4,2
I forgot that I ended up with a copy of this at work back in about '95 and would play it a decent amount. I in turn passed it onto a workmate when I left that job to go travelling. Such a solid album. Under the surface it is so angry with as much rage as any Public Enemy album but it gets delivered with a groove akin to a Tribe Called Quest. The best thing about hearing it after so long is that it has dated. The sounds are still sharp and the lyrics powerful with little cringe worthy bragging and rampant sexism other albums of that era a tied down by - not a prude just hearing that stuff ad nauseum is tired. Anyway glad to have this record back in my life
such a good album - didn't relisten
Love this album
good
Pretty good yeah
One of the all time greats. 2nd favorite rap album of the 90s, behind only Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Grandioser Rap.
Some lyrics didn't age well, but this really got me nostalgic for New York.
First time listener to Naz I think, aware of him largely through his ‘feud’ with Jay Z. Good stuff, will listen to more. Simpsons: No
Damn just saw Nas in concert not long ago. He monkey flipped me with the rhythm
This was an album I had wanted to listen to for some time. Easy to see why this is one of the most influential and beloved rap albums of all time. Nas has some of the best word play and lyricism of any rapper I’ve heard. The instrumentals in the background range from pleasant to emphatic. The album does a great job at putting you in its stories. Only song I thought was okay was Life’s a Bitch, granted I’ve heard it many times sampled elsewhere. The only issues I have with the album are that I can’t relate to it, but man does it put on a groove. What an amazing few closing tracks. Standouts: N.Y. State of Mind, Halftime, One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain’t Hard to Tell.
Thought I'd already reviewed this. Regardless, I think I remember it was pretty decent. Unknown to me before now.
This was great
👍🏻
Hard lyrics over chill beats. 4 stars
Ну я поймал вайбика, но в целом монотонненько так. Хотя исторический прикол понятен. 94 год, что тут сказать.
It's an East Coast thing. Total classic.
Classic east coast style. Reminded me heavily of WUTANG and Tribe. Great lyrical content for the times too.
- Echt cooles Album - NAS und sein Debütalbum Illmatic werden im Hip-Hop immer sehr hochgehalten - ich denke ich verstehe warum und auch inwiefern das Album sicherlich viel verändert hat: Der Flow, die komplizierten Reimschemata, eine stimmliche Variabilität, die sich sehr vom Oldschool und dem immer selben Duktus unterscheidet. - Dazu ehrliche Texte aus seinem Leben - Die Beats sind nicht vollkommen neu, aber super chillig und definitv auch abwechslungsreich. - War doch erstaunt wie viel ich doch von dem Album schonmal gehört hatte, und seien es auch nur kurze Versatzstücke, Hooks oder Samples Rating: 3,75/5
Absolutely fantastic lyricism and the beats were really well put together. This certainly feels like a debut album at it's finest. We see Nas putting the pieces together for a good career and from the moment the album starts we know NYC is as much a character as Nas himself is. I am not a huge listener of rap but out of the small amount I do know this is one of the best.
Nas easily is one of the best lyrically and flo. His beats reflect a lot of what he is rapping about so you won’t really find the club bangers like you would from other artists. This album still slams though.
Good hip hop classic
Good album
Not heard it before. Very good. I need to listen to more.
I enjoyed this. Very 90s era rap. I missed this when it came out since I was busy listening to grunge. Overall, this was a really good album. Great sound!
90’s east coast hip-hop
Story telling
It’s a great album. The blueprint to so much of what came after too. Love the beats, the lyrics, Nas’s voice. Brilliant.
Impressive as hell for 1994 - the birth of modern hip-hop, I guess! For its place in music history it's probably worth a 5, but as I'm scoring these albums on pure subjective enjoyment I'm afraid it's only a 4. Fave tracks - "N.Y. State of Mind" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell" are both baller. "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death" is an absolutely cherry lyric! 😘
I liked it. You can hear the start of a lot today’s rap music here. Exciting for me because although Nas was a little before my time, a lot of the rap I grew up on he was either featured on, referred to, or a part of in some form or fashion. Good album too.
I see now what all the fuss was about
Good Beata and rhymes
Automatic classic. Simply Iconic
crazy atmosphere and beats so perfectly ear-grabbing. Nas never lets the listener drift off and its perfect like that. It's just not a project I'd listen to a ton.
Hyviä biisejä esimerkiksi ny state of mind jota ei edes julkaistu singlenä... En kuitenkaan ole varma joutaako tämä ylistetty albumi vitostasolle.. Matala ku lepinjärvi... shallow..
super happy to finally have gotten a hip hop album! i actually listened to this in full for the first time last month (though i had listened to parts of it before). a bit of a grower for me, i liked it more today than i did then. overall, really great beats and timeless production. Life’s a Bitch is my fave song :)
müsste ich kennen, aber nochmal hören
Wow, I did not think of myself as a Nas fan, but this album is genuinely great. And at least track I have long loved, without even knowing it was Nas.
Good rap, like it
💪 guter alter hip-hop!
Classic but not an album I often come back to
A really great debut album by Nas and one of the best hip-hop albums ever. It has great flow, great rhythms, good samples and shows a very real picture of Queensbridge. It was an enjoyable listen.
Life’s a bitch and then you die. I have a hard time trying to evaluate rap music. On a simple note: I liked the record. I liked that I could make out everything that was being said the entire time. The backing beats were not difficult to comprehend: interesting to listen to, but certainly they didn’t distract from the lyrics. The hooks were simple and catchy, the jockey scratched good, and the bars were real / emphatic / Illmatic.
I'm not normally a big rap fan, but I really like this. The wordplay is pretty sophisticated.
Enjoyed. Decent listen
fun to go on a walk with v flowy
Excellent! One of my favorites.
Fantastic hiphop album with a lot of recognizable tracks. Not what I usually listen to at the moment but a classic for sure!
I get why this is influential. I don't listen to a lot of rap and I still hear echoes of this in the little I've listened to. Powerful stuff.
90s east-coast rap at its best. dope grooves and perfect sampling infused with old-school hip-hop and blues influences.
Classic
I'm not a rap fan, but Nas' flow is for real. Fully agree with the top comment on this site, that this album sounds, feels, and smells like NYC in the '90s. Or so I believe, I've never been. But Nas masterfully paints the picture, enough so that I feel the vibe through my headphones. Vibe is the right word. I know for many, this is a 5-star, but due to my limited exposure to this album, I'm going to be a little more conservative -- but I enjoyed this listen far more than I expected to.
Loved it! Wish I could have listened while not driving because I wanted to read the lyrics. A lot of hiphop and rap songs sound all the same to me (mainly because I don't know what I'm listening to) but Nas did lots of unusual or unexpected thingas n each song that made them distinct from each other.
Almost perfect hip hop album. Consistent sound. Too short. 4/5
Overall a really solid album that put Nas on the map
Just a great album with complex lyrics that paint a vivid picture of life in New York in the 90s. Very repetitive sound which is my only criticism. Would be hard to listen to on repeat.
really good