Illmatic

Was a pleasant enough listen, for someone who had never connected deeply with the genre. Sound excellent beats and flow here and there.

Not my stuff.

Really great 90s rap not ruined by excessive skits or a gigantic runtime. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

great beats, great rapping, great lyrics. relatively short compared to other albums from this time period. 5 if only for ny state of mind

It is interesting and not a bad listen but it just feels a more middling album compared to other albums in the list around the time.

I think this is a perfect album. Every track seems purposeful, with strong perspective to tell the artist's story. Almost if not every track is memorable, catchy, and enjoyable to listen to. It leaves you wanting more and making you think.

Clever rhymes and great use of samples

Great. Can see whhy so well regarded

No mi primera escucha de este álbum, pero cada vez se vuelve mejor. 9.2 de 10

classic

One of the most classic Hip Hop albums of all time

"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".

This is such a savage follow-up to 50 Cent, because here's a rapper from the same city who has perfect delivery, flow, charisma, and production - 3 of which were missing from 50's album imo. 30 years later, Illmatic is still consistently recognized as one of the best rap album of all time. Rappers are still saying their new albums will be the "illest", like shouting "Kobe" knowing you'll never compare but recognize that he's the standard. It's not even worth calling out the flows that blow my mind from this album because I wouldn't even make it past NY State of Mind. One of my favorite parts of this album is that it is not normative or prescriptive; it's descriptive, viscerally describing Nas's experience without glorifying what Nas and his disciples will ultimately critique and unpack in later works labeled as "conscious rap". One bone to pick - anyone who says that Nikki's verse on Monster is the best rap feature of all time is completely misguided. AZ's first verse on Life's a Bitch is just about flawless, coming in on the hard boom-bap with "visualizin the realism of life in actuality" is so hard that it's still frequently sampled in songs today. Maybe one more bone to pick - Listen to some of the top rappers that the 2020s has decided to embrace - Future, Drake, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, even Kendrick's last album - and compare the language they use to the language Nas is using. These artists are using the same language in every song, we've come to expect the same limited vocabulary to describe the celebrated lives of a rich rapper. Here's Nas with 30 years of less rap material to draw from using the most unique flows, drawing from his own life, experience, and vocabulary on his FIRST ALBUM. Why has the rap fanbase decided that they deserve less? OK, I'll quote one verse that's the best and simplest of the album - "Life's a bitch and then you die, that's why we get high cause you never know when you're gonna go" 5/5

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.

You cannot deny that a lot of 90s rap is fantastic and that its rappers were extremely skilled. But equally you cannot deny that a lot of they lyrics did not age well.

1994 A very decent Hip-Hop album. I've heard of the Nas, but this is a first exposure for me. I like it. It feels ahead of its time for 1994 - 31 years old!! Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Solid ★★★☆☆

Amazing album

Skjønner hvorfor denne stadig dukker opp

First time with this. Not bad, good beats.

10/10

Not my thing.

One of the weakest artists that represent the East Coast, if you ask me.

Interesting

really liked that album

Another that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. But that bar was admittedly pretty low.

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.

5 Mic jamz.

Beats are too repetitive and the flow is too monophonic for my liking, but the fact that Nas is one of the greatest of all time remains

durísimo, banger tras banger

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

This is a straight five star classic. I love this album, but I have to admit it got somewhat lost in the shuffle of the incredible albums that dropped in 1994. That includes some iconic albums from Soundgarden, Portishead, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Jeff Buckley, Weezer, Green Day, Pearl jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Blur, Beck, REM, Johnny Cash, the list goes on and on ...

Never really vibed with Nas for some reason. This was pretty enjoyable, but didn’t sway that feeling or anything. Some of the lyrics really did not age well.

Nas has never been one of my favourite rappers. It's ok but to me it doesn't really click.

Easiest 5 stars of this project

Well-produced but the loops, while good, are repetitive. 3.25

good album, i may come back to this

It doesn't get much better than this for classic east coast rap.

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.

They don't make them like this anymore

Usually hate rap but actually found this bearable which is why it's a 2

Already a top album of mine. 5/5 no notes. Just a great listen from top to bottom and so much music history that comes with it. It’s got lyrical depth but also such an easy listen.

Masterpiece! Favourite track is NY Stare of Mind 5/5

Really good holy moly

damn fine

Well I'll be damned.

Much better than public enemy

Okayish

Perfect length for an album. No notes.

“I sip the dom P watching Gandhi till I’m charged, writin in my book of rhymes all the words past the margin” 88/100 Favorite: It Ain’t Hard to Tell

nice chill hip hop 3.5/5

the world is yours is such a banger good album all around

One of the better rap albums I’ve heard.

20 years old Nasir Jones came out and made one of the absolute pillars of hip-hop. He’s hungry, he’s wild, he’s sharp. every single bar feels like it’s coming from someone who knows he’s destined to be legendary. The production across the album It’s literally the definition of hip-hop. Dusty, gritty, soulful, hard-hitting, it’s the sound that shaped the entire genre. The rapping is on another level. Nas flows like he’s been doing this for decades, painting pictures of Queensbridge perfectly. It’s Illmatic... you already know. This isn’t just an album, it’s the hip-hop album. It’s anthemic, it’s wild, it’s gangster, it’s everything. From start to finish, it’s pure raw greatness, the kind of record that set the standard forever.

good, liked it but nothing really stood out to much to me

i appreciate that this list switches genres between albums. i liked this one but idk if ill relisten idk

I used to watch CHIPS now I load Glock clips. That bar alone is enough to give this record 5*

not really what I like listening to.

Really good. Not my usual thing at all. Great beats and musically very different to what I think of as rap. Bit repetitive maybe which is why I didnt give it 4 stars.

Shite

One of the best albums ever, all classics

It's been a while since I last listened to this album. Nas's flow and storytelling is basically unmatched and the feel of album really captures his feelings and where he grew up in NYC. This has to be one of the best hip hop albums of all time.

I really tried. Really. But I think i'm just not a fan of Nas' flow. I recognize the talent. And the production is super clean. That's why it's a classic. But not for me. 6,5/10 fav songs : NY State of Mind & The World is Yours

I just could not get into this.

It was a strange experience listening to this while I picked blueberries, fertilized tomatoes and gardened over the beautiful weekend. The songs about urban ills, violence, and social capital aren't exactly the right soundtrack for that activity. As rap it was fine, but I did like the artists the came on the autoplay afterwards more.

Yes, there's polysyllabic lyrical complexity, but generally this doesn't fall into my limited enjoyment of rap/hip-hop.

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

one of the BEST BOOM-BAP ALBUMS, soooo good

♫ Listening to "Halftime" by Nas (Illmatic, 1992) ♫

A spectacular collage

Not interested.

Eh, nothing special. Pretty same-same, nothing to set it apart from the rest of the rappers of this time in sound or lyrics. 2/5 stars.

Excellent - no notes. This makes you feel NYC.

Illmatic is a undeniable classic with records like "The World Is Yours" or "NY State Of Mind" this project shaped the trajectory hip-hop was headed and is and will forever be one of the most influencal hip-hop albums of all time. The lyricsm is outstanding, one of the best out of 80's gangsta rap absolutely unbelivable Nas wrote it when he was just 19.

I finally saw the light🙏🏿

Rap

Represent was the only song I added to the playlist. Other good songs were "LAB" and "One Love"

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".

I know this is one of those albums people treat like sacred text, but honestly, it just didn’t land for me. I get that the production is supposed to be classic, and sure, there’s some solid beat work going on here, but it all started to blur together for me pretty fast. It’s very of-its-time, and maybe if I’d heard it back in the 90s I’d feel differently, but as a first-time listener now, it just felt more like a historical document than something that actually moved me. The flow is technically strong, but I struggled to stay invested. Lyrically, I could see what he was going for — snapshots of street life, coming-of-age realism — but I found a lot of it hard to connect with. Some of the bars are clever, but there’s also a fair bit of posturing, and I didn’t really feel like I got to know the person behind the words. It was all scene-setting, no real heart. N.Y. State of Mind was probably the standout for me, and Life’s a Bitch had its moments too, but the rest just left me a bit cold. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t care, and that’s maybe worse. I think the main thing is that I came into this expecting something mind-blowing and instead found something that felt like background music with an occasional pulse. I can respect its place in music history, but for me, Illmatic is more admired than enjoyed. It’s not bad, it’s just not one I’m ever going to reach for again.

When I was getting into music, the popular wisdom was that this was *the* all-time best hip hop album. It's really hard to argue with that! Most of the time hip hop hooks don't really work for me, which leaves me thinking "these beats are kinda fun" and then having nothing else to do on, which means I tend to respect the genre more than I enjoy it. But this whole album works for me! Like yeah, maybe it is the greatest album of all time? I'm not quite there yet, but it's certainly up there.

Sick album. What can I say.

Another boring ass hip hop album

Started off chill and like I was really going to love this album (this wasn't my jam when I was listening to music back when this actually came out in 1994). But then it just sort stayed chill and got repetitive for me. Not my favorite.

Not my thing and rather bland. Everything sounded basically the same.

87% Best: N.Y. State of Mind; Halftime; One Love; One Time 4 Your Mind; It Ain't Hard to Tell Must-Hear? Sure

This didn't do much for me. It wasn't bad, just not inspiring or even terribly interesting, I suppose.

One of the defining albums of 90s rap, as someone who really likes rap, this is a must-hear for sure, it's full of emblematic songs and it has that jazzy feeling to it too that I personally love. Goddamn I didn't remember represent being this good

Didn't want to like this album. It was a little bit of a surprise that had its moments. Not much light and shade and its a repetitive sound. Some good hooks and interesting lyrics throughout.

Not my usual listening fare, but surprisingly engaging Top track: Halftime

Not bad production, but the lyrical content becomes tiresome

"life is a bitch and then we die, which is why we get high". This just writes itself!!

What can be said about this album that hasn’t already been said? The production is fantastic, the content is amazing, and the fact that he was only like 20 when this dropped is a testament to Nas being the GOAT. Man, that first beat on New York State of Mind is just chef’s kiss

Another 5 from me. Gamechanger of an album

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

40 minutes of my life I won't get back. I just don't get this style of rap.

That's some solid flow. Somehow missed Nas at the time, even though I was quite into hip hop

Finally upgrading to 5 stars after starting at 3. I have to tip my hat to Amelia for the influence here. Rap isn’t the genre I naturally gravitate to, but Illmatic has a way of growing on you. It’s one of the only albums from this exercise for which I keep craving more listens. I didn’t feel this way at the start, but it started to click as I biked through Chinatown one night with It Ain't Hard to Tell playing. The album's production is great -- the trumpets and record scratch effects feel just right for that classic East Coast rap sound -- and Nas has a silky lyricism that reminds me of The Roots' Black Thought. My original review said that getting a 3. from me for a rap album was an accomplishment… and now we’re at a 5. Illmatic is one of the stone cold classics across any genre, but now it’s my favorite rap album too.

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!

Yaaass, an immediate 5 for me. A nice contrast to what we’ve been listening to (much of which has been less my vibe). Good nostalgia and just a great album, a real masterclass

Enjoyed this! Nice break from the usual 70s/80s rock. Nas is really talented and one of the greats. I’m sure I would have loved if I discovered at a younger age, feels hard to get into now though.

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

Incredible album, not a single skit.

LOVED this when it came out, fanastic start to finish - I still listen to this record!! Represent represent! So good.

I get that this is an expression of someone’s lived inner city experience. Consequently I do not relate to this “music”. I have a hard time calling it music when there are no musicians of any tangible instruments. I find this grotesque and dark dominated by youthful arrogance.

Authentic East Coast rap...I can get behind this album. It's not flashy or overly polished. Real lyrics. Life experience.

If sleep is the cousin of death this album is a boxing match. Bobbing and weaving. Hits land and truths be told. Words come in a barrage and leave a bewildering mark. You never know when you gonna go so why not just sit back and get lost in the flow.

I listened to this three times in a row and my favorite tracks were Life’s a Bitch and Memory Lane. Very solid 4.

Liked this better than I thought I would and more than most rap albums. The music was generally decent, although there was some repetitiveness across some of the songs. Generally intriguing lyrics.

It probably took me a dozen listens to “get” this when I bought it in college, and then it became an obsession. Now it’s probably a top 10 album for me, and in my (hardly unique) opinion the greatest rap album of all time.

I didn't mind this at all. Though pretty much all the lyrics went over my head...

I know it's an absolute classic, I'm just not a fan of the beat Mas uses on most songs. I know it's by design. It makes for a retro fun experience once in a while, do I like it? No.

Surprised I had never heard this. Overall pretty good.

Déjà écouté cette année mais dcp je sais a quel banger m'attendre

I can see why it was so influential and good, and I liked it, but it's not my jam. Like, it's good, but I wouldn't re-listen, necessarily.

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

Greatness. A window into nyc in the 90s. Even more special if you keep in mind that he was 19 when he started working on this album.

Illmatic is the quintessential East Coast rap. It really takes you to the streets of New York, and shows you through lyrical, eloquent, and intelligent rhymes and story telling. ECR is my weak spot when it comes to rap, it was what convinced me that rap and hip hop are actually very talentfilled genres. Nas is legit one of the best rappers of all time, and he shows that rap doesn't always have to be fast, aggressive, and vulgar to be raw, powerful, and impactful. You can have fun, be a badass, AND show up people who doubt you based on where you're from and who you are. His passion for his craft and his music is palpable in Illmatic, and for that it will always be one of my favourite hip hop albums.

Not an album that is aimed at me, or that I am well equipped to judge.

I loved this. N.Y. State Of Mind is on my running playlist so I was already familiar with it. At some point a few years ago I started seeing rap and hip hop as spoken word poetry, and ECR seems to have a lot of people pouring their souls out on the page, describing their lives and the hardships of people around them. "Life's A Bitch" is full of this. "I woke up early on my born day, I'm 20, it's a blessin'" is quite literally "you're lucky if you live this long as a black man in New York". The style and the genre of the music may not be for everyone, but the messages in the lyrics are really moving.

I'm a huge fan of rap but I somehow have never gotten around to giving this album a go for whatever reason, which is a shame because I can totally see why it's such a beloved and influental album, it's just nothing but bangers front to back. I swear this is gonna be my listening obsession for the next week.

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.

Another "good music for someone other than me" three-star review.

Whoo-boy. Seeing yet another 90s hip-hop entry on this list doesn't inspire much hope. But honestly, after a front-to-back listen, it's pretty good. At least, musically. Nas's vocal is solid for rapping, and his rhythm is pretty dang immaculate. But the highlights have to go to the backing instrumentals. They're mixed quite far down on most tracks, but they really enhance an otherwise boring hip-hop record. The sampled synths in It Ain't Hard to Tell, the jazzy piano chords in The World Is Yours, the muted trumpet in Life's a Bitch... Some of them are so great that I found myself deliberately tuning out Nas's rapping to make room for the good stuff. (This is a common theme in the genre. Seriously – singing instead of rapping would easily push this album to 4 stars or higher. That's how much of a quality difference there is between vocal and backing.) But Illmatic isn't without its blemishes. Listening to Halftime, I was on the fence as to whether I enjoyed it. Then it dropped the R-slur and I decided that, not only did I not enjoy it, but it's a near objectively bad track. Avoiding use of an offensive slur isn't that difficult – just don't use it. Nas didn't get the memo. Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) has a similar issue: I found myself vaguely grooving, until Nas pulled an F-slur out of his crack. I'm all for reclaiming offensive words, but Nas isn't gay (I checked) so that argument doesn't apply. Nope – he's being deliberately crude and offensive, for the sake of... getting a reaction, I guess? Regardless, we shouldn't reward Nas by pretending to enjoy nonsense like this. Then there's The Genesis, which acts as an "interlude" to start the album. I'm grateful for Nas generally avoiding the use of interludes here, but then he drops this number on us. It's musically barren. A group of guys shouting empty lyrics over a beat. Considering it's unlikely he plays this track live regularly, what's the point of slapping it at the start of an album as if it accomplishes something? Thankfully, the album gets a little better from there. 3/5 Key tracks: Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours

Top 3 all time

Klassiker

Hahah, fattar äntligen vad Nathalie såg med honom där i högstadiet. Vilken jäkla platta.

I understand the importance but it just isn't an album I'll revisit very often.

Oh the instrumentals alone makes this top tier

Let’s go

Top 5 Rap album. Fantastic.

Look, 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 is a landmark. Everyone from music nerds to college professors seems to agree it’s the gold standard of ’90s hip-hop. And sure enough, the beats are crisp, the rhymes are tight, and Nas delivers vivid street poetry like a 20-year-old with an old soul and a very sharp pen. Still, for someone who’s not deep into rap, it sometimes feels like reading a brilliant novel in a language you only half speak. I admire the craft, I get the cultural weight, but I’m not quite emotionally pulled in. Important? Absolutely. Essential? For hip-hop, yes. For me? Let’s say I’m glad I heard it — but I won’t be quoting it at dinner parties.

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.

Not my thing

The world is yours !

First time I'd ever listened to this and really liked it.

1001 albums really suggests a lot of rap for me to listen to, but I don't think anything I have ranked so far in the genre even comes close to what Nas Achieved with Illmatic. I am absolutely awful at rating rap/hip-hop albums just because it is a genre that I have never really been too interested in (so this review is likely to be completely dogshit) but when it is done well I absolutely love it. I've always been aware who Nas was but I can say with 100% confidence that I have never heard one of his songs before but Nas' songwriting is completely unforgettable and is so revolutionary in the scene. The album openly explores Nas' own personal experience growing up in Queensbridge and aims to provide a raw and authentic portrayal of life there with a specific focus on the challenges that younger people faced while growing up in a harsh environment. It is a highly personal album to Nas, but we have seen so many other rappers explore similar themes, so what exactly does make him different? Well, that's exactly what makes him so revolutionary within the scene. It is easy to forget how old this album is just because it is so timeless, and so many of the themes that he explores throughout the album are relevant today. Even the style and the flow of his storytelling is so catchy and memorable, it is clear to see why so many other artists took inspiration from this. For me personally, I can see the clear links between Nas and artists such as Eminem (literally the only rapper I listened to growing up) in terms of the vulnerability that is presented in the music. So sure, there are so many other artists who accomplish a similar tone in their music, but who was the first to do it in 1994? There is no denying how impactful this album has been on shaping the genre that it is today, and we can only contribute that to rappers such as Nas, who were willing to lead that development.

jo jo niga pul da čriga itd.

10/10 Rap perfection. Remarkably, Nas was able to create this at the tender age of 16. Internal and external rhymes are everywhere, making this so impressive, while also telling some of the most engaging stories of Nas's life in New York in the 90s. Favorite Tracks: *Life's A Bitch*, *The World Is Yours*, *N.Y. State of Mind*

It was alright not the best

my first that I've listened to before! an absolute, absolute classic rap album with absolutely incredible flow, lyrics, and production, definitely one of the best rap albums oat.

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 only one of the best hip hop albums of all time, one of the best albums ever made. 10 tracks, zero filler needed. Fully formed. Incredible. If Nas never made another album again after this he’d still be top 3 GOATs. He was 20 years old when this album released.

Not my favorite genre but this is definitely a masterpiece

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As someone not really into hiphop/rap, and without a lot of experience with 90s rap specifically, I liked this album a lot more than I expected. It had very relaxing vibes, like it would fit lounging in the sun in the summer quite well. Some of the beats were a bit annoying to me, but the production was interesting and dynamic. I even walked away with two songs I genuinely like and will re-listen to!

Not my usual genre, but enjoyed it. Was great to work/ code to.

One of the best rap albums of all time. The storytelling is on another level, and the flows and beats are all amazing. I own this and have listened to it countless times. 100/10.

Not as stunning as people say, good old school rap

Another album I can safely claim as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. I had the pleasure of watching him perform this front to back at Coachella forever ago. He’s one of the best story tellers, so many iconic lyrics on this record. “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.”

Easily the greatest hip hop record of all time. Nasty Nas forever.

Awesome

Classic. So so good.

It’s not my type of music so I listened very little.

4.0 - Very Good

I listened to enough to know that while the lyrics may contain a message, if I can't get past the delivery style, I won't hear the message. I can't get past the delivery style. This album does nothing for me.

excellent wordsmith with seemingly effortless flow. this is how it’s done kids.

yu ck

I haven’t been a fan of east coast hip hop so far but this was a much better album than other east coast I’ve heard. Added quite a few of these tracks to my lists.

Illmatic has its reputation for a reason. Honestly, the reason this is so good boils down pretty simply, this is 40 minutes of engaging, detailed storytelling over unbelievably consistent beats. I'd even say Illmatic as a whole is about as consistent an experience as they get, there's really no space for me to complain. There aren't any lazy verses, or so-so interludes, or annoying features, or throwaway cuts. Illmatic is lean, and it reflects the care and attention to detail put into it. If Illmatic sounds like it took 4 years to write, that's because it did. Nas would make other good albums, but never again anything like this. This is a one of a kind piece of perfect rap music, from front to back.

This wasn’t bad… more old school than I remember.

So I knew this would be good. I just hadn't listened to it all the way through until today and honestly, its greatness is something that I've had to sit with and examine. I've had to think about how significant this record is and what it's done not just for me but for hip hop. And what I've discovered is that it deserves all the praise it gets. It is without a doubt a masterpiece of its time and I have no other choice but to accept it. 9/10 (5 on this scale)

Album goes hard. Great rap album I was thinking about listening to NAS this week anyway

Classic. Why do debut rap albums hit so hard?

This album was fine. I'm not really a fan of like groove rap for an entire album. Slow and vibes. It wasn't bad, and I didn't HATE it, but this isn't a rap album I'd reach for regularly. "N.Y. State of Mind" was solid tho and "The World Is Yours" put me back in my childhood room playing NBA 2K13 (I thought it was on Madden too, but after a quick Google search I guess I was wrong lol). Maybe a 2.25 Liked Songs: "N.Y. State of Mind" , "The World Is Yours" , "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" , "Represent"

I liked some of the samples, good lyrics for at least some of the songs. Overall this wasn't bad, but I didn't love it. 2.5

Another album in the hip-hopathon that has been suddenly inflicted upon me. Unlike the other albums I've listened to, I've actually heard this one before. I don't remember why. I'm pretty sure I had a sudden impulse to give hip-hop a fair shake back in 2023, which wasn't a success as I did not like this album. My opinion of this album has improved now that I have more music-listening experience under my belt. Nas is a pretty good vocalist. His voice is attention-grabbing and lends itself nicely to this tempo and style of singing. I couldn't listen to the lyrics as closely as I would have liked to, but what I was able to pick up was pretty good. Some good rhymes and choices of words, particularly on "Life's a Bitch" and "One Love". Musically, the album is a bit of a mixed bag. The instrumental on "The World Is Yours" is a particular highlight, even if it errs on the side of being too long-winded. "One Love" does a good job of holding my attention despite having a very minimal instrumental. Other instrumentals leave a lot to be desired, like "Memory Lane" and "One Time 4 Your Mind", which are very dated and weak in the percussion department. The first half of this album was pretty competent and distinct, though the second half really falters with a blur of songs that sound similar to one another. This ultimately killed my enthusiasm for the album, even if I can admit that the music itself is competent. I know this album is massively popular and a classic, so I'm not gonna quibble over whether it deserves to be in the book. Regardless, I am curious. "Proof that hardcore hip hop can move minds as well as feet". About Nas' experience growing up in the New York projects. He was 20 years old when this album released. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a book comprised of 1001 entries, but the write-ups for these albums never explain the history or impact of these albums, which I think is the biggest decider in whether an album is worthy of pre-mortem listening. Regardless, it's very impressive that Nas was 20 when this album released.

Dont play with me

Woah, another treasure that I missed. The rap is crisp and clever, the beats and music are inventive and interesting, a real masterpiece that I never heard until now.

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.

Generic gangsta rap to my ears.

Unpleasant and repetitive.

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

the first album we've gotten that i am super familiar with beforehand. my first interaction with illmatic was hearing ny state of mind on the radio in saints row 2 lol. my brain was not even activated in any regard at that point in my life but something deep in my soul gravitated toward the song. i remember seeking it out when i would get in a car and driving further than i needed to just to keep listening. as a lil suburban whitey i had a very superficial understanding of anything related to hip hop. i liked popular songs i came across and edgy odd future type stuff, but no real knowledge of anything beyond that. i disturbingly have to give thanks to whoever on the volition dev team got ny state of mind on the soundtrack because i actually think it sparked my interest in rap. at some point i sought out illmatic and other classic hip hop records and came to really love the genre and all that it could be. this is just such an important album and really represents what i love about hip hop in general. it embodies 90s ny. there's definitely some stuff that hasn't aged well but it's also just so real and representative of the time. plus all the songs are good! don't feel like i can really get at the point in this mid work distracted ramble but i will always have a place in my heart for this album and how it lead me to expanding my interests in all different types of art.

Really holds together well as an album. Not perfect. A bit too much of its time. Not every song is compelling.

Pas mon genre mais ça s’écoute bien

3/5

i already listened to it before

Not usually what I listen to but the rhythm and wordplay were really cool, I particularly loved N.Y. State of Mind.

I guess it sounds quite modern for its time, with slick rapping. But i found the beats monotonous so musically it could not inspire me. 3 stars

Complete

Great album. Am writing this at the same time as Knicks vs. Pacers 2025 #BeatTheKnicks

Rap is not my style

It ain’t hard to tell that this is a contender for the best rap LP of all time, maybe Wu-tang pip it to the post An excellent debut that really does represent a NY State of mind Representin’ y’all it’s illmatic 1 rapper, 1 guest spo (the criminally underrated AZ), 5 dope producers (Large Professor, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Q-tip and L.E.S.) 9 incredible songs and an intro. An album I’ve owned on CD, cassette, LP, MP3 and I even have the documentary DVD. Nice to take a trip down memory lane. One love

This album sounds hyperfocused. Love his flow and jazz piano loops. It creates a perfect “Those who crouch the lowest, jump the highest.” vibe. Love the quiet ambition. Definitely a five.

It lives up to the hype. The lyrics are powerful and Nas is on his flow the whole time. Dude can spit. I didn’t realize this was from 94. I thought maybe 98 at the earliest. Wild he was rapping like this while other people were still on that “I hip, I hop, when I have a dollar I go to the shop” type shit. I have always seen this touted as one of the best/most influential albums and I mean yeah. His flow and style was years ahead of the game. Years ahead of Jay-Z (I still have to listen to the Blueprint, likely will tomorrow now). Biggie and Pac were contemporary and are their own animals, and OutKast started cooking around this time too but you can really see a shift in the game I think after this album. It almost feels like the standard flow that even if you had nothing interesting to say you could still spit and make it sound appealing. Nas had the flow and something worth saying. Idk if you guys have ever read Dune but when I did it felt derivative as fuck. Turns out it’s just so influential that decades of media owe a tribute to it. It feels suspiciously familiar but that should be seen as a compliment and not an accusation.

This album rocks, through and through. It’s silky smooth, the rhymes are incredible, and each track seems to build on each other Easy 5

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.

My lack of knowledge of 90s rap has been well documented so I’ve really never sat down and listened to Nas before. Huge mistake. I absolutely love his flow. He’s got a great sound. There’s not a lot of extra fluff or frills here which I love and a perfect length of only 39 minutes. Definitely going to give this a listen again.

Amazing. The greatest rap album of all time. Arguments can be made for other albums, but no argument needs to be made for Illmatic.

An absolute masterpiece. When J. Cole said that “Nas wrote the [rap] bible,” he wasn’t joking. Definitely won’t be the last time I listen to it, and will probably hear samples from this album for the foreseeable future.

This is an album I've seen all over the place but have never listened to you. I always wondered why and now I realize it's because this album needs to be listed as a whole. There aren't really any big poppy songs to make it onto the radio, but the album works so well together. Nas has great story telling, and everything is crisp and clear enough to understand on a first listen. I definitely want to listen to this again.

I am going middle of the road here. For this genre I found it better than most.

Not offensive but not good

Another hip hop album that I absolutely do not get the hype about. Sure he’s really good at rapping but the lyrics are realistic and have nice flow at best. But that’s it. He doesn’t seem to want to rise above the streets that he’s talking about. He’s merely content to chronicle them.

don't understand the huge hype & praise for this album. the beats get monotonous, & just don't understand the praise for his lyrics. yes, they tell a story, but his tone is so one-note.

Perfect. The finest hip hop album ever?

short record! a classic. i found myself bobbing my head a few times for sure

Jazzy samples and DJ scratching with boom bap drums make for classic 90s beats - a driving propulsive rhythm paired with relaxed warm sounds. Nas's verses are relentless: non stop rhymes within and between lines, story telling, image conjuring, world building. With an even cadence at just above conversational speed, he barely leaves any space to think and absorb what he's said before he's into the next thing.

Kilka dobrych kawałków ale jak to tylko 3/10 dla najlepszego albumu rapowego to wychodzi na to że nie lubie słuchać rapu.

5/5 Golden Era Polaroid Frames This isn’t just one of the best rap albums ever made— it’s an autobiography in rhyme, a time capsule in boom-bap, a Rosetta Stone for pain, pride, paranoia, and poetic genius. He was 20. TWENTY. Most people at 20 are Googling how to cook pasta. Nas was sculpting lyrical cathedrals out of Queensbridge dust.

Very solid throughout, great beats and flows. Really enjoyed this one.

100 % yes Great album High water mark that so many other artists reached for. Common argument that Nas never made another album like this or wasn’t as good later on. Doesn’t need to be. This album is perfect

fiyah

love!

I already forgot this album, this album is yours ;-) and not mine

Nas lyrics, which I’m reading for the first time, flow smoothly and are full of images. But still, my first feelings about Illmatic back in the 90s haven’t really changed. To me, it often feels like he’s just talking over beats that sound kind of flat and lifeless. His voice stays on the same tone, there’s no real anger here, no humor like in West Coast rap. It feels more like a well written documentary about his hood in NYC than a full, exciting piece of music.

I really don't understand what this album is doing in this list. It's utterly boring. Most songs are based on one - sometimes rather okay - sample and that's repeated for the entire length of the song. The scratching isn't original and becomes really boring. That's what this album is: boring. Utterly boring. Listen to 'N.Y. State of mind'. Hee, that piano sounds okay. It's repeated, unchanged, maybe forty times or so? The only song that I like a bit better is 'Represent'. But "like" is very very relative.

There are so many amazing things about this record. It’s not just the miracle that exists and Nas’s story, that the lyricism is great and that the album is honest and real, it’s that this is musically such a sophisticated and purely enjoyable album on top of all of that. A masterpiece.

Solid enough rap, would stick on again, not bad for running

Hoooly… I knew the reputation this album has but wow. woooow. This is several times better than I could have expected. These beats are so clean you can eat off of them and the rhymes should be studied in English classes.

Still perfect.

No notes.

A hip hop touchstone. Perfectly encapsulates it's era but also still sounds as fun as the year or was made. Others may say it's repetitive, but that's like saying anyone who sings the blues just sings sad stuff. It's talking about the world it comes from, and that was it. On a scale of -5 out of 5, easy 5. The Rumors of rap.

Sounds like most other good Hip Hop albums.

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

Often considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Tight, focused, no filler. Just good rhymes and beats. An icon of East Coast rap.

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

Not for me

Rap truly isn’t for me but I can appreciate the genre and why it exists.

3.0 in RYM.

Such a great album. One of the best hip hop albums and such an iconic new york album. Some unforgettable beats

I haven’t heard this album in sooooo long. It’s perfect.

Another '90s hip-hop. Same shit different.... nope.... it's all the same. I used to hear this coming out of people's cars and wondered if it was one song. Then I thought I'd hear the nuances when I listened to different albums. Nope! Identikit crap.

Dreadful morals, world view, narcissism, misogyny, sociopathy and materialism.

I barely have to listen to this one to know it's a 10/10. One of the most classic hip-hop albums ever. I must've listened to this record a hundred times as a kid. Nas is one of those lyricists who seems so natural in everything he does. He was born to do this and shows it on every single track. This album perfectly captures East Coast hip hop, from the beats and production to Nas' lyrics and performances. It's also impossible to ignore how absolutely CLASSIC so many of these lines are. "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death", "Life's a bitch and then you die", "i'm out for dead presidents to represent me" ??? All have been referenced countless times, decades later 10/10

I've heard NY State of Mind quite a bit in the past, but I never checked out the rest of the album before. It holds up really well. Nas might have one of the most influential flows in the genre.

A masterpiece. One of the best debuts of all time. The lyricism is perfection. The sampling and production is so so so good It teleports you to a time and a place so vividly. Hip hop had well and truly spread to the mainstream and been commercialized by this stage. But Illmatic brought it back to street level, a human level.

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.

I wasn't really sure what to do with this. I'm willing to put this on me the listener rather than the album itself, but the whole album felt like one identical song, and I wasn't a huge fan of that song.

Going into this I know knew who Nas was, but had never really listened to his music. I was excited to have an excuse to delve into this album as it’s probably the one of his I’ve heard the most about. It did not disappoint, usually I fell like I need to hear a rap record few times to really appreciate it, but this one feels like it hits on the first listen. I’ll have to go a little deeper into Nas’ catalog I definitely enjoyed this one. I’ve been stingy with the 5 star reviews, but this is a 4.5 rounded up for sure.

5 mic review from Source. How can I not give it 5 stars? Also, it’s an amazing album with astonishing lyrics and incredible beats. Gets better with every listen.

Didn’t really listen to a while bunch of Nas back in the day. This was a relatively good album. I understand that it really influenced a lot of East Coast rappers and still does.

Certified classic with one of the best rap tracks ever. Listened to: at home, on vinyl. Favorite tracks: Genesis, NY State of Mind, Halftime

Disco casi redondo, cortito y con mucho estilo. Los temas que mas me gustaron fueron: it aint hard to tell (sample de michael GOD), the world is yours, life’s a bitch

Simply the greatest rap album ever made. It's nothing short of a miracle that a teenager could so perfectly encapsulate his existence and surroundings. The production is also sophisticated and the lyricism is second to none, with some of the greatest bars in rap history. The first half of the album in particular is one of the best stretches of music ever recorded. In addition to its remarkable consistency over an airtight 40 mins, Illmatic also has some of the great moments in rap. Beginning NY State of Mind with "I don't even know how to start this shit" and then dropping one of the greatest verses ever penned sets the bar impossibly high, but Nas never falters. Favorite songs: N.Y. State of Mind, Memory Lane, Halftime, The World is Yours "I never sleep, because sleep is the cousin of death" "I dropped the ancient manifesto of hip-hop right out the block" "I want presidents to represent me. I want dead presidents to represent me."

Not for me.

Timeless. Classic. The essence of rap. If I could play only one album to make a person understand rap music, this might be it.

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,

That was lit!

Such a sick album. It does two distinctly difficult things very well. The first is construct a story and illustrate multiple themes through MUSIC. Lots of artists attempt this, very few do it well. The second is age. For me, someone who did not grow up in Queens, NY or share hardly any of the experiences that Nas talks about on the album, I find that I learn something new about his life, culture, influence, etc. with each listen. This being his debut album goes to show how much passion and thought he has with his music which makes this such a banger for me.

Very good rap Added one time 4 your mind to playlist

This was fucking dope.

cool

Possibly my favorite album on this list so far.

what else is there to say about this album?

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

I like this style of hip hop.

Great…great album. Any excuse to listen is one I’m happy with

Surprised I liked it as much as I did. Will be adding to my future listening.

All time storyteller

Nas work

It's a classic. Shorter than I thought? Appropriate since I live in Queens. Easily 4/10 of these are classics.

I can tell the guy can rap well but didn’t pay attention as I fast forwarded frequently. The tunes behind the rap were too repetitive for me. I prefer good music, then lyrics.

2 à 3 minuten en toen begonnen mijn lichamelijke functies één per één uit te vallen... gelukkig nog net de kracht gevonden om op de stop knop te duwen

One of, if not the greatest rap albums ever

No soy anglosajón. Sin letras tiene relativo interés.

No a fan

Top 5 hiphop album oat

Goat shit

His stacks were indeed fat and this was indeed what it's all about.

Siento que es una gran leyenda pero todavía no le pude encontrar la perla. Quizá otro disco? Me gustó Lifes a Bitch Nota: 2.9

Classic boombap album

PEAK

Nas’ jazzy beats and smooth rhymes won my love back in ‘94.

Absolute classic. This is very much of a time but it's not dated. I listed three times today because I was still digging it so much. I do wish Nas had more variety in his flows but his lyricism and technique more than make up for it across the album. I prefer It Was Written for what it's worth but that doesn't mean this isn't also a 5.

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.

All a bit serious. NYC and the east coast in general lacks any charm. I have no desire to buy into his world

Don't even need to write something huge. This is a five star hiip hop albbum. "It aint hard to tell " is one of my favorite hip hop tracks of all time.

Not a rap fan but there was a lot to like about this album.

Look, I can tell it's good.The lyrics are razor-sharp, the production is spot on, but it's deeply rooted in a very specific reality: That “gotta represent” ethos—where your identity is tied to your block, your crew, your hustle—it’s powerful, but I didn’t grow up in that mindset or world, and it feels more like watching a documentary than something I can feel on a gut level. Good but not for me.

Brother it is Illmatic

Great

Fanatic record

Liked it a lot. Definitely gonna listen again, not my favorite genre though

Important & classic.

Nah.

point9.

This is so outside my usual genre that I can't review it. The lyrics seem densely complicated

I thought I would like this album more than I did. You can tell it’s Nas’ first album. Classic NY rapper

Any album that opens with Wildstyle samples is an instant 5. A who's who of New York producers in arguably one of the last great albums of the golden age. NY State of Mind is a classic DJ Premier sinister jazz beat. Life's a Bitch features some virtuosic rapping over an iconic chorus which leads the way for 2000s rap. The World is Yours replicates the formula and adds in more classic piano samples from Pete Rock. Halftime continues Nas's connection to baseball fans Main Source by bringing in Large Professor as a ringer and a really well constructed bassline. The album keeps bringing on the classics with One Love, featuring a spooky xylophone. More iconic bars in the laid bacl One Time for Your Mind. Premier's third track Represent captures the melancholy reality of life in the Bridge. Every track is peak boom bap and Nas raps with authority about life in Queensbridge. The album cover is iconic and the call for authenticity in this album is what makes it such a great reference for Kendrick Lamar in the 2010s.

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.

An absolute classic of hip hop till this day! Production and lyrics on top. Compared to later albums Nas had some good support on the production side and not much say in it.

Nao adianta nao gosto de rap

Solid 90's rap vibe, don't like it that much myself but loved represent. Might grow on me later.

Enjoyed every second. Don't have a deep knowledge of rap so hearing an albums considered one of the best in the genre was a pleasure.

MF'ers (correctly?) forgot about Nas.

amazing, i love this album so much. every beat is perfection and every lyric is beautiful. such an amazing album.