Illmatic

I don't mean to be judgemental, but if you feel compelled to skip a track, then just forget about liking the rest of the album. Each song is equally as great as the last one. This is hip-hop in it's finest form, and since it's being sold at an extremely reasonable price, plunk down the dough and just buy the friggin' thing. Trust me. Your rap collection isn't complete without it.

If your favorite rappers are Nelly, the Cash Money Millionaires, Lil' Romeo and Master P, then you might want to look elsewhere.


IMMACULATE.   March 22, 2005
O. KAKA (WOODBRIDGE, NJ United States)
35 out of 70 found this review helpful

CLASSIC.
LYRICS ----- 10/10
PRODUCTION COURTESY OF PETE ROCK,D.J PREMIER & LARGE PROFESSOR ------- 10/10
THEME ------ 10/10
ALBUM COVER ------ 10/10
CONCEPT ------- 10/10
STAND OUT TRACKS ------ ALL TRACKS.
OVERALL --------- BEST RAP ALBUM EVER PERIOD.

O.KAKA God's gift to the underground.


To say this CD isn't among the top 3-4 of all time is crazy!   March 23, 2003
Mac (Dirty Jersey)
26 out of 31 found this review helpful

OK, some cats come on here saying don't believe the hype, or that the album lacks beats, but they don't know what they're talking about. One cat even had the temerity to compare the Illmatic Nas to Eminem. To question the beats on this album is to show your stupidity in relation to the hip hop game. DJ Premier is known as one of, if not the best producer ever along with Dre. One is the best on the east, the other on the west. Large P is also thorough on the beats, and this album has nothing but the best beats. The lyrics are fresh, hungry, and still steeped in the streets.

The best albums in hip hop history all came out right around the same time : 1994. Illmatic, Ready to Die, Southernplayalistik, Illadelph Half Life and Reasonable Doubt each vie for that title. In reality, it comes down to the debut albums from the Kings of NY, BIG and Nas. BIG had filler on his album, and stupid skits. Illmatic is just pure hip hop from beginning to end. A 40 minute oasis of what hip hop should always strive to be. A window to the streets combined with storytelling ability and lyrics that weave themselves together seamlessly.
New York is Hip Hop, and this is the best NY has ever produced.

Don't ever forget, this album is widely acknowledged as the finest in the history of hip hop by all the wisest rap scholars. You think some joker from Toronto or Washington State knows more about hip hop and what's raw than the sages of hip hop culture? I think not.


Nasty Nas takes us into the post-Chronic era of hip-hop   August 3, 2005
Alan Pounds (Minneapolis, MN)
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

What could I possibly say about "Illmatic" that the other 450 reviewers haven't said already. Where do you start with an album that has been hailed time and time again, as the best hip-hop album of the 90s. It's a crowing achievement that Nas rests his reputation on comfortably. I was never into rap back in the mid-90s, so subsequently, I slept on this album up until 3 weeks ago. I finally decided to pick it up after I read an interview with one of my favorite [underground] rappers, Mr. Lif. He was grouping Nas "Illmatic" with classics from Public Enemy and BDP as some of his favorite rap albums of all time. I guess I never got into rap in the mid-90s because I didn't think it was all that great. I was never a very big fan of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" or Snoop Dogg's work (although they undoubtedly have their strong points). Needless to say, I'm happy that Nas brought back the street poet aesthetic that hip-hop needed. Not that Nas is completely different from the bunch. He recruited the best jazz-rap producers in the biz, including Q-Tip, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Large Professor. The beats are strong, and Nas' lyrics are rough and tough. He really brings rap back to the hardcore street style of Rakim, Chuck D, and Gang Starr. Most importantly, Nas brands himself as a highly literate street poet. The lyrics are observatory reactions to everyday life. His outlook is more interesting than what a lot of emcees bring to the table. Without a doubt, Nas is an emcee's emcee. His fluid flow is nothing less than addictive ear candy for yours truly.

You will hear a lot of hip-hop heads going on about how 1994 was the year for hip-hop. I have never understood that. 1988 was the year for rap. But after hearing a record like "Illmatic", I can see where they are coming from. Although I can't honestly say that this stuff is more groundbreaking than Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice-T, Beastie Boys etc.. I will say that Nas has made something that stands strongly next to those talents. But to think that this is more groundbreaking than some records from 1987 or 1988 is a bit ridiculous. Nas might have a state of the art flow, but the beats are hardly groundbreaking (not to say they're bad, because they're great).

Since rap moved it's way into the mainstream by the mid-90s, "Illmatic" was pretty successful on the charts. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" reached number 3, "One Love" and "The World Is Yours" reached number 6 and "Half Time" reached number 8. That's pretty substantial for a hip-hop record back then. But I would have to say my favorite cut would be "Life's a Bi*ch".

Nas came in at the right time to stir up the music industry. It was a positive step away from the Chronic-era that brought things back to brass tactics. I can fully understand why this album is at the top of every hip-hop heads top 10 list. But I have a bigger question. Who the hell is going to save us from the bling-bling era of rap. Seriously, is mainstream rap dead? If you ask me, yes, yes it is. It's sad that people hate rap because of the horrible reputation it's been given by artists like Cam'Ron, Chingy, Nelly, and countless other (c)rap artists. That's the way I felt until I discovered underground rap. Rap is still alive, and artists like Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Brother Ali, Binary Star, Company Flow (El-P), Mr. Lif, Edan, Latyrx, Lyrics Born, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis...etc are as real as it gets. And if you ask this reviewer, the new underground hip-hop brought forth by labels such as Rhymesayers and Definitive Jux is becoming just as influential as old-school hip-hop (late 80s). Don't give up on the genre, just give up on the mainstream aspect of it.


This album stands on a pedestal....all by itself   June 24, 1999
20 out of 26 found this review helpful

You know how adults always say they wish they could be younger again. I wish Nas could be younger again. At age 20 (?) Nas released "Illmatic".....then as he grew in age, his tight grip on the edge of the streets began to slip...this is a review by myself, a professional critic (lol), of possibly the greatest hip-hop album ever released.

Positive: Basically everything about the cd was positive. With head-noddin' beats, and Nasty Nas' compelling lyrics, describing his life as he grew up in the projects. The dopest songs? "The World is Yours" (with assistance from the soul brother, Pete Rock), "Halftime", the deep, "One Love", with Q-Tip, and "It Ain't Hard to Tell", my personal favorite. Every one a classic, everyone amazing.

Negative: Nothing.

Complaints: That Nas ever left his Nasty Nas form to transform into Nas Escobar. =(

Ratings:

Beats: 5 Lyrics : 5

Best Song: It Aint Hard to Tell Beat: 5 Lyrics : 5

peace