shortcut: [Album11082]
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| Artist | Nas |
| Type | Album |
| Released | April 19, 1994 |
| Rating |
4.22 from 3584 ratings
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| Ranked | #1 for 1994 , #67 overall | | Genres | |
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BloodyHawk39
 Fuckin' Awesome!
Digital
[Rating19469483]
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I'm a Metalhead, and I can assure you that Illmatic is a genuinely well done Rap album. Better than most Hip Hop we hear nowadays. |
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cathodyne
[Rating26288313]
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It's testament to how much of a lazy fucksucker I am that I can barely remember anything from the second half of Illmatic, and only listened to the first half (read: NY State of Mind, Halftime) for the first time in three odd weeks yesterday. I have to amend this glaring oversight soon.
22/11/09: I spent all of yesterday listening to Halftime while wandering around DCU looking at college girls and thinking about how they're much prettier than secondary school girls. My enjoyment of this album is still limited to the first half of this album, and really when I say "listening to Halftime" I mean skipping back to the first verse after the chorus is over.
I was gonna review Stress: The Extinction Agenda with a statement along the lines of "Better than Illmatic" but I promised myself I'd cut down on doing that. |
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GtownhoyasDC
[Rating25520746]
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This album has so many tracks that could be top 10 best hip-hop songs in general, the one's in particular being "The World Is Yours", "Life's A Bitch", and "It Ain't To Tell", and "Halftime".
All of the songs are worth listening to, and it has infinite replay value.
This is my second favorite album of all time, but this album probably is the best hip-hop album ever.
The Jazzy theme of the album hooks me, too. And Nas' multi-syllable use of words, hooks, and flow, and consistency sets this album among from his others, and most other rap albums. CLASSIC.
(I Wish Hip-hop today was more like this. I was only around 3 when this album came out, so I missed out on a lot of great hip-hop during the majority of the 90's) |
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M_Truth
[Rating25839360]
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Aside from the Wu-Tang Clan and the Notorious B.I.G., Nas helped put the East Coast back on the map in hip hop. His "Illmaticly" first album is hailed as the best album in the genre. Despite the acclaim, it's not! The album isn't as groundbreaking as De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising" or "Enter the Wu-Tang", and it isn't as revolutionary as "Nation of Millions" by Public Enemy. The album's complexity can be a turn off for some. Still, it's one of the best albums to released since the golden era of hip hop, the late 1980s.
One thing that makes "Illmatic" unique is that it's not singularly based; it's not gangsta rap, and it's not alternative. But, it's an underground hip hop album that takes the best elements from both. The source material is based on his experience in his native neighborhood, Queensbridge, which gives the album it's gangsta appeal. Where it resembles alternative hip hop is the way the lyrics are delivered; while most albums at the time sound like gloriflication of irrational behavior, Nas wisely speak as if he's reflecting on his. It's very evident in songs like "New York State of Mind," "Life's a Bitch," and "The World is Yours." Nas also scores with his open letter to friends in prison ("One Love"), and his straight up bragging ("Halftime", "It Ain't Hard to Tell").
There is no expence spared in production, as some of hip hop's best producers provide sounds throughout the album; DJ Premier from Gangstarr, Pete Rock, Large Professor from underground hip hop group Main Source, and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Samples include the Gap Band, Kool & the Gang, and Michael Jackson. Although the album only clocks in 39 minutes, that's just enough for something that's bumping from begining to end.
If there's a problem with "Illmatic," it's probably how Nas had a hard time following up afterward. The rest of his catalog doesn't stink, but Illmatic is a tough act to follow. To this day, it still is.
+: Nas' best effort, reflective, grimy but soulful and jazzy, excellent production, not the best ever but one of the best
-: hard to follow up, just slightly overrating, mildly offensive, not everyone will get it
P.S.: To follow up with what G.O.Z. said, I seriously doubt that anyone that listens to one rap album can say rap sucks. This is one funky-ass album out of millions; listen to Nation of Millions if you wanna hear the best rap album even. Better yet, just listen to License to Ill. Illmatic is only a HIP HOP classic. |
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Technetium
CD
[Rating25762037]
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Rightfully a landmark album in hip-hop. I especially like the jazz influences in some of the background music. |
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SeaJaiye
Genophobia: Fear of SEX.
Vinyl
[Rating22611319]
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4.22? #67 OVERALL? BARELY #1 FOR 1994? RYM NEEDS MORE RAP FANS. EVERYONE GO TO HIPHOPDX/RAPGODFATHERS/SOHH/ANY OTHER RAP FORUM AND GET THEM TO REGISTER TO 5 THIS ALBUM AND TAKE OVER THE METAL HEADS! ONE TIME 4 YOUR MIND! |
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Walheimat
 hübsch
[Rating25440918]
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Some albums are like diamonds. If they were more abundant, they'd be polished trash. I mean to say: I really like this album, the production is often different-and-shiny and sometimes decidedly-not-stupid. The lyrics are sharp (Nas keeps a razor under his tongue!), playful and pretty dumb. Despite the endless invocations, a lot of gangsta nonsense and bravado, the album kicks along nicely and tries to make an elaborate point about... something. It's not very articulate, just like this review. You know what I'm saying? |
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Clutnuckle
s'good
[Rating25432937]
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A definite classic. Unlike some other renowned hip-hop albums, it flows so well that you can listen to the entire thing easily from start to finish. Not my favorite as lyrically I don't relate or see much that I can take away, but that's just personal. It's a landmark, for damn sure. |
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Thrashisawesome
Very highly recommended
CD
[Rating19633365]
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"NY State of Mind", "The World Is Yours", "Memory Lane", "Life's a Bitch", "Halftime", and "It Ain't Hard to Tell" are without a doubt 6 of the greatest hip hop songs in the history of the genre, at the top of the top tier. But the thing is, the others don't really come that close. Sure, they're good, and "One Love" is great, but I could do without "One Time 4 Your Mind" or "Represent", even though they are, as I said earlier, good, but on the same level as the 6 I mentioned earlier? Yeah fucking right. And contrary to popular opinion, I actually think the production here is better than the lyrics. I mean, look at the fucking lineup! Large Professor, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip at the era where they were considered to be at their peak (actually I preferred Primo's 97-00 work) it's shocking the beats don't get enough praise. So yeah, excellent album and all, but not all-time favorite material. |
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mishaman12
Digital
[Rating25132932]
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Although not my favorite of the old-school genre, it's definitely up there as a top 5. |
distribution | 0.5 | | 46 | | 1.0 | | 22 | | 1.5 | | 24 | | 2.0 | | 39 | | 2.5 | | 59 | | 3.0 | | 134 | | 3.5 | | 257 | | 4.0 | | 622 | | 4.5 | | 756 | | 5.0 | | 1625 |
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Fuckin' Awesome! | | Digital |
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Fuck Yeah! | | Wishlist | |
distribution | 8-Track | | 1 | | Cassette | | 15 | | CD | | 1737 | | CD-R | | 64 | | Vinyl | | 113 | | Minidisc | | 1 | | Digital | | 931 | | Multiple | | 11 | | Other | | 20 |
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Members who contributed to this entry: Cliche, jkra3168, Winjer, diction, tha_flu, r0ckw1ld3r, sj99, Masahiro_Hayamoto, Bloodbath_87, CAMiasm, swo17, scottbdougYou can edit this page to correct data or upload images, but you must log in first. View: Correction history [9] Image upload history [5]
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rym
