REVISIT: Nas - Illmatic

I have a confession to make.  I have been listening to hip-hop and rap music for seven years.  Not once have I listened to Illmatic.  This is more of a throwback than a revisit.  I have heard numerous songs from Nas and I am familiar with him, but I have never listened to this album in full.  Because I was looking forward to his Kanye-produced album that's coming tomorrow, I decided to change that.  Many people regard Illmatic not just as Nas' best album, but as the greatest hip-hop album of all time.  Today, I found out why I was missing out.

Positives

Illmatic is an album that is short and to the point at 10 songs and 39 total minutes.  It's all killer, no filler, and has a consistent focus.  The first half of this album from "NY State of Mind" to "Halftime" might just be one of the greatest stretches in hip-hop history.  The thing people seem to complain about the most about Nas is his beat selection.  I get that his beat choices aren't that special and that sometimes they blend together, but the production on this album is great.  DJ Premier can do no wrong as he lays down the best beats on the album on the songs "NY State of Mind," "Memory Lane (Sittin' In the Park)," and "Represent."  However, what makes this album and Nas so great are his amazing flows, lyrical prowess, and storytelling.  In my opinion, these are the lines that stick out the most:

1) "I never sleep - 'cause sleep is the cousin of death" - the closing line on each verse of "NY State of Mind"

This line is a little self-explanatory, but it basically states that his striving for greatness takes sacrifices and one of them is sleep.

2) "Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne" - said on the third verse on "The World Is Yours"

I love the confidence in this line.  Although this is Nas' first album and he was just starting out at that point, he claims that he's not reaching for the top, but he's already at the top, and no one will ever top him after his career is said and done.

3) "I'm major / Atlanta ain't braver" - said on the first verse of "Halftime"

This is my favorite bar on the whole album.  It serves as both a diss toward the south and a baseball reference.  It's such a brilliant play on words.

4) "Nas' raps should be locked in a cell." - the closing line of the outro "It Ain't Hard to Tell"

This was such an amazing way to end the album.  If you were to describe Illmatic using a line from the album, this would be it.  Throughout the album, Nas touches on many subjects like smoking weed, killing people, and doing generally illegal shit.

Negatives

I had some notes about weak hooks and the production sounding samey at points, but these serve more as nitpicks than anything.  This album doesn't choose to focus on production or being catchy and really focuses on the storytelling and lyricism.  As that kind of album, it's perfect and doesn't do anything wrong.

Features

2 artists were featured on Illmatic.

1) AZ (Life's a Bitch) - No joke, this might be the best guest verse I've ever heard.  His flows throughout his first verse are just amazing, especially how he just includes the word "schweppervescent" with ease.  I also really liked his hook, which I will touch on in a different section.  It's a shame this guy's career never took off and he's just remembered as "the guy who had a really good verse on a Nas song."

Verdict: Liked

2) Q-Tip (One Love) - His hook was nothing special since it's just the song title repeated over and over again, but I loved his production on this track.  It sounds very smooth and clean.

Verdict: Good production, bad hook, Ehhhh overall

Best Tracks

1) NY State of Mind - DJ Premier's beat is iconic.  This is the song where Nas' storytelling and flows shine best and I just love how he ended every verse the same way.

2) Life's a Bitch (feat. AZ) - AZ is the reason why I love this song so much and I honestly think he out-rapped Nas on here.  His hook on this song gives out a very interesting perspective.  It's become a cliche at this point, but I love the message which basically says that life is rough and sometimes you need to enjoy yourself because you're never gonna know what happens next.  I also think the trumpeting from Olu Dara at the end was a nice touch.

3) The World Is Yours - I'm gonna sound super basic when I say this because it's Nas' most popular song, but this is my favorite song on the whole album.  It just oozes confidence.  Throughout the song, Nas is saying that this is his world and we all just live in it, but he still puts New York on his back, which is why at the end of the song, he's shouting out parts of New York and saying the world is theirs, too.  Also, the scratches throughout this song are just great.

4) Represent - This song has the best beat on the album by far.  I love the self-awareness on this song, that Nas is willing to admit that he isn't a role model and that he does a lot of illegal and immoral shit.  It basically serves as a warning for anyone who wants to be like Nas or thinks they are like Nas.

Worst Track

I guess One Time 4 Your Mind was the least good track, but there weren't any bad songs on here at all.

Conclusion

This album lived up to every bit of the hype and more.  This is essentially why Nas has a good argument for being the greatest rapper of all time.  His lyrics, flow, and storytelling shine brightest on Illmatic.  People are right when they say this album is a classic and if you were like me and haven't listened to this album, I'd highly recommend changing that.  It's only 40 minutes of your time and it'll be worth it.

Tomorrow and throughout the weekend will be reviews and stuff.  Stay tuned for next week when I start my artist reviews for the 2018 XXL Freshman Class.