In case youve been living under a rock for the past 20 years, heres a little info on queensbridge finest. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones,(Yea thats his real name)born September 14, 1973, better known by his stage name Nas,formerly Nasty Nas, is an influential rapper during the 90's era of hiphop. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. Although he dropped out of middle school,(8th grade to be exact) he attained a high degree of literacy that he would later use in his lyrics.His debut album Illmatic, was released in 1994 on Columbia Records. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed album, and would go on to be widely hailed a classic.
From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a widely publicized feud with rapper Jay-Z; both rappers verbally attacked each other in their songs. The two formally ended their rivalry through duet performances at concerts sponsored by New York City-area hip-hop radio stations. Also in 2006, he signed to Def Jam,(which is former foe Jay-z's Label at the time) releasing his albums Hip Hop is Dead in 2006 and The Nigger album(Later retitled to Untitled in 2006)
His work has influenced, and been admired by many, including Jay-Z,(yep) Kanye West, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, 50 Cent,(Yep) The Game, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, and T.I. His lyricism has also earned him the respect from rap pioneers such as KRS-One, Rakim and Big Daddy Kane.
Illmatic is the debut album of American hip hop rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. It features production from several renown hip hop artists, including Main Source-member Large Professor, DJ Pete Rock, rapper Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr-member DJ Premier and producer L.E.S., as well as a guest appearance by East New York emcee AZ. Illmatic has been noted by music writers for its hardcore rap-style, production quality, Nas's lyricism, which is characterized by multi-syllabic internal rhyme patterns, and inner city-themes based on his experiences in his native Queensbridge, New York.
This is THE most important album in 90's era Hip-Hop.(yea i like this album that much). Anyway, heres the reveiw.
1."The Genesis"
The intro, "Genesis", begins with an audio sample of the "Subway Theme" by Grand Wizard Theodore from the film Wild Style,the first major hip hop motion picture.Nas made another ode to Wild Style, while shooting the music video for his single, "It Ain't Hard To Tell", on the same stage as the finale scene for the film. Nas's debut, "Live at the Barbeque" is played in the background. This is Nas telling us everything he wants us to know about him, and makes for a distincly NewYork sound.
2."New York State Of Mind"
DJ Premier Comes through with a grimy piano loop (thats a good thing), and a nice distinct bassline, and drums. this is nas at his most grimiest, and it makes you feel like your in NewYork.(minus the rats,and rude locals)
3."Lifes a Bitch"
Brooklyn rapper,(and frequent Nas Collaborater) Az's introductin to the world. Az's Verse left me speechless(in a good way), and Nas doesnt slack off either. This is one of the best collaborations that ive heard in a while; but what makes this song one of the best, is the fantastic jazz outro, provided by Nas's father. great song.
4. "The World is Yours"
My favorite Nas song(Fuck that, this is my favorite song PERIOD!! top 5 to be exact)
Words cannot describe how beautiful this song is. From the beat (Provided by Pete rock), to the Lyrics, this is nas at his finest. An instant classic.
5. "Halftime"
Great beat provided by Large Professor. Not my favorite Nas song, but its still a great song(on any other album, this would be a high point on it, but not so on Illmatic. Thats how great this album is.)
6."Memory Lane"(Sittin in da park)
I love this DJ Premier beat!! It sounds like what a childhood memory would sound like, if it was in song format.(idk, thats just what i feel when i hear this.) Nas drops ill lines like..
"I rap for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners
Hennessy holders and old school niggas, then I be dissin a
Unofficial that smoke woolie thai
I dropped out of Cooley High, gassed up by a cokehead cutie pie
Jungle survivor, fuck who's the liver
My man put the battery in my back, a difference from Energizer
Sentence begins indented, with formality
My duration's infinite, money-wise or physiology
Poetry, that's a part of me, retardedly bop
I drop the ancient manifested hip-hop, straight off the block
I reminisce on park jams, my man was shot for his sheep coat
Childhood lesson made me see him drop in my weed smoke"
Classic. One of the best verses in the history of hip-hop.
7."One Love"
This is a great song. Its about Nas writing to a friend in jail in letter format, and telling him whats been going on since he's been away. I prefer the MF Doom version better, as i feel it fits the lyrics better.(i'll provide it at the end of this review)
8."1 Time for your mind"
This song was the one i didnt like that much. Its still a good song, but its just not my style.
9."Represent"
Nas goes off on this one, and he presents us with another classic.
10."It Ain't Hard to tell"
I love the Michael Jackson sample in this song. This song is what makes Nas one of the greats(and he was just 19 when he made this song!) Classic.
Illmatic is a landmark album, that will be remembered for influencing alot of your favorite rappers. (Hell, even Jay-Z Sampled Nas's voice for "Dead Presidents")
Malice, a member of the hip hop duo, Clipse claimed: "Illmatic captured the whole New York state of mind for me. It embraced everything I knew New York to be. The album had 10 songs, all of them flawless. Me and my homies got great memories of rolling around listening to that, huslin', smokin', chillin'. That embodied everything that was right with hip-hop. That CD never came out my deck." Malice hit the nail on the head. This album is poetry at its finest.
Score:100 out of 100
Nas:One Love (Doom Remix)
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