Review Summary: Nas's magnum opus, an album of unbelievably high quality.
Take a journey into the mind of a 20 year old from the mean streets of Queensbridge. This 20 year old has been through a whole lot, seen some things, done things he isn't proud of, but this is who he is made of. You have Illmatic, the detailed story of a man named Nas from the borough of Queens, housing projects of Queensbridge.
From the very first track, "The Genesis", Nas transports you to Queens, helping you visualise what life is like on the regular for Nas. With the sounds of a train running, and Nas and AZ playing cee-lo, they give you the feel of Queens, and sets the tone for the album. Directly following "The Genesis", we go right into "N.Y. State of Mind". It was clear Nas was trying to get you to feel what he was trying to tell you, as when he tells stories, you can close your eyes and imagine you're there. This song is a perfect example of this. From the very first few seconds of the song, we get a heavy hitting boom bap beat from DJ Premier, and Nas just starting off his verse with an absolute bang. He details his crime-ridden neighborhood, and what he has to do on a daily basis to make it through his crazy life.
Right after that, we get right into "Life's a Bitch", which features Nas's apprentice AZ (who has the only guest verse on the entire album). AZ clearly knew that he had to make himself heard, as he even outshined Nas on this song with his spectacular opening verse. Nas and AZ basically rhyme about life, and what they feel they need (and want) to do to live life to the fullest. Nas's father has a fantastic trumpet solo at the end, adding to the reminiscent vibe of the song. Following that song, we have a very soulful, yet upbeat instrumental from Pete Rock with "The World Is Yours". This song has a Scarface vibe to it, as the chorus quotes the movie, as well as Nas just going into his descriptive, vivid lyricism that he utilizes throughout the album.
Following that song, we get the appropriately named "Halftime", which is another classic. This song has Nas just kicking more dope lyrics, with a jazzy beat from Large Professor, who is a fantastic producer. Then there's "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" which is just mindblowing. The beat is just phenomenal, spectacular, and any other extremely positive adjective that you could include here. The beat from DJ Premier is so nostalgic and relaxing, and includes soulful singing in the background, and the instrumental is just unbelievably good, as well as the lyrics.
Continuing there's "One Love", which is yet again another classic. This song has Nas detailing his crumbling relationships with friends and family in prison, and details him writing letters to his friends that are locked up. Nas really brings the emotion and detail that is needed in order for him to truly detail what prison can do, and how it can really not only imprison your body, but your mind as well, as it can really mess up people's lives for all the wrong reasons, and oftentimes to people that really are just doing what they have to do to feed their family. Q-Tip is on the boards, and gives a really mellow, laid-back beat which really lets Nas tell his stories to the listener the way that he intended to. Q-Tip also sings the chorus, which is just him saying "One Love" a few times, but regardless his voice matches the feel of the song.
Then there's "One Time 4 Your Mind". This isn't a complete classic, but regardless this song is still great. This song is generally regarded as the weakest song on here, and I agree, but this is still an awesome song. This song has absolutely incredible lyricism, which is expected, and the beat provided by Large Professor is very mellow. Then there's "Represent", which is the second to last song. This song is much liver than the previous two mellow tracks, as we get back to criminal tales from the star of the show. The beat from DJ Premier is excellent, and grabs your attention. The very last song is "It Ain't Hard to Tell", which is a phenomenal way to end your album. Large Professor utilizes a Michael Jackson sample into the beat, and does it very well, as he incorporates Jazzy elements to it. The lyrics are filled with wit, and he never fails to keep your attention throughout the song.
What can be said about this album that hasn't been said already? This album is absolute masterpieces from front to back, there's no skippable songs, and nothing that's forgettable in any way. Nas grabs you from the first song, then keeps it throughout the entire album. The whole album details Nas's life, and vividly details what his life is like, and makes you feel like you're there with the incredibly detailed stories. Illmatic is an absolute classic, and in my opinion the greatest hip hop album to ever be released...ever.
Ratings:
1. The Genesis (Intro)
2. N.Y. State of Mind: 5/5
3. Life's a Bitch (feat. AZ): 5/5
4. The World is Yours: 5/5
5. Halftime: 5/5
6. Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park): 5/5
7. One Love (feat. Q-Tip): 5/5
8. One Time 4 Your Mind: 5/5
9. Represent: 5/5
10. It Ain't Hard to Tell: 5/5
Best song: N.Y. State of Mind
Weakest song: One Time 4 Your Mind
Production: 10/10
Lyrics: 10/10
Overall rating: 100/100
Grade: A+
