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Life & Arts

'Illmatic' a hip-hop treasure

Nas' masterpiece will never be surpassed by him or any other

by ELI JABBE
The Daily Cougar 

Illmatic is the perfect blueprint of what an album should be. Released in 1994, this record helped put New York back on the map. Clocking in at just 39 minutes, this debut from Nasir Jones (better known as Nas) is the epitome of a perfectly executed work of art. Flawless production and lyricism combine to make Illmatic arguably the best hip-hop album ever.

First is "The Genesis," an intro that features snippets of the young emcee's first verse ever, his appearance on Main Source's "Live at The Barbeque" and Nas conversing with his friends, including AZ, who appears later on the album. Next is the classic "New York State of Mind," which features a menacing piano melody and recording scratching on the chorus from DJ Premier. Nas uses his vivid storytelling skills to illustrate his upbringing in the Queensbridge projects. This track is unique not only because of Nas' intricate storytelling but also because it doesn't follow the usual three-verse format, rather, it features two very long verses, the second of which is one of Nas' best ever.

Next is the classic "Life's a Bitch," which is most memorable because it was AZ's debut. The young Brooklyn MC stole the show with his classic verse, saying, "A person's status depends on salary / And my mentality is money orientated / I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it." 

The melancholy tone of this song is juxtaposed with the next track, the optimistic "The World is Yours." This song, featuring a jazzy piano melody sample from Pete Rock, is just one of many well-produced songs on Illmatic. Nas makes it clear what his goals are, saying, "I'm out for presidents to represent me; I'm out for dead presidents to represent me."

My favorite song on the album, "Memory Lane," features Nas taking a reminiscent trip of his own. Next is the Q-Tip produced "One Love," where Nas addresses an incarcerated friend. After this uplifting song is "One Time 4 Your Mind," which doesn't have a theme but features some of Nas' best lyricism. His analogy of his pen to a car is classic: "Heine (ken) Dark drinker, represent the thinker / My pen rides the paper, it even has blinkers." Next is the classic DJ Premier-produced anthem "Represent," which features more witty lyrics. "It Isn't Hard to Tell" is the last, and widely considered to be the best, song, where Naps shows off his creative wordplay and imagery.

Illmatic is an album you'll always listen to from start to finish because it has no filler material and the only flaw is that it's too short. Its ranking is also boosted because Nas was never able to match this album's brilliance. The sequels-usually-suck factor comes into play, but Nas' changing style also made a difference. The simplicity of Illmatic was often replaced on later albums with preachy lyrics and new ideologies.
 

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