A Critical Retrospective on Illmatic Coming Outta Queensbridge by Owen Watson (June 2014) Nas' seminal hip-hop album Illmatic turned twenty on April 19th. In those twenty years, the album received the exceedingly rare five-Mics review from The Source, inspired college classes, and assumed its perch as one of the best works in the hip-hop music canon.Let's set something straight: Illmatic is. Following his show-stealing debut in 1991 on Main Source’s track “Live at the Barbeque,” Nas delivered his debut album Illmatic to high praise in 1994. The title was derived from a. Following his show-stealing debut in 1991 on Main Source’s track “Live at the Barbeque,” Nas delivered his debut album Illmatic to high praise in 1994. The title was derived from a. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2004 CD release of 10 Year Anniversary Illmatic Platinum Series on Discogs. Often cited as one of the best hip-hop albums of the '90s, Illmatic is the undisputed classic upon which Nas' reputation rests. It helped spearhead the artistic renaissance of New York hip-hop in the post-Chronic era, leading a return to street aesthetics.

With expectations high for Nas’ 10th studio set, Life Is Good, now’s a fine time to take a look back at where the New York rapper’s career began.

Nas Illmatic Full Album

Illmatic’s cover features the artist aged seven. This is when he “started seeing the future,” as Nas told MTV in 1994, as the mainstream media slowly began its affair with a debut album that, today, is regarded a classic.

At the time of Illmatic’s release, Nas was just 20 years old. But to listen to these detailed rhymes, one might think they were the work of a man with considerably more life experience.

Never does Nas hold back lyrically – these tracks are deconstructions of the surrounding environment, assessments of his situation and maps towards the way out. A Queensbridge native, Nas grew up in a densely populated housing project – all around him, stories were playing out 24/7.

Nas Illmatic Album

With no shortage of inspiration, his creative juices flowed with an effortlessness as sweet as the end-result rhymes. The same Long Island City blocks had produced Roxanne Shanté and Marley Marl – the words “fertile breeding ground” come to mind. But Nas would ultimately outshine these pioneering talents.

Riding expert production from DJ Premier, Large Professor and others, heavy beats set atop jazz- and funk-sampling melodies that expedited accessibility, Nas’ wordplay entertains as effectively as it educates. Frequently he refers to younger years – both One Time 4 Your Mind and Halftime recall experiences as a 10-year-old.

Memory Lane is nostalgic yet cemented in the (then) present, and also throws ahead to an unseen future. “My duration’s infinite,” he claims, simultaneously implying lineage with the rap game’s greats: “I drop the ancient manifested hip hop.” It’s a boast of timelessness that would ring true.

Nas Illmatic Samples

Yet Illmatic failed to immediately engage with the commercial rap market. Critical success came easier: several publications labelled it a vital release. And time’s done right by Illmatic, as nowadays tracks like N.Y. State of Mind and The World Is Yours are as synonymous with the early- to mid-90s east coast scene as anything by The Notorious B.I.G. or Wu-Tang Clan. The latter cut would be even sampled by Jay-Z on his 1996 debut LP, Reasonable Doubt.

Illmatic Review

Life Is Good… but it couldn’t have gone that way without Illmatic.