I mean, come on. As soon as you saw the previous Mobb Deep review, you knew, right?
I first came across Nasir Bin Olu Jones (his real name, I swear.) when I heard NY State Of Mind on the radio of True Crime: New York City, but that didn't really count because I wasn't really paying attention to what I heard aside from Protect Ya Neck by the immortal Wu-Tang Clan. Like, at all.
Anyway, I first consciously came across Nasir reading about him on Wikipedia back when I just started taking hip hop seriously. I was mildly interested at first, but that didn't lead into any step regarding me following his career. As I progressed further into my respective video game, Wikipedia and YouTube voyages, I came across Mobb Deep. And since I knew by then that Nas and them shared stomping grounds, I figured I'd give his material a whirl. Think about it, Mobb Deep actually introduced me to Nas. How many hip hop fans took that musical route? And since I have ADHD with mild OCD, I researched Nas' beginnings on Wikipedia, so that I can have a proper perspective on his progression. Boy, was I in for a ride.
No Nas origin tale is complete without mentioning that one William Paul Mitchell, conducting lectures as the Large Professor at Harvard in The Precise Methods Of Not Selling Out, was instrumental in: 1. Bringing The Nasty One to the public eye on his brilliant posse cut Live At The Barbeque (a track that also unleashed Akinyele, an undisputed-yet-very-underrated punchline legend) off his still-too-underrated-after-24-goddamn-years classic Breaking Atoms in an appearance that, while obviously housing a style that descended from the Intelligent Hoodlum school of thuggery, nevertheless blew my mind, accomplishing its job as an effective punchline rap rather effectively. What do you mean, it's a Main Source album?!. 2. Introducing Nas to future manager Michael Berrin aka MC Serch aka White Bespectacled Dude With Flat Top, who took the management gig after William himself turned it down. Serch then put Nas on his brilliant posse cut, Back To The Grill, where he delivered another similar punchline offering that only served to increase the public's thirst for more Nas.
Important to note though, LP still stayed with his protégé, guiding his steps and, according to Nas himself, helped him hone his lyrical genius a great deal. Which really wasn't that far off, considering LP's own lyrical prowess at the time. More importantly, LP started campaigning heavy to issue a full Nas album. I even heard that him and MC Serch got into an argument about it once, which ended up with LP almost smacking Serch! I didn't know William was that tough! So, MC Serch succeeds in convincing Columbia to issue our hero a single on the Zebrahead OST to test the waters. William didn't need any more than that. Thus, Nas' debut single Halftime was born. Halftime was a roaring success in the midst of a fucking travesty of an OST about the most boring Romeo and Juliet reimagining you can think of. Seriously, what is it with good rap songs associated with horseshit movies? Oh well. Everyone (read: NY) now craved a full Nas album. An album which Nas chose to name after a gangster in his hood whose nickname was immortalized after Tragedy used it first in his 1988 smash The Rebel. I'm referring, of course, to one Illmatic Ice, whom I admittedly don't know anything about aside from this story.
And by the looks of it, the timing couldn't be more perfect, as the East Coast Renaissance was by now in full swing with its landmark releases in 1993. You know the albums I'm talking about. You don't? Really? Dead Serious? 19 Naughty III? Bacdafucup? Midnight Marauders? 36 Chambers? Ring a bell?! Of course there are more albums that are equally important, but I chose to mention those that most people bought back then in hopes that as much people flock into this blog of mine as possible. I digress, this is another opportunity to showcase Mr. Mitchell's crucial status to this album and, more importantly, this genre. For as soon as Columbia greenlit the album, William started rounding up the producers which he thought could vibe well with his boy. And herein lies the key difference between Illmatic's beats and most of Nas' remaining catalog. See, it took the ear of a credible producer like Large Professor to bring the right producers who can collaborate effectively to present a cohesive musical setting, perfect for son to spit his genius on, unlike most of Nas' other albums, because whether he admits it or not, Nas has a shit ear for beats. A problem that has not been fixed to this day. Anyway, William unleashed Nas' second single, It Ain't Hard To Tell, which was the lead single for the album, to the fiending hordes more than a year after Halftime, and that was the last straw. The people had to have Illmatic now.
There can't be anything more to say in introducing this album that better critics & writers haven't already said billions of times, so fuck it, I'm not going to drag this intro on anymore than I already have:
1. THE GENESIS
Despite many people loving this intro, featuring Nas' brother Jungle of Bravehearts infamy and the album's only guest MC, Anthony Cruz aka AZ, this shit remains a useless rap album intro. I don't care if Nas' verse off Live At The Barbeque is playing in the background, a skit is a skit.
2. N.Y. STATE OF MIND
First up, my technical introduction to Nas (which I don't remember really. I was too preoccupied with getting Marcus Reed through his perilous NY voyage alive.) and arguably his most popular song to date. With good fucking reason. DJ Premier, fucking beat wizard that he is, meshes samples from Kool & The Gang, Donald Byrd & that beautiful Joe Chambers piano loop into a masterpiece, one which Nasir reportedly bodies on the first take. His lyrics describing the street thug mentality shows he studied the Tragedy formula well, coming up with his very unique interpretation of said subject matter. It's extremely understated how much Nas was a student of the greats, and how much that approach made him one. A truly magnificent song.
3. LIFE'S A BITCH (FEATURING AZ & OLU DARA)
AZ's debut on wax remains one of the best debuts in hip hop history, no lie. Nas makes damn sure he's not eclipsed on his own shit, and the listener is left to suffer in picking his favorite verse. The two MC's expertly tackle the pursuit of riches from their point of view without waiting for other people's approval, which is essential in this composition's success. L.E.S. brilliantly samples Yearning For Your Love by The Gap Band with a winning cornet solo at the end by Nas' father Olu Dara. Another home run.
4. THE WORLD IS YOURS
Pete Rock is up next, and boy, does his beat take you for a doozy. The Ahmad Jamal piano loop coupled with the evident T La Rock audio sample he combined together is absolutely timeless, and Nas hits us with the metaphors of a kingpin's point of view on material life this time, in crucially vivid detail. One of the best hip hop songs ever made, no lie. Fuck the hook, though. What? I didn't say it was perfect. (Here's a jewel every art fan must digest: No piece of art is flawless.) Moving on.
5. HALFTIME
Nas' first single, and really the first complete taste the fans got from him as to what he can do. So, allow me to state that this is my 2nd most preferred cut on the album. Large Pro lays the blueprint to the other producers on this album for how the beats are to be constructed by ingeniously laying a bass loop from Japanese Hair Cast with splashes of Average White Band throughout and the horns from Gary Byrd's Soul Travellin' Pt. I as the hook. Nas' mission statement is clear: Punchlines that'll knock you out on your backside. He damn well succeeds, injecting some social commentary and self-empowerment in said punchlines. Awesome!
6. MEMORY LANE (SITTIN' IN DA PARK)
DJ Premier exhibits one of many examples of just what makes him highly regarded in this thing of ours by picking a loop that you originally would never think can be flipped into an even decent instrumental. Not only does he do that, the loop is somehow transformed into a time capsule that will transport you to an Autumn afternoon in early 1990s Queensbridge. Nas relishes in such backdrops as he blacks out with a masterclass in MCing: Punchlines, history lessons and introspection all rolled into one beautiful package. These might be the most impressive display of lyricism I've ever come across from Nas. Definitely a highlight.
7. ONE LOVE
Ah yes, the one song off the album that launched a legion of imitations, with some morphing into classics in their own right. Q-Tip, maestro of the first three Tribe albums, (you know, the favorites) samples the Smilin' Billy Suite Pt. II xylophone number by the Heath Brothers. I'm not that crazy over the beat, but I'll admit it's a fitting backdrop for Nas to flesh out the concept of speaking to the incarcerated folk. This is some of the most relevant social commentary ever committed to lyrics.
8. ONE TIME 4 YOUR MIND
William provides his weakest beat on the album, which is still awesome. Hell, by its very lonesome, it still dominates the entire Cash Money catalog. The Walter L sample succeeds as the backdrop to Nas delivering some of the best braggadocio rhymes ever committed to wax.
9. REPRESENT
The final DJ Premier instrumental of the album finds him brilliantly freaking Lee Erwin's Thief Of Baghdad into yet another NY anthem. I'm noticing that this particular 'NY anthem' attribute is prevalent throughout all the songs so far, as each one is a representative of a side of the Rotten Apple. Again, kudos to Large Professor for this album's cohesive sound. Nas ends his lyrical voyage into hood life with the ignorance that always precedes one's downfall, injecting just enough despair to root for our hero but not enough to count him out. Truly a musical triumph.
10. IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL
The album waited until the last track to give you its lead single, which just so happens to be my most preferred Nas cut. Matter of fact, anybody looking for a song most suited to give you the short Nasir Jones tour, look no further than this track. For It Ain't Hard To Tell has the whole package: sick punchlines, intelligent references & a poetic knack that is very rare in any lyrical songwriter. All to the most fitting of LP beats, where son samples Michael Jackson's Human Nature, Kool & The Gang's N.T. and an audio sample from Mountain's Long Red to breathtaking effect. Although, I have to mention that the beat for a previous version, Nas Will Prevail, which uses most of the same sample material, sounds a lot better. All in all, the prime definition of ending the album on a high note.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
To any music fan who's reading this review, I've been waiting to address the following matter for a long time: Debates like what's the best album ever made or who's the best rapper of all time can only be detrimental to the art form even if said art form is built on competition. People keep forgetting that more importantly, hip hop was created as a means to unite. By no means am I saying that there's no dedication, care nor respect required, of course. And that's what hip hop music should be judged by. Fuck it, that's the criteria any musical offering should be judged upon. From founders like Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, The Cold Crush Brothers and the Treacherous Three to pioneers like Public Enemy, The Juice Crew, Ultramagnetic MCs, EPMD, Gang Starr and NWA, not to mention figures like KRS-One & Rakim: All of these acts respected their craft's history and thereby contributed in one way or another to the growth of hip hop music. So how does one do so in my humble opinion? There, at the very least, needs to be an acceptable combination of lyrical ability, musicianship and relevant subject matter. And when all three are available in spades? You have a musical piece suited for the Hip Hop Music Hall Of Fame, and trust me, there is a fucking legion of fully fleshed out albums that fit the bill. Ilmatic just so happens to be one of them. Simply put: Illmatic definitely descends from the aforementioned lineage. The crystallized chemistry between beat and rhyme is undeniably evident and in droves. Large Professor captained the All-Star team into providing the most fitting musical canvases possible for a rapper of Nas' talent to shine on and Nas took that offering as seriously as he possibly could, resulting in a humanly flawed but damn fine work of art that helped hip hop music grow. So is this the greatest hip hop album of all time? Is Nas the greatest MC of all time? No on both accounts. But most importantly, they don't need to be. Because there is NO place in art for such positions, anyway.
WORTH IT?
Everyone who's ever had even a passing interest in hip hop has heard or owned this. Be part of the latter and own yourself a piece of musical history.
TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
DEJA VU
This is probably the most famous unreleased song by Nas. And rightfully so. An unknown producer by the name of Chris Winston provides a haunting beat for Nas to paint the flipside of what he offered on The World Is Yours. And, as every Nas fan already knows, yes: That first verse is his immortal verse on Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse. The other two verses are equally amazing, though. Even his delivery sounds miserably and desperately calm. This was awesome.
UNDERSTANDING
I'm sure Nas fans know this one too. A simple minimalistic beat and Nas is off with another dazzling display of braggadocio. This seems to be released on certain cassette versions of the Bad Boys OST, yet was omitted from later versions and CD pressings. Why U do dat, Columbia?
ONE ON ONE
This is a personal favorite of mine because it's inspired by Street Fighter, and Nas still chose to flip it his own unique way. Even though this was on the horrid 1994 Street Fighter film's OST, a surprisingly varied hip hop offering by Priority. The beat was produce by Chris Large and, hey, it's Mr Freaknasti, whom you might remember as the mysterious producer of Tragedy's The Posse (Shoot 'Em Up). (I still think it's K-Def using a pseudonym, but I may never know for sure) Side note: Whoever thought that adding the noname crooner on here should be piledriven to the concrete floor. And we're done.
More Nas here. And more LP here.
No Nas origin tale is complete without mentioning that one William Paul Mitchell, conducting lectures as the Large Professor at Harvard in The Precise Methods Of Not Selling Out, was instrumental in: 1. Bringing The Nasty One to the public eye on his brilliant posse cut Live At The Barbeque (a track that also unleashed Akinyele, an undisputed-yet-very-underrated punchline legend) off his still-too-underrated-after-24-goddamn-years classic Breaking Atoms in an appearance that, while obviously housing a style that descended from the Intelligent Hoodlum school of thuggery, nevertheless blew my mind, accomplishing its job as an effective punchline rap rather effectively. What do you mean, it's a Main Source album?!. 2. Introducing Nas to future manager Michael Berrin aka MC Serch aka White Bespectacled Dude With Flat Top, who took the management gig after William himself turned it down. Serch then put Nas on his brilliant posse cut, Back To The Grill, where he delivered another similar punchline offering that only served to increase the public's thirst for more Nas.
Important to note though, LP still stayed with his protégé, guiding his steps and, according to Nas himself, helped him hone his lyrical genius a great deal. Which really wasn't that far off, considering LP's own lyrical prowess at the time. More importantly, LP started campaigning heavy to issue a full Nas album. I even heard that him and MC Serch got into an argument about it once, which ended up with LP almost smacking Serch! I didn't know William was that tough! So, MC Serch succeeds in convincing Columbia to issue our hero a single on the Zebrahead OST to test the waters. William didn't need any more than that. Thus, Nas' debut single Halftime was born. Halftime was a roaring success in the midst of a fucking travesty of an OST about the most boring Romeo and Juliet reimagining you can think of. Seriously, what is it with good rap songs associated with horseshit movies? Oh well. Everyone (read: NY) now craved a full Nas album. An album which Nas chose to name after a gangster in his hood whose nickname was immortalized after Tragedy used it first in his 1988 smash The Rebel. I'm referring, of course, to one Illmatic Ice, whom I admittedly don't know anything about aside from this story.
And by the looks of it, the timing couldn't be more perfect, as the East Coast Renaissance was by now in full swing with its landmark releases in 1993. You know the albums I'm talking about. You don't? Really? Dead Serious? 19 Naughty III? Bacdafucup? Midnight Marauders? 36 Chambers? Ring a bell?! Of course there are more albums that are equally important, but I chose to mention those that most people bought back then in hopes that as much people flock into this blog of mine as possible. I digress, this is another opportunity to showcase Mr. Mitchell's crucial status to this album and, more importantly, this genre. For as soon as Columbia greenlit the album, William started rounding up the producers which he thought could vibe well with his boy. And herein lies the key difference between Illmatic's beats and most of Nas' remaining catalog. See, it took the ear of a credible producer like Large Professor to bring the right producers who can collaborate effectively to present a cohesive musical setting, perfect for son to spit his genius on, unlike most of Nas' other albums, because whether he admits it or not, Nas has a shit ear for beats. A problem that has not been fixed to this day. Anyway, William unleashed Nas' second single, It Ain't Hard To Tell, which was the lead single for the album, to the fiending hordes more than a year after Halftime, and that was the last straw. The people had to have Illmatic now.
There can't be anything more to say in introducing this album that better critics & writers haven't already said billions of times, so fuck it, I'm not going to drag this intro on anymore than I already have:
1. THE GENESIS
Despite many people loving this intro, featuring Nas' brother Jungle of Bravehearts infamy and the album's only guest MC, Anthony Cruz aka AZ, this shit remains a useless rap album intro. I don't care if Nas' verse off Live At The Barbeque is playing in the background, a skit is a skit.
2. N.Y. STATE OF MIND
First up, my technical introduction to Nas (which I don't remember really. I was too preoccupied with getting Marcus Reed through his perilous NY voyage alive.) and arguably his most popular song to date. With good fucking reason. DJ Premier, fucking beat wizard that he is, meshes samples from Kool & The Gang, Donald Byrd & that beautiful Joe Chambers piano loop into a masterpiece, one which Nasir reportedly bodies on the first take. His lyrics describing the street thug mentality shows he studied the Tragedy formula well, coming up with his very unique interpretation of said subject matter. It's extremely understated how much Nas was a student of the greats, and how much that approach made him one. A truly magnificent song.
3. LIFE'S A BITCH (FEATURING AZ & OLU DARA)
AZ's debut on wax remains one of the best debuts in hip hop history, no lie. Nas makes damn sure he's not eclipsed on his own shit, and the listener is left to suffer in picking his favorite verse. The two MC's expertly tackle the pursuit of riches from their point of view without waiting for other people's approval, which is essential in this composition's success. L.E.S. brilliantly samples Yearning For Your Love by The Gap Band with a winning cornet solo at the end by Nas' father Olu Dara. Another home run.
4. THE WORLD IS YOURS
Pete Rock is up next, and boy, does his beat take you for a doozy. The Ahmad Jamal piano loop coupled with the evident T La Rock audio sample he combined together is absolutely timeless, and Nas hits us with the metaphors of a kingpin's point of view on material life this time, in crucially vivid detail. One of the best hip hop songs ever made, no lie. Fuck the hook, though. What? I didn't say it was perfect. (Here's a jewel every art fan must digest: No piece of art is flawless.) Moving on.
5. HALFTIME
Nas' first single, and really the first complete taste the fans got from him as to what he can do. So, allow me to state that this is my 2nd most preferred cut on the album. Large Pro lays the blueprint to the other producers on this album for how the beats are to be constructed by ingeniously laying a bass loop from Japanese Hair Cast with splashes of Average White Band throughout and the horns from Gary Byrd's Soul Travellin' Pt. I as the hook. Nas' mission statement is clear: Punchlines that'll knock you out on your backside. He damn well succeeds, injecting some social commentary and self-empowerment in said punchlines. Awesome!
6. MEMORY LANE (SITTIN' IN DA PARK)
DJ Premier exhibits one of many examples of just what makes him highly regarded in this thing of ours by picking a loop that you originally would never think can be flipped into an even decent instrumental. Not only does he do that, the loop is somehow transformed into a time capsule that will transport you to an Autumn afternoon in early 1990s Queensbridge. Nas relishes in such backdrops as he blacks out with a masterclass in MCing: Punchlines, history lessons and introspection all rolled into one beautiful package. These might be the most impressive display of lyricism I've ever come across from Nas. Definitely a highlight.
7. ONE LOVE
Ah yes, the one song off the album that launched a legion of imitations, with some morphing into classics in their own right. Q-Tip, maestro of the first three Tribe albums, (you know, the favorites) samples the Smilin' Billy Suite Pt. II xylophone number by the Heath Brothers. I'm not that crazy over the beat, but I'll admit it's a fitting backdrop for Nas to flesh out the concept of speaking to the incarcerated folk. This is some of the most relevant social commentary ever committed to lyrics.
8. ONE TIME 4 YOUR MIND
William provides his weakest beat on the album, which is still awesome. Hell, by its very lonesome, it still dominates the entire Cash Money catalog. The Walter L sample succeeds as the backdrop to Nas delivering some of the best braggadocio rhymes ever committed to wax.
9. REPRESENT
The final DJ Premier instrumental of the album finds him brilliantly freaking Lee Erwin's Thief Of Baghdad into yet another NY anthem. I'm noticing that this particular 'NY anthem' attribute is prevalent throughout all the songs so far, as each one is a representative of a side of the Rotten Apple. Again, kudos to Large Professor for this album's cohesive sound. Nas ends his lyrical voyage into hood life with the ignorance that always precedes one's downfall, injecting just enough despair to root for our hero but not enough to count him out. Truly a musical triumph.
10. IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL
The album waited until the last track to give you its lead single, which just so happens to be my most preferred Nas cut. Matter of fact, anybody looking for a song most suited to give you the short Nasir Jones tour, look no further than this track. For It Ain't Hard To Tell has the whole package: sick punchlines, intelligent references & a poetic knack that is very rare in any lyrical songwriter. All to the most fitting of LP beats, where son samples Michael Jackson's Human Nature, Kool & The Gang's N.T. and an audio sample from Mountain's Long Red to breathtaking effect. Although, I have to mention that the beat for a previous version, Nas Will Prevail, which uses most of the same sample material, sounds a lot better. All in all, the prime definition of ending the album on a high note.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
To any music fan who's reading this review, I've been waiting to address the following matter for a long time: Debates like what's the best album ever made or who's the best rapper of all time can only be detrimental to the art form even if said art form is built on competition. People keep forgetting that more importantly, hip hop was created as a means to unite. By no means am I saying that there's no dedication, care nor respect required, of course. And that's what hip hop music should be judged by. Fuck it, that's the criteria any musical offering should be judged upon. From founders like Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, The Cold Crush Brothers and the Treacherous Three to pioneers like Public Enemy, The Juice Crew, Ultramagnetic MCs, EPMD, Gang Starr and NWA, not to mention figures like KRS-One & Rakim: All of these acts respected their craft's history and thereby contributed in one way or another to the growth of hip hop music. So how does one do so in my humble opinion? There, at the very least, needs to be an acceptable combination of lyrical ability, musicianship and relevant subject matter. And when all three are available in spades? You have a musical piece suited for the Hip Hop Music Hall Of Fame, and trust me, there is a fucking legion of fully fleshed out albums that fit the bill. Ilmatic just so happens to be one of them. Simply put: Illmatic definitely descends from the aforementioned lineage. The crystallized chemistry between beat and rhyme is undeniably evident and in droves. Large Professor captained the All-Star team into providing the most fitting musical canvases possible for a rapper of Nas' talent to shine on and Nas took that offering as seriously as he possibly could, resulting in a humanly flawed but damn fine work of art that helped hip hop music grow. So is this the greatest hip hop album of all time? Is Nas the greatest MC of all time? No on both accounts. But most importantly, they don't need to be. Because there is NO place in art for such positions, anyway.
WORTH IT?
Everyone who's ever had even a passing interest in hip hop has heard or owned this. Be part of the latter and own yourself a piece of musical history.
TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
DEJA VU
This is probably the most famous unreleased song by Nas. And rightfully so. An unknown producer by the name of Chris Winston provides a haunting beat for Nas to paint the flipside of what he offered on The World Is Yours. And, as every Nas fan already knows, yes: That first verse is his immortal verse on Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse. The other two verses are equally amazing, though. Even his delivery sounds miserably and desperately calm. This was awesome.
UNDERSTANDING
I'm sure Nas fans know this one too. A simple minimalistic beat and Nas is off with another dazzling display of braggadocio. This seems to be released on certain cassette versions of the Bad Boys OST, yet was omitted from later versions and CD pressings. Why U do dat, Columbia?
ONE ON ONE
This is a personal favorite of mine because it's inspired by Street Fighter, and Nas still chose to flip it his own unique way. Even though this was on the horrid 1994 Street Fighter film's OST, a surprisingly varied hip hop offering by Priority. The beat was produce by Chris Large and, hey, it's Mr Freaknasti, whom you might remember as the mysterious producer of Tragedy's The Posse (Shoot 'Em Up). (I still think it's K-Def using a pseudonym, but I may never know for sure) Side note: Whoever thought that adding the noname crooner on here should be piledriven to the concrete floor. And we're done.
More Nas here. And more LP here.
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