Certain albums feel like both a pinnacle and a culmination of the environment which bore them, Illmatic is such an album. This, Nas’ first and best work, embodies all that is great about East Coast rap. His rhymes evoke the street realism of KRS-One, whilst the album’s beats continue the jazzy lineage of the Native Tongues Posse. By reinterpreting these influences through heartfelt stories of his formative years in the projects of Queens Bridge, New York, Nas produced ten of the most emotive yet hard edged Hip-Hop tracks of the golden age.To say Nas’ lyrics are incisive is a damnable understatement, his words are intense, dark and laced with wisdom far beyond his years (he was a mere 19 at the time of its release). From ‘N.Y. State of Mind’ with its haunting refrain “Inhale deep/ Like the words of my breath/I never sleep/For sleep is the cousin of death”, to the nostalgic ‘Memory Lane’ which mourns the absence of his slain friends, Illmatic is occasionally shocking yet always profound. If any emcee deserves the accolade ‘poet’ it is Nas.
From the slick horns of ‘Life’s A Bitch’ to the rolling keys of ‘The World is Yours’ as each song ends it seems to knowingly fade into Hip-Hop history. Although it’s been 15 years since its release, Illmatic really hasn’t dated at all, and as long as it remains relevant, so will Nas.
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