Let’s not bury the lead here. Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic is one of the most honestly authentic albums I have ever listened to. It is strikingly personal. There isn’t a single track, let alone a single bar, that feels out of place or begrudgingly coerced to fit into a specific theme. It’s as raw and real as an album can get. And Nas’ ownership of that narrative makes it an absolute must-listen.
Plenty of ink has been spilled on Illmatic and its impact since it was released 30 years ago, so I’ll defer any history lesson to the extensive Nas “Illmatic” Wikipedia page. It is a must read. In particular, I thought the commentary from Marc Lamont Hill, Common, Kenny Waste, and Imani Perry were all especially poignant.
What I will say is this– when Nas describes his experience growing up in Queens, he does so with surgical clarity and objective observation. This is not a celebration of his life choices, nor is it a dismissal of his current station. It is simply a diary of the life of Nas the individual, translated into a third-person narrative by Nas the rapper, and ultimately compiled into a collection of short-stories by Nas the artist that is cohesive and filled with conviction. Nas is an artist who has the distinct ability to distill and summarize a solitary first-hand account of his life and make it feel as if it was collectively written by millions of people all at once.
Where I think Illmatic ultimately stands alone is its unique ability to describe the irrefutable violence in Nas’ everyday life while a) avoiding celebrating the horrors he experiences (i.e. violence is not explicitly glorified) and b) avoiding placing judgement on the actions people ultimately take as a means to survive (i.e. violence is not dismissed arbitrarily). In other words, Nas describes the dark reality of his day-to-day experience while always expressing hope for brighter days. And that’s something I believe everyone can always get behind.
Illmatic is a work of art. You feel, and hear, and smell, and taste, and experience the entirety of Queensbridge Projects in every moment of this album. It’s a remarkable achievement, and one that few artists have been able to replicate since.
Standout Songs: “The World is Yours”, “N.Y. State of Mind”, “Represent”
