Hip-hop

The review that everyone HAS to do. If you review albums then you can’t skip over this album. Back when The Source was credible this album received the first ever five mic rating. At the time, The Source had a strict “no 5’s” rule implemented, under the assumption that nothing could ever be perfect. Then this album dropped and got given five mics. That alone is enough to make it classic. Of course, I’m talking about Nas and his debut album, Illmatic.

The album starts out with an intro, showcasing Nas’s verse from “Live At The Barbeque”, his verse on that Main Source track created a huge amount of hype ‘n subsequent appearances on a couple of other records helped intensify that hype. After the intro, “NY State of Mind” hit.

Woah. If there was ever a rapper-producer combination perfectly fit for one another, it has to be Nas and DJ Premier. Premier just kills it on the production tip with the grimiest hardest drums you’re ever likely to hear. Add a pounding piano loop and you’ve got one of the dopest dirty beats ever dropped. Rappers can detract from the beat, as shown on the Group Home album Living Proof, yet Nas compliments the beat perfectly. He murders it lyrically and the flow is flawless as well. Add a sampled sound clip from Rakim and you’ve got a classic track to start the album out with.

Many albums wouldn’t have been able to follow that, “NY State of Mind” would have overshadowed many other albums. Yet nice track after nice track follows. “Life’s A Bitch” comes after “NY State of Mind” and it’s a totally different mood. Variety is another big plus on this album. AZ rips a Godly verse to start out the track and Nas matches it. The chorus is catchy and a interpolation of Nas’ father playing trumpet closes the track out.

“The World Is Yours” features a bouncy Pete Rock beat, which Nas murders. “Halftime” follows and it’s a track perfectly suited to showcasing Nas’ lyrical arsenal. He spits plenty of quotables until “Memory Lane” comes next, another DJ Premier beat. This is wholly different to “NY State of Mind” as it’s more laid back and chill, yet Nas still rides it perfectly and it’s another great track. “One Love” lets Nas show off his storytelling ability, in the form of a letter to his homie in prison. The attention to detail is lovely and the beat, this time by Q-Tip, again fits Nas perfectly. “One Time 4 Your Mind” produced by Large Professor is next up, which is nice again. “Represent” features DJ Premier again with another grimy type track before the album is closed out by “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”, which utilises a Michael Jackson sample to perfection.

Perfection? Probably the closest an album will get. Cop this, buy this, download this, just make sure you get it. If you haven’t then you’re either new to hip-hop or you’re SERIOUSLY flagging.