Illmatic

Illmatic is the debut album of rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording and Battery Studios in New York City. Illmatic features production from Main Source member Large Professor, DJ Pete Rock of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, as well as a guest appearance from East New York, Brooklyn rapper AZ. The album has been noted by critics for its inner city narratives and Nas' unique lyrical ability.

In its first week of release, Illmatic debuted on the Billboard 200 at #12, while selling 59,000 copies. On December 11, 2001, it was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, and, as of that month, the album sold 3,000 copies a week in the United States. Since its initial critical acclaim upon release, the album has been recognized as one of the quintessential hip hop recordings of the 1990s, while its rankings at or near the top of many publications' "best album" lists in disparate genres has given Illmatic the reputation as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

Conception

Background

Illmatics origins lie in Nas' ties with Large Professor. At fifteen, Nas met the seventeen-year old producer from Flushing, Queens, and was introduced to Main Source, a hip hop group of which Large Professor was a member. Nas made his recorded debut with Main Source, recording a verse on "Live at the Barbeque", from Main Source's 1991 album Breaking Atoms. Nas later made his solo debut in the 1992 single "Halftime" from MC Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. The single added to the buzz surrounding Nas, earning him comparisons to Rakim, an influential trendsetter in golden age hip hop. Despite the substantial buzz this collaboration generated for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper struggled to gain a record contract, and was rejected by major rap labels such as Cold Chillin' Records and Def Jam Recordings.

Meanwhile, the group 3rd Bass had dissolved, and MC Serch, a former member of the group, began working on a solo project. In mid-1992, Serch approached Nas. At the suggestion of producer T-Ray, Serch collaborated with Nas for "Back to the Grill", the lead single for Serch's solo album, Return of the Product. At the recording session of this song, Serch discovered that Nas did not have a recording contract and, as a result, he contacted Faith Newman, an A&R executive at Sony Music Entertainment. As Serch recounted:

Once Serch assumed the role of executive producer for Nas’ upcoming debut album, he attempted to connect Nas with various producers. Based on what they had already heard, numerous New York-based producers were eager to work with him and eventually entered the Power House Studios with Nas. Among these producers was DJ Premier.

Recording

Serch later noted the chemistry between Nas and DJ Premier, recounting that "Primo and Nas, they could have been separated at birth. It wasn't a situation where his beats fit their rhymes, they fit each other." While Serch contacted DJ Premier, Large Professor contacted Pete Rock to collaborate with Nas on a song that would ultimately be entitled "The World Is Yours". Shortly afterwards, New York producers Q-Tip and L.E.S. also gained the opportunity to work with Nas. Nas' father, Olu Dara, also contributed to the album. His cornet solo and rapper AZ's vocals were mixed with Nas' rapping in "Life's a Bitch". Throughout the recording, expectations for Illmatic were high, as shown by a quote from AZ:

DJ Premier also had this to say about the recording of "N.Y. State Of Mind":

In an early promotional interview, Nas claimed that the name "Illmatic" (meaning "beyond ill" or "the ultimate") was a reference to his incarcerated Queensbridge friend, Illmatic Ice. With the majority of the album recorded, DJ Premier contributed one last song before its completion. With the recording work over, the finished album was released on April 19, 1994. The album cover features a picture of Nas as a child, taken after his father, musician Olu Dara returned home from an overseas tour. The original cover was to feature Nas holding Jesus Christ in a headlock. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, on Raekwon's 1995 debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., criticized the cover of The Notorious B.I.G's Ready to Die (released a few months after Illmatic) for featuring a picture of a baby with an afro, implying that his cover had stolen the idea from Nas.

Music

Content

Part of the reason for Illmatics acclaim was the discerning treatment of its subject matter: gang rivalries, desolation, and the ravages of urban poverty. Nas, who was nineteen years old when the album was recorded, realistically depicts the darker side of urbanity, creating highly detailed first-person narratives that deconstruct the troubling lives of inner city teenagers. These narratives originate from Nas' own experiences in his hometown of Queensbridge, as the lyrics and the album cover both allude to the housing projects located in Long Island City section of Queens, New York. According to one columnist:

The intro, "Genesis", starts with an audio sample of the "Subway Theme" from the 1982 movie Wild Style, the first major hip hop motion picture. Nas made another ode to Wild Style, while shooting the music video for his single, "It Ain't Hard To Tell", on the same stage as the finale scene for the film. Nas' debut, "Live at the Barbeque" is played in the background of "Genesis". On "One Love", Nas writes a series of letters to a friend in prison, recounting several mutual acquaintances and the events that have occurred since the receiver's imprisonment. And in "N.Y. State of Mind", Nas recounts his participation in gang violence, and philosophizes that "Life is parallel to Hell, but I must maintain". The song focuses on a mind state that one can only truly have if they are raised in New York City. In other songs, Nas celebrates life's pleasures and achievements, acknowledging violence as a feature of his socio-economic conditions rather than the focus of his life.

The New York Times noted that Nas "imbues his chronicle with humanity and humor, not just hardness ... [He] reports violence without celebrating it, dwelling on the way life triumphs over grim circumstances rather than the other way around." And Time magazine praised the "submerged emotion" on Illmatic, calling the album a "wake-up call to [Nas]'s listeners."

Lyrics

Along with its powerful narratives, Illmatic gained acclaim for its lyrical substance. As Marc Lamont Hill of PopMatters writes: "Nas' complex rhyme patterns, clever word play, and impressive vocab took the art [of rapping] to previously unprecedented heights. Building on the pioneering work of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim, tracks like 'Halftime' and the laid back 'One Time 4 Your Mind' demonstrated a [high] level of technical precision and rhetorical dexterity". Hill cites "Memory Lane" as "an exemplar of flawless lyricism":

I rap for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners
Hennessy holders and old school niggas, then I be dissin a
Unofficial that smoke woolie thai
I dropped out of Cooley High, gassed up by a cokehead cutie pie
Jungle survivor, fuck who's the liver
My man put the battery in my back, a difference from Energizer
Sentence begins indented, with formality
My duration's infinite, money-wise or physiology
Poetry, that's a part of me, retardedly bop
I drop the ancient manifested hip-hop, straight off the block
I reminisce on park jams, my man was shot for his sheep coat
Childhood lesson made me see him drop in my weed smoke

Production

Illmatic also gained praise for its production. According to critics, the album's four major producers (Large Professor, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip) extensively contributed to the cohesive atmospheric aesthetic that permeated the album, while still retaining each's individual, trademark sound. Q magazine noted that "the musical backdrops are razor sharp; hard beats but with melodic hooks and loops, atmospheric background piano, strings or muted trumpet, and samples ... A potent treat." With regards to Illmatics production, one columnist wrote: "The production, accentuated by infectious organ loop[s], vocal sample[s], and synthesizer-like pads in the background, places your mind in a cheerful, reminiscent, mood...A substantial reason for its phenomenal quality...can be attributed to..the most accomplished and consistently excellent music producers."

The assembly of producers DJ Premier, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and Large Professor on a single project was unprecedented in hip hop music, since most hip hop albums had been primarily the work of one dedicated hip hop production team. According to one columnist: "Nas' Illmatic, widely considered one of the best albums in any genre made during the past two decades, is the first to draw together top hip hop producers in the recording industry.

Critical acclaim

Several critics immediately hailed Illmatic as a masterpiece, and is one of the most celebrated and influential albums in hip hop history. Illmatic redefined the musical milieu of East Coast hip hop in the mid-1990s, resulting in a renewed focus on lyricism and in the revival of the Queensbridge rap scene. In spite of this, the initial record sales fell below expectations. Although some criticized the album for its brevity (it contained only nine songs and one skit; unusual for a hip hop album), the general reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Pitchfork Media listed the album at number thirty-three in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". As one of the website's writers, Hartley Goldstein asserts: "Illmatic is the meticulously crafted essence of everything that makes hip-hop music great; it's practically a sonic strand of the genre's DNA. It was listed as one of thirty-three hip hop/R&B albums in Rolling Stones "Essential Recordings of the 90s". Illmatic was voted number five in "The Critics Top 100 Black Music Albums of All Time" and number three in the Hip Hop Connection magazine's "Top 100 Readers Poll". The album was also ranked number four in Vibe magazine's "Top 10 Rap Albums", and number two in MTV's "The Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time".

The Source awarded Illmatic five mics out of five, a prestigious achievement given the magazine's influence in the hip hop community at the time. This was somewhat controversial, since it was unheard of for a debuting artist to receive a coveted rating. Reginald Dennis, former music editor of the magazine and XXL co-founder, stated:

In the November 2003 Rolling Stone publication of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the magazine ranked Illmatic number 400 on their list, which only included seven other hip-hop/rap albums.

Influence

East Coast hip hop

Illmatic represents one of the most influential hip hop albums of the mid-1990s, and hip hop pundits consider it an archetypal East Coast hip hop album. Adam Heimlich of the New York Press claimed that "Nas's heralded debut was an explosive, explicit rejection of the cultural assimilation of most previous hip-hop."

Along with the critical acclaim of the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) and the critical and commercial success of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die (1994), Illmatic was instrumental in restoring interest in the East Coast hip hop scene, while shifting the emphasis away from the melodious, synth-driven, and funk-induced West Coast G-funk (which dominated the charts for some time after Dr. Dre's The Chronic). Though initial sales were low, Illmatic went platinum in 2001. As Allmusic's Steve Huey writes: "It helped spearhead the artistic renaissance of New York hip hop in the post-Chronic era, leading a return to street aesthetics."

David Drake of Stylus Magazine wrote, "hip hop was on the come-up in '94. Everything that had been building in terms of production and rapping came to an apex in '94, the year that brought us both Notorious B.I.G.'s epic debut Ready to Die and Nas' trenchant street reflections on Illmatic...This was the critical point for the East Coast, a time when rappers from the New York area were releasing bucketloads of thrilling work". As Nas later recounted: "It felt amazing to be accepted by New York City in that way...at the time a lot of West Coast [hip-hop] was selling; East Coast wasn't selling as much, especially for a new artist. So back then you couldn't tell in the sales, but you could tell in the streets".

Illmatic is also credited with reviving the Queensbridge rap scene. Once home to prestigious pioneers such as Marley Marl, MC Shan, Roxanne Shanté, Queensbridge had been one of the most productive hip hop scenes in the country during the 1980s, yet it was otherwise stagnant during the early-1990s. According to Nas: "I was coming from the legacy of Marley Marl, MC Shan, Juice Crew kind of vibe. Knowing these guys out in the neighborhood. At that time, the Queensbridge scene was dead. Dropping that album right there said a lot for me to carry on the legacy of the Queensbridge pioneers." In an April 2006 article, an XXL columnist wrote of the history and impact of the Queensbridge hip hop scene:

Following Illmatic's release, Queensbridge returned to prominence after years of obscurity, with the ascendancy of the influential hardcore rap group, Mobb Deep (who gained credibility due to their affiliation with Nas) and later with the emergence of the trend-setting duo, Capone-n-Noreaga. Furthermore, the album is credited with launching the career of the Brooklyn-based rapper, AZ. AZ, who gained instant exposure and underground credibility due to his appearance on "Life's a Bitch", became a frequent collaborator of Nas.

Hip hop artist and childhood friend Havoc reflecting on Illmatic in 2004:

Lyricism

Despite its initial low sales, Illmatic made a profound impact on the burgeoning hip hop underground circuit, and marked a major stylistic change in hip hop music by introducing a new standard of lyricism. Before the album's release, hip hop lyricism was mostly defined by two popular forms. One was characterized by a fast-paced ragga-flow accompanied with a whimsical, often nonsensical lyrical delivery, and had been popularized by the Brooklyn-based groups Das EFX and The Fu-Schnickens. The other was characterized by a slurred "lazy drawl" that sacrificed lyrical complexity for clarity and rhythmic cadence, and was exemplified by West Coast hip hop artists such as Snoop Dogg. However, Illmatic's rhythmically-immaculate verbal pace and intricate, multi-syllabic internal rhyme patterns, inspired several rappers to modify their rapping abilities — bringing a renewed focus on lyricism to hip hop. According to musicologist and pianist Guthrie P. Ramsey of the University of Pennsylvania, "It set a benchmark for rappers in an artistic field consumed by constantly shifting notions of 'realness', authenticity, and artistic credibility."

Decline of alternative hip hop

Illmatic was one of the earliest phenomena in East Coast hip hop music that distinguished the burgeoning hardcore hip hop scene from the alternative hip hop acts of the early-1990s. Recorded while East Coast hip hop was dominated by the jazz influences of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, and the Afrocentric stylings of Brand Nubian and X Clan, the album roughly delineates the end of golden age hip hop (1989 – 1996) and the emergence of Mafioso rap, which flourished during the mid-1990s following the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995). Yet as Adam Heimlich writes: "In 1994, there appeared likely to be more money (and definitely more cultural rewards) in working with Arrested Development or Digable Planets." Although the album contains strong elements of jazz rap and alternative hip hop, Steve Huey credits Illmatic with marking "the beginning of a shift away from Native Tongues-inspired alternative rap" towards future hardcore hip hop artists such as Raekwon and Mobb Deep. Furthermore, Adam Heimlich writes: "[Nas] came on the scene as hardcore's golden child. Along with Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and Mobb Deep all but invented 90s New York rap, back when the notion of an 'East Coast gangsta' still meant Schoolly D or Kool G. Rap. Those three ... designed the manner and style in which New York artists would address what Snoop and Dre had made rap's hottest topics: drugs and violence."

Hip hop artists

Several respected mainstream and underground rappers have acknowledged Illmatics influence. These wide range of artists include the battle rappers, SunN.Y. and Reef The Lost Cauze, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, and Saigon, the producers Just Blaze and Alchemist, as well as the platinum-selling rappers Eminem (who adopted a similar lyrical approach on his album, Infinite) and The Game, who makes references to the album on his debut, The Documentary. In his collaboration with Nas, "Hustlers", The Game made another ode towards Illmatic:

1995, eleven years from the day
I'm in the record shop with choices to make
Illmatic on the top shelf, The Chronic on the left, homie
Wanna cop both but only got a twenty on me
So fuck it, I stole both, spent the twenty on a dub-sack
Ripped the package of Illmatic and bumped that
For my niggas it was too complex when Nas rhymed
I was the only Compton nigga with a New York State of Mind

On XXL's website, Illmatic was featured in a list of acclaimed hip hop albums, compiled by Clipse. Malice, a member of the hip hop duo, claimed: "Illmatic captured the whole New York state of mind for me. It embraced everything I knew New York to be. The album had 10 songs, all of them flawless. Me and my homies got great memories of rolling around listening to that, huslin', smokin', chillin'. That embodied everything that was right with hip-hop. That CD never came out my deck."

Lyrics from Illmatic have also been sampled by other rappers, including Big L's "Ebonics" (which samples "It Ain't Hard to Tell"), Milkbone's "Keep It Real" (which samples "Life's a Bitch"), Real Live's "Real Live Shit" (which samples "It Ain't Hard to Tell"), and most notably, Blu & Exile's "In Remembrance" (which samples "The World Is Yours" and "One Love") and Jay-Z's "Rap Game/Crack Game" (which samples "Represent") and "Dead Presidents II" (which samples "The World Is Yours"). Common's critically acclaimed album, Be, has been said to have been molded after Illmatic.

Later Nas albums

While Illmatics success helped Nas' infant career immeasurably, hip hop aficionados have cited it as his inextricable "gift and curse". Due to the critical fame of his debut, Nas' subsequent albums have been weighed against Illmatic. Against this standard, they are often critically deemed as mediocre follow-ups. For instance, while Nas' second album, It Was Written, received favorable reviews, it is generally agreed that it failed to live up to the classic status of Illmatic. Many fans of Illmatic labeled Nas' subsequent efforts as 'selling out', due to his crossover sensibilities (e.g. his participation with the hip hop group The Firm) and his radio-friendly hits aimed at the pop charts, such as "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" and "Hate Me Now". When Nas released I Am... and Nastradamus in 1999, many feared that his career was deteriorating, as both albums received further criticism for their commercially-oriented sound (the latter was especially maligned by critics). Reflecting this widespread perception in the hip hop community, Jay-Z mocked Nas in "Takeover" for having a "one hot album [Illmatic] every ten year average". Nas, however, made something of a comeback with his 2001 Stillmatic, and his subsequent albums have tended to receive more positive reviews. Nevertheless, most fans still regard Illmatic as his definitive album.

Track listing

#	Title	Length	Performer(s)	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Samples	Year Recorded
1	"The Genesis"	1:45	Nas	Nasir Jones Fred Brathwaite		"Live at the Barbeque" as performed by Main Source "Subway Theme" as performed by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and Chris Stein of Blondie, from the motion picture Wild Style (1982) "Train Sequence" by Geoffrey Sumer.	1993
2	"N.Y. State of Mind"	4:54	Nas	Nasir Jones Chris Martin	DJ Premier	"Mind Rain" as performed and written by Joe Chambers "Flight Time" as performed by Donald Byrd "Mahogany" as performed by Eric B. & Rakim	1992
3	"Life's a Bitch"	3:30	Nas Additional vocals by AZ Cornet by Olu Dara	Anthony Cruz Lashan David Lewis Olu Dara Nasir Jones Ronnie Wilson Oliver Scott	L.E.S.	"Yearning for Your Love" as performed by The Gap Band "Black Frost" as performed by Grover Washington Jr.	1993
4	"The World Is Yours"	4:50	Nas Additional vocals by Pete Rock (chorus)	Nasir Jones Pete Phillips	Pete Rock	"I Love Music" performed by Ahmad Jamal "It's Yours" performed by T La Rock	1992
5	"Halftime"	4:20	Nas	Gary Byrd Nasir Jones W.P. Mitchell	Large Professor	"Dead End" from the Hair Original Soundtrack (Japanese Release) "Soul Travelin'" by Gary Byrd "School Boy Crush" by Average White Band	1992
6	"Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)"	4:08	Nas	P. Barsella Nasir Jones Chris Martin Reuben Wilson	DJ Premier	"We're in Love" as performed by Reuben Wilson "Pickin' Boogers" by Biz Markie "Droppin' Science" by Craig G "Get out of My Life, Woman" by Lee Dorsey	1992
7	"One Love"	5:25	Nas Additional vocals by Q-Tip (chorus)	Jonathan Davis Nasir Jones Jimmy Heath	Q-Tip	"Smilin' Billy Suite Pt. II" as performed by The Heath Brothers "Mixed Up Cup" as performed by Clyde McPhatter "Come in out of the Rain" as performed by Parliament	1992
8	"One Time 4 Your Mind"	3:18	Nas	Nasir Jones W.P. Mitchell	Large Professor	"Walter L" as written by Gary Burton	1993
9	"Represent"	4:12	Nas	Nasir Jones Chris Martin	DJ Premier	"The Thief of Baghdad" by Lee Erwin	1992
10	"It Ain't Hard to Tell"	3:22	Nas	Nasir Jones W.P. Mitchell	Large Professor	"Human Nature" by Michael Jackson, written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro "N.T." as performed by Kool & the Gang "Long Red" as performed by Mountain "Why Can't People Be Colors Too?" by Whatnauts "Slow Dance" by Stanley Clarke "What Do You Want from Me Woman" by The Blue Jays "Sorcerer of Isis" by Power of Zeus	1992

Anniversary edition

In 2004, a 10th Anniversary Edition of Illmatic contained a second disc of bonus songs.

#	Title	Length	Performer(s)	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Samples
1	"Life's a Bitch (remix)"	3:00	Nas Additional vocals by AZ (first verse)	Nasir Jones Dana Stinson	Rockwilder	"Close the Door" as performed by Teddy Pendergrass, written by Gamble and Huff
2	"The World Is Yours (remix)"	3:56	Nas	Nasir Jones Kenny Rankin Omar Glover Tony Aviles M. Fortunato	Vibesmen	"I Love You" as performed and written by Kenny Rankin "At My Most Beautiful" as performed by R.E.M.
3	"One Love (remix)"	5:09	Nas	Nasir Jones Nick Loftin Thom Bell Deniece Williams	Nick Fury	"Waiting by the Hotline" as performed by Deniece Williams, written by Thom Bell and Deniece Williams
4	"It Ain't Hard to Tell (remix)"	3:26	Nas	Nasir Jones Nick Loftin	Nick Fury	"Nobody Beats the Biz" as performed by Biz Markie
5	"On the Real"	3:26	Nas	Nasir Jones Marlon Williams Isaac Hayes David Porter	Marley Marl	"Move Over" by The Soul Children, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter "One Love" by Nas
6	"Star Wars"	4:08	Nas	Nasir Jones Paul Mitchell David Axelrod John Williams	Large Professor	"Utilizes the beat from "Hip Hop" by Large Professor" "Ken Russell" by David Axelrod "Imperial March (Darth Vader Theme)" by John Williams

Chart history

Album

Charts (1994)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	12
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	2

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
Year	Single	Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	Hot Rap Tracks
1994	"It Ain't Hard to Tell"	91	57	13
	"The World Is Yours"	114	67	27
	"Life's a Bitch"	—	—	—
	"One Love"	—	106	24

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Personnel

Musicians

Additional personnel

Notes

References

Alan Light; et al. (1999). The Vibe History of Hip Hop. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80503-7.
Kool Moe Dee.; Chuck D. (2003). There's a God on the Mic. Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-533-1.
Sacha Jenkins; et al. (1999). Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24298-0.