| Illmatic | 
 enlarge | Artist: Nas
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $5.32
You Save: $6.66 (56%)
New (37) Used (23) from $3.61
Avg. Customer Rating:  570 reviews
Sales Rank: 3483
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 57684
UPC: 746457684270
EAN: 0074645768427
ASIN: B0000029GA
Release Date: April 19, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | The Genesis - Nas, Braithwaite, F. | | • | N.Y. State of Mind - Nas, Martin, C | | • | Life's a Bitch - Nas, Jones, N. | | • | The World Is Yours - Nas, Phillips, P. | | • | Halftime - Nas, Mitchell, W.P. | | • | Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) - Nas, Martin, C | | • | One Love - Nas, Davis, J. | | • | One Time 4 Your Mind - Nas, Mitchell, W.P. | | • | Represent - Nas, Nas | | • | It Ain't Hard to Tell - Nas, Mitchell, W.P. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Nasir Jones made this debut album at the age of 20, already armed with the calm perceptiveness and been-there-done-that attitude of a much older ghetto vet, though sometimes his inner callow youth shows itself. Illmatic is a look back at a life spent in the culture of the projects, acknowledging joy as much as pain and taking note of violence as a fact of his environment rather than a focus of his life. It's enlivened by Nas's kicky, deep-threaded multiple rhymes--you can tell he grew up listening to Mr. Magic's rap show and internalizing the secrets of everybody's flow--and by tracks from a bunch of all-stars, including the Large Professor, DJ Premier, and, most memorably, Q-Tip ("One Love"). --Douglas Wolk
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| Customer Reviews: Read 565 more reviews...
These rhymes will absolutely blow your mind... December 20, 2001
120 out of 128 found this review helpful
I'll keep this as short as possible. True, Nas DID fall off a bit after releasing Illmatic, and his albums began to head towards a downward spiral of commercialized bling-bling rap (especially the dreadful Nastradamus), but come on. Give respect where it's due. This is one of the most outstanding rap albums ever made. Nine songs of pure New York hip-hop. No one, not even Nas, could have expected to surpass the greatness of this album with future releases. I mean, the production is great, but it's the rhyming skills Nas displays which will keep you focused. I don't mean to be judgemental, but if you feel compelled to skip a track, then just forget about liking the rest of the album. Each song is equally as great as the last one. This is hip-hop in it's finest form, and since it's being sold at an extremely reasonable price, plunk down the dough and just buy the friggin' thing. Trust me. Your rap collection isn't complete without it. If your favorite rappers are Nelly, the Cash Money Millionaires, Lil' Romeo and Master P, then you might want to look elsewhere.
IMMACULATE. March 22, 2005
34 out of 62 found this review helpful
CLASSIC.
LYRICS ----- 10/10
PRODUCTION COURTESY OF PETE ROCK,D.J PREMIER & LARGE PROFESSOR ------- 10/10
THEME ------ 10/10
ALBUM COVER ------ 10/10
CONCEPT ------- 10/10
STAND OUT TRACKS ------ ALL TRACKS.
OVERALL --------- BEST RAP ALBUM EVER PERIOD.
O.KAKA God's gift to the underground.
To say this CD isn't among the top 3-4 of all time is crazy! March 23, 2003
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
OK, some cats come on here saying don't believe the hype, or that the album lacks beats, but they don't know what they're talking about. One cat even had the temerity to compare the Illmatic Nas to Eminem. To question the beats on this album is to show your stupidity in relation to the hip hop game. DJ Premier is known as one of, if not the best producer ever along with Dre. One is the best on the east, the other on the west. Large P is also thorough on the beats, and this album has nothing but the best beats. The lyrics are fresh, hungry, and still steeped in the streets. The best albums in hip hop history all came out right around the same time : 1994. Illmatic, Ready to Die, Southernplayalistik, Illadelph Half Life and Reasonable Doubt each vie for that title. In reality, it comes down to the debut albums from the Kings of NY, BIG and Nas. BIG had filler on his album, and stupid skits. Illmatic is just pure hip hop from beginning to end. A 40 minute oasis of what hip hop should always strive to be. A window to the streets combined with storytelling ability and lyrics that weave themselves together seamlessly.
New York is Hip Hop, and this is the best NY has ever produced. Don't ever forget, this album is widely acknowledged as the finest in the history of hip hop by all the wisest rap scholars. You think some joker from Toronto or Washington State knows more about hip hop and what's raw than the sages of hip hop culture? I think not.
This album stands on a pedestal....all by itself June 23, 1999
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
You know how adults always say they wish they could be younger again. I wish Nas could be younger again. At age 20 (?) Nas released "Illmatic".....then as he grew in age, his tight grip on the edge of the streets began to slip...this is a review by myself, a professional critic (lol), of possibly the greatest hip-hop album ever released.Positive: Basically everything about the cd was positive. With head-noddin' beats, and Nasty Nas' compelling lyrics, describing his life as he grew up in the projects. The dopest songs? "The World is Yours" (with assistance from the soul brother, Pete Rock), "Halftime", the deep, "One Love", with Q-Tip, and "It Ain't Hard to Tell", my personal favorite. Every one a classic, everyone amazing. Negative: Nothing. Complaints: That Nas ever left his Nasty Nas form to transform into Nas Escobar. =( Ratings: Beats: 5 Lyrics : 5 Best Song: It Aint Hard to Tell Beat: 5 Lyrics : 5 peace
Believe the Hype June 16, 2003
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
Nas' all-time classic debut will go down as one of the most important records in the hip-hop genre of all time. Who cares if it 9 songs? "The Genesis" is an intro, but with a banging beat which makes it a perfect start for the album, it puts you in the perfect mood. 9 songs of perfection. No doubt, Nas will never reach this level again, but on the positive side, he actually has put out a few good albums lately, meaning "Stillmatic" and "The Lost Tapes". But this stands as his best all alone. I don't see how anyone can complain about the production, I mean it's hip-hop, DJ Premier (producing 3 of the cuts), The Large Professor (producing 3 of them), L.E.S., Pete Rock, and Q-Tip made some dope beats with Nas' spittin' his rhymes his own way, with influence from Rakim. The people who has called this overrated simply doesn't understand the album. Listen for yourself closely, while reading the lyrics, and just relax and feel the beats. It's hard to choose a favorite track but it's probarly "Halftime" or "Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)". Simply amazing. Slept on this? Time to wake up! Classic!
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