Looking at an Album as a Whole: Nas' Illmatic

Throughout the evolution of music, many talented musicians have graced our ears with the vivid feelings and intricate stories conveyed in their creations.  From the day the first Homo sapiens sat around in a hut and tapped out the very first rhythm with sticks, all the way to the latest electronic symphony created by a modern DJ; musicians have been influencing fans and fellow musicians alike.  In the vast expanse of musical history which occurred between then and now, there have been a countless number of these well appreciated and influential artists; however, only a select few can say that they explicitly altered the course of music history.  Beethoven is credited with solidifying the “Early Romantic” period in classical music.  Nirvana put an end to the 80’s “hair metal” trend and synthesized the genre of grunge which would eventually lead to the sweeping popularity of alternative rock.  The Ramones created punk, just as The Beatles pioneered psychedelic rock.  And in the late 90’s, Nas established hardcore hip hop as the official East Coast sound, and induced the decline in the then popular alternative hip hop.  For many of these artists, one iconic album stood out among the rest as most influential.  For Nas, this album was indisputably Illmatic.

Today, Illmatic is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time.  However, this was not always the case.  As Adriana mentioned in her post last week, when the album first dropped in 1994, it was relatively commercially unsuccessful, having included five failed singles.  The reason for the commercial failure of this album most likely stems from the deviation in style from the accepted sound of the time in which it is done.  Illmatic’s iconic brand of lyricism and beats did not prominently exist in the mainstream hip hop culture of the time, but rather was over shadowed by the prevalence of alternative hip hop.  At this point however, Nas was no stranger to success and recognition in the underground rap scene.  In fact, the reason Illmatic is a relatively short album is not out of artistry, but rather out of necessity.  Due to Nas’s popularity in the underground, an unreasonable number of pre-release bootlegs copies began circulating, as well as unsanctioned air play on the radio.  This influenced the decision to rush the album and release it as soon as possible.  Nas’s underground acclaim is most likely the predominant factor in leading the hardcore style of Illmatic to become the accepted East coast style when the album went gold in 1996.  This solidified artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane as the lords of the East coast.

Illmatic perfectly showcases the lyrical style typical of East coast hip hop at the time.  Lines such as “straight up shit is real and any day could be your last in the jungle, get murdered on the humble, guns'll blast, niggas tumble, he corners is the hot spot, full of mad criminals who don't care” and “Yo, they call me Nas, I'm not your legal type of fella, moet drinking, marijuana smoking street dweller” from the track “Represent” address the rough and hardened lives experienced by people living in East coast projects, and are typical of the style.  In “Life’s A Bitch,” Nas says “I woke up early on my born day, I'm 20, it's a blessing, the essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I'm fresh and my physical frame is celebrated cause I made it, one quarter through life some Godly-like thing created,” another classically East coast lyric illustrating the effects of the violent environment he, and the people around him grew up in.

Represent-Nas

Life's A Bitch-Nas

In the timeless debate of which is truly the greatest rap album ever, Illmatic will always stand out among all the rest, and for his work, Nas will forever be remembered as one of the most influential rappers ever.