Tracks:
1. The Genesis: 8/10 a good introduction to the world of the album.
2. N.Y. State of Mind: 10/10 a work of true lyrical genius, this examination of crime in New York in the 90s is both vastly entertaining and deeply affecting.
3. Life's a Bitch: 10/10 great lyrics; a moving message; 2 terrific rap performances and even a trumpet show. This has got it all.
4. The World is Yours: 9/10 this is another brilliant song, even if it's occasionally a little confusing.
5. Halftime: 9/10 there are many, many rap bragging tracks. There are very few that are anywhere near this good.
6. Memory Lane (Sittin' in Da Park): 8/10 a little confusing, but still true, genuine poetic art with a flow more unstoppable than a full-scale tsunami.
7. One Love: 9/10 once again, Nas combines social commentary and ludicrously entertainment in a truly memorable and hypnotic way.
8. One Time 4 Your Mind: 8/10 just because this track is slower, it doesn't make it any less punchy.
9. Represent: 9/10 even when familiar themes are recycled the great beats and genius rhymes never stop coming.
10. It Ain't Hard to Tell: 9/10 this single boasts some of the best lines in the album and closes Illmatic on a massive high.
Best song: Life's a Bitch
Worst song: The Genesis
Summary: This one might take a couple of listens, as it did for me. It's quite an overwhelming and intense album so it can feel like a bit much. It only takes repeat listens because there's so much brilliance in here it will leave you dazed. Nas' lyricism is some of the very best ever and he proves himself a true word wizard. This is more than hip hop; this is poetry. It's deliriously entertaining and emotionally captivating from start to finish. It's every element of hip hop done to perfection in one 40 minute atom bomb of an album. This is a display of what rap can really do- and what in a perfect world it'd always do. A near-unbeatable masterpiece and one of the best rap albums of all time.
Final rating: 10/10
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