Illmatic

[OGpistolpete]

Is it bad that I think this album is ridiculously overrated?

[DeeJam]

Yeah. I rank it as one of the best albums ever, and I'm not a big fan on Nas either. I usually bump it for months at a time. His delivery, wordplay, and storytelling is untouchable on this album.

[illmatic]

Yes, Greatest hip-hop album of all-time.

[KaNick West]

Yes sir. Illmatic (to me) is the one of the greatest albums of hip hop. Every track on that album is ridiculous and it's on levels that can't be touch today.

[OGpistolpete]

Hmm...maybe I should give it some more listens...

[gunnar hendershow]

This album is brilliant. The lyrics are amazing. Sure the songs aren't "catchy" but because I listen to hip-hop for the MC (unless of course it's instrumental) this album is instantly a masterpiece.

[Lowerdeck]

The problem with most hip-hop nowadays is that it tends to be dumbed down for the lowest common denominator, a bunch of strong beats and catchy hooks to pose as bangers for the radio or the club.

Illmatic is nothing like that.

[OGpistolpete]

Then where is the enjoyment of the songs. Sure it's great to hear sick rhymes and well played words every now and then, but if you have to focus on the lyrics every time you listen to the track instead of just sitting back and letting the song play itself, why listen to it?

Edited August 2, 2008 by SKA

[Verder]

Some songs in there have pretty catchy beats, but... to be honest, I don't really like "Life's a Bitch" or "One Love" or "One Time 4 Your Mind", their beats just in my opinion are nothing to write home about. The rest are pretty good though. I don't think this is the greatest rap album of all time, because as complex and amazing as the guy's rhymes may be here compared to most of his later and recent work, the message of this album can really be described in three words: Nasty Nas rules. Okay, so One Love is about writing a letter out of the pen and State of Mind is really about how fucked up N.Y. was back then, but aside from that, it's really just all braggadocio. I think Biggie made a better record on the same year and Wu-Tang next year, IIRC. I think 36 Chambers was '95? Illmatic is one of the greatest no doubt, but I don't think it's THE greatest.

The problem with most hip-hop nowadays is that it tends to be dumbed down for the lowest common denominator, a bunch of strong beats and catchy hooks to pose as bangers for the radio or the club.

I know you said 'most' and that's why you probably are aware of this yourself too, but if one bothers to look for it, you can find great modern, lyric-based hip hop. If one only listens to G-Unit and Kanye West then surely it's just that, catchy (and most of the time I don't really even find them to be such) hooks and kinda strong beats.

I think a near-perfect rap album should have both strong beats and complex lyrics. That's why Dr. Dre's "2001" is my all time favorite. Almost every beat hits home immediately and the lyrics are complex, even if the subject matter, aside from the first and last songs is really just bitches and hoes.

[Lowerdeck]

Life's a Bitch is one of my favorites. One Time isn't bad. One Love is ok, far from my favorite.

36 Chambers came out in 1993.

Last great rap album to me came out in 2006, Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse. Most stuff nowadays seems to have Akon, Lil Wayne, or Rick Ross. It gets annoying after a while. None of it just sells to me, and it sounds almost exactly the same. Though yeah, if you look harder, it becomes more than Akon, Rick Ross, and Lil' Wayne.

Edited August 2, 2008 by Lowerdeck

[Lord Nibbler]

Then where is the enjoyment of the songs. Sure it's great to hear sick rhymes and well played words every now and then, but if you have to focus on the lyrics every time you listen to the track instead of just sitting back and letting the song play itself, why listen to it?

It's not really a chill album, but surely you can do that to The World Is Yours?

[tristy]

dead prez is all i've been listening to here lately. their new album needs to hurry up and come out

[StylesClashLover]

Illmatic is good. It's good, because as someone said, it doesn't have the perfect mixture of topic selections. A perfect album has to have everything, because an album is a compliation, am I correct?

My favourite album is Jedi Mind Tricks - Servants in heaven, kings in hell. Call me a hypocrite if you like

I say that because this album doesn't have the perfect mixture that I'm on about, I'm claiming that it's my favourite because it's the one I listen to the most, fuck mainstream, I'd rather listen to underground hip hop all the time.

[Lowerdeck]

Servants is a really good album.

Illmatic I wouldn't really call mainstream. People love it because of what it is. But it just kinda came from nowhere. The only way you really hear it on the radio is in the throwback shows.

Then again, mainstream stuff 14 years ago is a hell of a lot different than it is now.

[DMN in the House]

Its no The Chronic.

Edited August 16, 2008 by DMN

[MalaCloudy Black]

Its no The Chronic.

Yeah, it's better. But in all seriousness, it's like comparing apples and oranges. Illmatic is a lot more... conscious? than The Chronic. Chronic's almost all about gangsta gangsta and weed and all that.

Really, they're not even comparable.

Edited August 16, 2008 by Stephen Cloudbert

[DMN in the House]

I like Illmatic, although its not really my thing. I just had to throw out the seminal west coast record. Gotta keep the balance.

Illmatic would have a hard time cracking my top 10 favorite rap albums, though.

[DeeJam]

Illmatic is a great album. Though it does rank lower than Ready To Die does. Ready To Die is the perfect blend of lyrics and beat.

[DMN in the House]

Ready to Die is probably my favorite 'east coast' album. Which isn't saying much.

[Lord Nibbler]

I think Reasonable Doubt is a better album than Illmatic. But 36 Chambers might be better than both.