Illmatic (Reissue)

In 1991 the 18-year-old son of a Queens Jazz musician recorded what is often considered the best rap verse of all time as a guest on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbecue.” Less than three years later Columbia records released Illmatic, the ultimate document to urban life in the late 80s and early 90s. In the 10 years since its release, Nas has slowly cheapened and become the clichÈ he so naturally scorned on his classic debut. While Nas’ current work is all but forgettable outside of the club, his presence on Illmatic has made him a modern-day legend. In an era of 10-minute beats and 5-minute raps, the reissue of Illmatic will likely not be appreciated by the fickle hip-hop market; but hey, let’s celebrate anyhow. 

Rock operas are too often over-calculated and under-executed. Whether Nas planned it or not, Illmatic plays out like a great street opera, telling authentic stories of street life, modest dreams and finding self worth.

After a chaotically jazzy intro that perfectly sets the mood for a mind-trip to NYC, the all-time rap classic, “N.Y. State of Mind” begins with Nas declaring “It’s time ... I don’t know how to start this.” Then it happens - the most meticulous vocal flow (by a landslide) in hip-hop’s history begins painting a story of the chaotic, paranoid life of a young New York city kid with every odd stacked against him. Raised in a “house of jazz,” Nas unknowingly sways through Illmatic‘s two opening tracks with all the skill and heart a classic 50s jazz musician. It sounds a bit off, but it’s not.

I remember buying Illmatic at Blockbuster Music in 1996 for $9.99 when I first got my license. It’s a memory I can recall better than my own graduation. My parents no longer regulated my time or purchases (which even then were basically always music-related). Nas now not only owned me, but along with 36 Chambers made me forget all about Nirvana and Weezer. At first, only the single “The World is Yours” hit me hard; that would quickly change.

Produced by a mixture of the early 90s finest (Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, etc.) Illmatic‘s jazz riffs and heavy drums set the mood of urban life better than any Jim Jarmusch film ever could - and that’s just the beginning. Nowadays, Nas raps about being rich and famous; in 1994 he told authentic stories of a “jungle survivor.” On “One Love” Nas tells a story of a conversation between two old friends (one in prison) catching up and building off of each others struggles and victories” “so stay civilized, time flies / though incarcerated-your mind dies /I hate it when your mom cries / it kid of makes me want to murder.”

Illmatic is perfect in many ways. Not only will it be one of the most important hip-hop albums ever, it helped set the pace for the 90s, and through it’s jazz loops and veritable lyrics it will always sound like it came out last week.

Containing three mediocre remixes and two supposedly unreleased tracks (with vocals that sound like they were recorded 10 minutes ago), The Platinum Edition’s bonus disc is as worthless as God’s Son. It’s rumored that Nas recorded well over 100 songs in order to make Illmatic; in 2002 The Lost Tapes was released, containing a few great Illmatic-era songs, thus solidifying the rumor. If there really are dozens of unreleased songs from Nas’ early 90s period, it’s a shame that Platinum offers none of that material. This will be the first of many reissues of what is likely hip-hop’s signature album. Hopefully they get it right next time. In the meantime, go pick up the original version before it’s extinct. Good luck finding it for under ten bucks.    10/10

Written by G. William Locke