The debut from the rapper Nas. Nas grew up in the notorious New York housing project Queensbridge and was living there as a young adult when Illmatic was recorded. Nas never slips into the basic gangsta-posturing of many West Coast acts or even the crack-empire daydreams of Jay-Z or Raekwon. Nas takes the perspective of a street hustler on the bottom rung of society trying to scrape a living but thinking of bigger things.

"Be having dreams that I'm a gangster, drinking moets holding tecs / Making sure the cash came correct then I step / Investments in stock, sewin' up the blocks / To sell rocks, planning gunfights with mega cops / But just a n**** walking with his finger on the trigger / Make enough figures until my pockets get bigger"

N.Y. State of Mind is undoubtedly one of the greatest street narratives written. DJ Premier contributes one of the grimiest beats ever however it only serves to emphasise Nas' gritty lyrics.

"In the PJs my blend tape plays, bullets are strays / Young b****s is grazed, each block is like a maze / Full of black rats trapped, plus the Island is packed / From what I hear in all the stories when my peoples come back"

The "black rats trapped" metaphor is very powerful. By using "rats" Nas illustrates the poverty that affects the projects. When a rat is cornered it will become desperate and violent in its struggle for survival, it is aware its life is in the balance. Nas conveys more to the listener with 3 words than most rappers could with a whole verse.

"The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps / That's where I learnt to do my hustle had to scuffle with freaks"

With rhyme displays like these Nas shows he can write gripping descriptions of Queensbridge and still amazing listeners with the technical genius of his rhymes.

On "Life's a B*tch" the nihilistic chorus of "Life's a b*tch and then you die, that's why we get high 'cause you never know when you're gonna go"is countered by Nas who has a more optimistic philosophy: "I switch my motto, instead of sayin' f**k tomorrow / That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto". On the same track Nas also questions the materialism that saturates every level of American society. "I'm saying, that's what this is all about right? Clothes, bank rolls and hos, you know what I'm saying? Yo then what man, what?"On "The World Is Yours" though Nas accepts the reality that cash rules with his now famous double-edged line "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me."See, Nas is so good he can be materialistic and political... at the same time!

In "Memory Lane" Nas lays down one of the best claims to "realness" ever.

"Check the prognosis, is it real or showbiz? / My window faces shootouts, drug overdoses / Live amongst neurosis, only the drama, for real / A nickel plate is my fate, my medicine is the ganga"

On the same track he also drops some astonishing lines that undoubtedly rank as the best in Hip-Hop, ever. (Just like almost everything else to do with this album.)

"My intellect prevails from my hanging cross with nails / I reinforce the frail with lyrics that's real / Word to Christ a disciple of streets, trifle on beats / I decipher prophecies through a mic and say peace"

The album's intro: "The Genesis" features dialogue from the old school Hip-Hop movie "Wildstyle".

"Stop f**king around and be a man. There ain't nothing out here for you."

Another voice answers: "Oh yes there is... this."

And the beat kicks in.

This shows how much important Hip-Hop is to Nas, Queensbridge and thousands across America. Nas may live a life "parallel to hell" but through Hip-Hop he transcends it all. This sentiment rings true throughout the rest of the album. Illmatic is set in Queensbridge, amongst the outcasts of society, under the crushing crime, poverty and stress. How can a thing of such creative inspiration come from that? Illmatic, like Hip-Hop, should apparently not exist, but the fact that it does contradicts many of the misconceived values of "decent" society.

"I drop the ancient manifested Hip-Hop, straight off the block"

"Sometimes I sit back with a Buddha sack / Mind's in another world thinking how can we exist through the facts / Written in school textbooks, bibles etcetera / f**k a school lecture, the lies get me vexed up"

"I got so many rhymes I don't think I'm too sane / Life is parallel to hell but I must maintain"

At his core Nas is an astoundingly gifted lyricist who just happens to live in Queensbridge housing projects and so Illmatic reflects that dark, dangerous and complex environment. By studying and building upon the techniques laid down by golden age innovators and modern rapping archetypes such as Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap and Rakim, Nas kept the intense New York lyricism alive as Hip-Hop progressed into it's mid-90's hardcore era. His delivery is nonchalant and stony faced which means the focus is mainly upon his lyrics. His raps conjure up vivid images but never in a straightforward fashion because of his poetic and often abstract imagery. Indeed, Illmatic is such a challenging listen it requires undivided attention over multiple plays for Nas' intricate rhyme styles and lyrics to sink in.

"Explore rap and tell me Nas ain't all that"

Illmatic is often compared to another landmark Hip-Hop recording also released in 1994: Biggie's Ready To Die. These comparisons are warranted as both are stellar albums however there are key differences, particularly in the tone of the personas both artists present. On Ready To Die Biggie intimates the listener immediately. The album is after all, a rough biography of Biggie's hustler persona, from beginning to end, the personal highs and lows are shared with the listener. His deep voice and charismatic delivery also lessen the distance. His personality is open and unguarded, from the intro, which briefly describes his birth and childhood, right through the album until his moving, introspective last words. On Illmatic on the other hand the listener is never granted this intimate perspective into Nas. And maybe this is another strength of Illmatic, Nas does not attempt to create a colourful on-record persona, which as we know (especially in Hip-Hop) is likely to be distorted by the artist's own vanity and insecurity, and so Illmatic maintains a sincerity in that respect. Nas' deadpan, cold delivery also keeps the listener at bay. His character is never clearly defined; it seems to be subordinate to his surroundings, the Queensbridge Projects. They are described vividly and in such candid and grim detail that they are indeed as big a part of Illmatic as Nas is. This is perhaps another accomplishment of Illmatic; it conveys the insolubility of the individual and the environment. New York never sleeps, and neither does Nas. Whatever personal insight is allowed appears not to be unique to Nas himself, rather representative of an experience shared by all of his project peers. And so Nas remains an Enigma, which is perhaps why Illmatic possesses such a powerful pull on fans who can listen to it for years because try as we might we can never quite work him out.

That's all not to mention Illmatic's production from an A-Team of early 90's Hip-Hop producers, namely: The Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and DJ Premier. They provide a range of musical beds for Nas' superb raps. The overall album is a showcase for the classic early 90's New York production style: Soul and Jazz samples flipped ingeniously and backed with neck breaking drum loops. The legendary producers contribute some career highlights to Illmatic making it essential for any fan of Golden Age Hip-Hop music.

Many seem to think that Illmatic's weakness is its length. It consists of 10 tracks (one of which is the intro) and lasts around 40 minutes. I would have to disagree with that criticism. Every track is highly immersive and engaging, the consistency of beats and rhymes is unparalleled in Hip-Hop. Illmatic is truly a full and satisfying listen.

Coming at (and perhaps heralding) the end of Hip-Hop's golden age, Illmatic can be seen as a final product of the enormous strides and innovations Hip-Hop took, both musically and lyrically, between the mid-80's and 90's. It is the fruition of the advancements made by modern Hip-Hop's architects. What's more Illmatic represents something else: a hungry young street rapper with a tonne of raw talent who somehow managed to convert every last ounce of that potential into a fully realised masterpiece. Although contemporary Hip-Hop is soured by violent, misogynistic images and basic nursery rhyme chants no one should allow that to taint their retrospective view of Illmatic. It deserves an unprejudiced listen to its consistently brilliant production and of course Nas' literally awesome rapping ability. Both of which make Illmatic an album that can fully live up to its classic status.

The World Is Yours (produced by Pete Rock)

Halftime (produced by the Large Professor)

One Love (produced by Q-Tip)

It Ain't Hard To Tell (produced by the Large Professor)

Illmatic Promo Videoft. DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock and Nas himself.

Oh Word Illmatic Sample Breakdown