Situating Illmatic in its Rightful Place

in Music by tigger500 — July 20, 2009 at 12:52 pm | 0 comments

Illmatic cover art

Apparently there’s a new book out that attempts to situate Illmatic, Nas’ flawless 1994 debut, in its rightful place in music history.

Quentin Huff, music critic over at Popmatters, wrestles with the book’s implications — and his own ambivalence about Nas’ debut (say what?!?!).

But I have to be honest. My relationship with Illmatic has always been tenuous. I remember the buzz surrounding its release, and I’ve watched it grow in stature and prestige over the years, but I’ve never been able to say I love it or that I’ve played it nonstop. When I first heard it, I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. There were a lot of albums I liked more, not only Public Enemy’s aforementioned Nation of Millions and Fear of a Black Planet and releases from A Tribe Called Quest, but also Big Daddy Kane’s It’s a Big Daddy Thing, MC Lyte’s Eyes on This, NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube’s Death Certificate, and LL Cool J’s Bigger & Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out.

Nevertheless, I kept returning to Illmatic, partially out of a need to understand what I was missing, and partially because something new would grab me with each listen. I still don’t completely love the album, but I absolutely respect it.

It’s a fascinating dissection of the book, so much so that I’m not sure I even need to read it (though I will).

Tags: hip hop Illmatic Music Nas

Author: Tyler

I am treacherous, imperial, impermanent, impetuous. I rock like an archeologist, draw a picture like a forensic artist, perform like a dramatist. I'm fabulously wicked, miraculous, rustic, majestic, ridiculous.