“Illmatic” released in 1994 was the debut album of American rapper Nas. Nas was an influential part of the East Coast rap scene in the 1990’s and this album in particular boosted his audience and influence to the entire genre. It debuted at number 12 in the billboard top 200 chart and sold 59,000 vinyl copies in the first week of its release. The initial sales were below expectations and the album made a disappointing amount of money. However, the sales and recognition improved over time. In ’97 the album was certified “gold” by the RIA (Recording Industry Association) and 4 years later, earned a platinum ranking after 1,000,000 copies were sold in America. The album has been critically acclaimed as being a landmark for East Coast Rap. The album had revolutionary lyricism and helped boost and revive the rap scene in New York. Considered by many to be the best album of all time. Overall, I thought this record is fantastic and is one of my personal favorites of all time. The lyricism is what I enjoy the most, truly captivating the life and struggles of the rap scene during that time. Certain songs I felt were repetitive which can get annoying at times but that didn’t take too much away from the albums message and quality overall.

My Top 3 Tracks

3. The World Is Yours

2. N.Y. State Of Mind

1. It Ain’t Hard To Tell