The ILLestmatic: 20 Year Anniversary of ILLmatic

Straight out the f*cking dungeons of rap in ‘04, Queensbridge New York spitter, Nasty Nas transformed the landscape of hip-hop with his debut album Illmatic, which two decades after its release, has remained one of the most celebrated and influential albums in rap music, period.

Illmatic has become the Atlantis of rap, the rare classic masterpiece that hip-hop fans, artists and DJs have continued to compare every project to, from not only Nas himself, but rap artists in general, since its release.

The 10-track album defined the framework for quality rap music and catapulted Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones into hip-hop royalty status, crowning him as the King of Queens and cementing a foundation for the East Coast sound through alliteration, multisyllabic, internal rhymes that showcased not only the skill of one man. But also how people were living in the projects at the time, spitting inner city Bible verses for the Urban impoverished. It was real. It was raw. It was ill.

With production from the greats Pete Rock, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Large Professor and L.E.S, Nas built himself the proper base to paint lyrical portraits from “Genesis” to “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” about a kid from the ghetto. And it was a debut. A first. A beginning for Nas, the son of jazz man, who went on to claim a position of hip-hop ambassador, pushing lyricism and story-telling into everything he did from Illmatic to Life Is Good. It was an era of rhymes, but Nas differentiated himself from other rappers of the era through his characters and ability to talk about real life growing up in the hood. Illmatic was album you can listen to with your eyes closed.

20 years later, one of the greatest to ever do it has sold over 25 million albums with nine solo projects and three compilations. From a rap beef with Hov, to It Is Written, to a highly publicized divorce with Kelis, to donating proceeds of his royalties from his Damian Marley collaborated project to Africa, Nas has remained relevant in hip-hop culture from the moment he entered it. He told us that hip-hop was dead and shocked mainstream media with a powerful album title, that he in turn was forced to drop and leave untitled. But life is good now for the legendary emcee.

I cannot list the amount of times I have bumped Illmatic over the years. I was only four years old when the landmark album was released and I grew up a product of it, and I wasn’t even living in the city at the time. From childhood to adulthood, the album held wait for me with its motivating themes and captivating stories. “Life’s a bitch and then you die” was my motto before YOLO, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was my first ringtone and “The World Is Yours” blasted through my headphones as motivation to get me to where I am today.

Twenty years later, I am now a hip-hop journalist, and still bop and rap along to each Illmatic cut that DJs continue to spin at each event I attend. It is so embedded into hip-hop and popular culture that it spans generations. The stories remain the same. The music that artists put out today has shifted so far away from the gritty bars and double-timed flow and has been replaced with so many subgenres of rap, that finding a solid foundation for what quality rap music is in this era, is a rarity.

Trap, ambient, southern, etc. Rap has evolved. But albums such as Illmatic are an indisputable masterwork and the true meaning of a classic album that no matter the sub-genre or era of hip-hop you bump, the work of Nas’ Illmatic is not up for debate. In this new era of rap, there is no longevity. A single is dropped Monday and irrelevant a week later. One album withstood 20 years, a feat too rare.

In celebration of Illmatic’s 20th anniversary, Nasty Nas is set to release a special edition album titled Illmatic XX, which will feature exclusive remixes, unreleased freestyles and demos, with a release date of April 15. In conjunction to the upcoming 2CD project, fans can expect a full-length documentary later this year focused on the renowned project from recording to its legacy 20 years later. Most excitingly, a tour is coming. A rare opportunity to hear the project spit live, from front to back.

No matter what else is next for the hip-hop great, it is no doubt he has cemented his position as Rap royalty until his last bar and beyond.

By: Samantha O’Connor