Illmatic is the gold standard that boom-bap connoisseurs refer to in the same way that Baby Boomers talk about Highway 61 Revisited. The evidence they point to when they want to say: this is how good it can be.
Illmatic reveals a great lyricist in top form meeting great production, and it remains a perennial favorite among serious hip-hop fans.
His witty lyrics and gruffly gratifying beats on Illmatic draw listeners into the borough’s lifestyle with poetic efficiency.
Illmatic will probably be Broadway's album of the year, not for the real life behind its dedication to 13 dead homies but for the work on the CD.
Took like 15 listens to fully digest over the course of 5 years, not including stray tracks here and there. Every beat is top tier, every flow is untouchable, every hook lands, every bar is well crafted and thought out. It’s sorta just the perfect rap album. Like staring at a diamond.
"i keep fallin', but never fallin' six feet deep" DAAAAAAAAMN!!! yeah no, i finished
wow, i was expecting this to be good but not to sound anything like how it does, this being released almost 30 years ago is insanely impressive, definitely ahead of its time and even though its been out twice as long as i've been alive every single song sounds very well-crafted even for this time, if this was released today i wouldnt mind it at all, thats how high quality this is, there are multiple ... read more
A lock for being one of the best rap debut albums ever
Favorites: The World Is Yours, Memory Lane, Halftime, NY State Of Mind, Represent.
1 | The Genesis 1:45 | 86 |
2 | N.Y. State of Mind 4:54 | 98 |
3 | Life's a Bitch 3:30 | 95 |
4 | The World Is Yours 4:50 | 97 |
5 | Halftime 4:20 | 93 |
6 | Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) 4:08 | 94 |
7 | One Love 5:25 feat. Q-Tip | 93 |
8 | One Time 4 Your Mind 3:18 | 89 |
9 | Represent 4:12 | 95 |
10 | It Ain't Hard to Tell 3:22 | 96 |