Nas' Illmatic's 21 Year Anniversary (3 Must Hear Tracks From The Classic Album)

I was seriously 4 months old when this album dropped and I think it's amazing. This is hip hop to it's core, period. Yeah, sure, Illmatic has been talked about since it came out, got 5 mics in The Source and is rightfully deemed a classic album (and it earns this right, almost undebatable unlike other albums that have came out where everyone wants to argue if they're classics or not), but many people don't realize the influence it has had on hip hop since then. There are countless rappers who say that if it weren't for Nas' Illmatic then they wouldn't be rapping (Kendrick, yes, Kendrick Lamar is one), and it would be blasphemous to say that rappers today did not draw some inspiration from Nas and Illmatic. If you disagree, then, well, I would just have to prove to you why Nas is one of the most flawless lyricists of all time. Class is in session.

It Ain't Hard To Tell

Today's hip hop differs so much from that of the "golden age" of hip hop, a lot of it worse than it is better, and even thought I'm only 21, just by listening to a song like "It Ain't Hard To Tell", you can definitely tell that Nas was out for blood on his critically acclaimed debut. Where is the hunger to be the best for rappers today?  I certainly can't see it (at least in most of the rap dudes played on the radio), you'd expect these guys to want to show why they've "earned" their spot on the radio, or these gold and platinum album sales. It's too hard to tell that if it's the difference in how big battle rap was in the streets of New York compared to how it is now, but that could be a strong case for it. Anyways, Nas shows his true skills on the mic AND makes you dance with this absolutely amazingly produced Large Professor track.

Memory Lane (Sittin' In The Park)

   
Story telling created, originated and perfected by the best there is to do it. It's debatable whether Nas is the best story-telling rapper ever, you could probably put B.I.G. and Tupac up there with him, but you know every time Nas has a story to tell, you listen, and you get every detail about the entire story. Life in Queens is rumored to be a struggle, but Nas makes it sound like a coming of age tale in this addictive boom-bap jam. "One Love" also could take the cake as another fantastic story told by Mr. Nasir Jones.

N.Y State Of Mind

                                         (*I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)

If you needed a reason to get pumped up, get hyped, or was looking for a song to make you feel some type of energy (not drain you of it, keep calm Drake), then "N.Y. State Of Mind" is that track. Whether you're waiting to pull that next bank heist (hopefully just on "Grand Theft Auto 5"), you need some pump up music for your next game or need it in the gym to get that next set of reps knocked out, Nas' "N.Y. State Of Mind" is the song for you (not to mention it features more great story telling in the first verse, hopefully Nas didn't get in trouble for any sort of debauchery he spoke of in this song, rappers really should be more careful of their hustle). This songs drums still kick like crazy and sound great in the whip if you want to bump, and of course you can thank the legendary DJ Premier for that.

So here's to Illmatic turning 21!  I'll be damned if I'm not allowed to buy it a drink, it deserves that and much, much more. My introduction to this album was as late as could be, it had to be around 2012 when I first bought it (had to see what all the hype was about) and since then I've played "It Ain't Hard To Tell" at least once a day, no joke. The word "classic" is thrown around so much and so often that it's hard to even tell if it means anything anymore, but if it still had any pull or credibility talking about music, then Illmatic remains a classic in the way it revolutionized beats, rappers and their story telling, and in the way it has pushed the envelope and will continue to for many more years to come. Whose in favor of Nas ending his career on an Illmatic 2?  I can dream.