Classic Album Review: Nas, "Stillmatic"

When your debut album is hailed as the savior of hip-hop and one of the greatest albums of all-time, how do you follow that up?

Nas' "Illmatic" was and still is one of the best hip-hop albums ever, and easily one of the best debut albums by any artist, but his follow-up works, "It Was Written", "I Am..." and "Nastradamus", while decent, were considered mediocre in comparison by critics to his first album.

On top of all that he and Jaz-Z had gotten into a bit of a feud, so things were getting tense within the world of Nasir Jones to say the least. It had been two years since Nas released a record, so it was an excellent time to get back into the studio.

Under these circumstances Nas got to work on a new album, "Stillmatic", and needless to say, he had a lot to fuel his fire.

Released in December 2001, the album was a huge hit with critics and fans alike, and in a way reinstated Nas at the top of the hip-hop industry. The album is stacked from top to bottom with great tracks, but "Ether", "You're Da Man", "One Mic", "Rule", and "Destroy and Rebuild", stand out above the rest.

One of the most popular tracks off the album, "Got Ur Self A…", will forever be connected with the theme song from "The Sopranos", but to me, that's not such a bad thing. "Smokin'" is a solid track as well, as is "Rewind", but the above mentioned ones are some of the best tracks of all-time."Ether", in my opinion is one of the best diss tracks of all-time. The song was a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover", a diss track towards Nas which appears on Jay-Z's album "The Blueprint", during the rapper's feud. It's clear from the name and subject matter that Nas would bring the fire on the track, and he proves it here.



You can truly hear how strongly Nas feels in his hate for Hova (at the time), as he raps: "How could Nas be garbage?/Semi-autos at your cartilage/Burner at the side of your dome, come outta my throne/I got this, locked since '9-1/I am the truest, name a rapper that I ain't influenced."

"One Mic" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I think it's one of Nas's best from his lengthy career. The emotion he performs it with, the beat, the lyrical content, all combine to make just an all around fantastic track.



The track samples the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight", and the way Nas flows on through the lyrics, from slow to fast, soft to hard, pull you in close and shows how personal the track is to Nas. It's him and the mic. The chorus of the track is simple and still is one of the best ever.

His last verse though is what I think makes this track legendary. Nas is an absolute force as he raps his last verse with some passion: " [starting loud this time, getting quieter] All I need is one life/One try/One breath I'm one man/What I stand for itself/ They don't understand/Or wanna see me on top, too egotistical/Talkin all that slick shit, the same way these bitches do…". I was compelled to throw up the whole verse here because it's so good, but it's decently long as well. Nevertheless, it's fantastic.

Perhaps the reason I am biased in my liking of "You're Da Man" is because one of my college roommates played the song so often, but besides that, I still think it's one of Nas's best tracks.



It's an introspective look at the man, and Nas does a great job of talking about himself, his success and his career without being cocky. He's egotistical but not a snob, and looks over what it takes to stay at the top of the game.

Always one to be aware of his standing, Nas delves into what it takes to stay alive in the industry: "They plan was to knock me out the top of the game/But I overstand they truth is all lame/I hold cannons that shoot balls of flames/Right in they fat mouth then I carve my name/Nas - too real, Nas - true king/It's however you feel, g'head, you swing/Your arms too short to box with god/I don't kill soloists only kill squads/Fame went to they head, so now it's "Fuck Nas"/Yesterday you begged for a deal, today you tough guys."

The tracks stand alone all by themselves. There's no doubt that "One Mic" will stand the test of time as one of the best tracks ever, and although the feud may be over now, "Ether" still simmers.

"Stillmatic" was a great return for the rapper, and although it isn't quite as good as "Illmatic" (what is?), it still is one of Nas's best albums of all time, and a hip-hop classic.

Classic Album: Nas’ “Illmatic”

This is the first in a weekly column for Refined Hype.

April of 1994 was a game-changing month for the music industry, on the east and west coasts.

In the pacific northwest, Kurt Cobain, songwriter and frontman for the band Nirvana, was found dead at his Washington home, shocking everyone in the nation. But as the industry lost one great talent, the month also brought a new talent on the other side of the country, rapper Nas.

On April 19, 1994, Nas released his debut album, “Illmatic”, which is considered by many to be the rebirth of East Coast hip-hop. Although the album didn’t have much commercial success when it was released, it eventually was certified gold in sales in 1996.

I don’t think many in the industry realized it at the time, but the album would change the landscape of hip-hop. Prior to the release of “Illmatic” the hip-hop industry had devolved into a disjointed genre, especially in style and location.

With the rise of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records, the west coast and Los Angeles seemed to be the new capital of hip-hop. Along with development of thoughtful rappers like A Tribe Called Quest, the hip-hop scene was changing.

With things up for grabs on the east coast, Nasir Jones took his chance. On “Illmatic”, the Queensbridge native displayed some raw and gritty beats that reflected the violent times that were crippling the New York streets. But more importantly, he brought on a unique poetic style that combined the image of gangsta rap with the thoughtful narrative and deep analysis often found in conscious rap.

Along with the Wu-Tang Clan, Nas helped firmly re-establish the New York City hip-hop scene as the center of the rap world.

What makes “Illmatic” so unique, so timeless, is how is concise and simple it is. The album consists of only ten tracks, with no skits, no wasted time, and no mainstream-sounding beats. Every track is great, but “Life’s A Bitch,” “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” and "N.Y. State of Mind” standout to me as all-time classics.

“It Ain’t Hard To Tell” has some of the most illustrative and sharp verses in rap history, with Nas rapping: “The buddha monk's in your trunk, turn the bass up/Not stories by Aesop/Place your loot up, parties I shoot up/Nas, I analyze, drop a jew-el, inhale from the L/School a fool well, you feel it like Braille/It ain't hard to tell.”


On “Life’s A Bitch”, which features AZ (the only guest star on the album), Nas spits one of the cleverest lines of his career: “I switched my motto -- instead of sayin’ fuck tomorrow/That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto.”


Over a decade before Jay-Z released his ode to NYC with “Empire State of Mind”, Nas crafted his own anthem to the city where he resides. “N.Y. State of Mind” has very visual and poetic lyrics, and is easily one of the best hip-hop tracks of all-time. Nas spits one of the most culturally significant lines when he raps: “It drops deep as it does in my breath/I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.”

Nas worked with numerous producers, including Large Professor, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock, who each extensively contributed to the album. The resulting product is a profound lyrical and thoughtful lineup that perfectly illustrates Nas’s skills as a rapper. By using multifaceted rhyming patterns, clever wordplay, and an SAT-level vocabulary, he took the art of rapping to new heights. Today he is considered one of, if not the best, lyricists of all time, and “Illmatic” is his magnum opus, his defining work.

Although Nas was only 20 years old when he recorded “Illmatic”, his imposing voice and ability to paint realistic portraits of the urban world reflected an aptitude far beyond his years. Regarding his age on “Life’s A Bitch”, he raps: “I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing/The essence of adolescent leaves my body now I'm fresh in/My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it/One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created.” He was a boy among men, but after “Illmatic”, he towered over everyone.

This album raised the stakes for the next generation of rappers in NY, including, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. and Talib Kweli. The ripple effect that started from the release of “Illmatic” is still felt in the hip-hop industry today.