Illmatic: Straight, No Chaser

Hip-hop has become notorious for its one-hit wonders. Many acts reach the pinnacle of their profession early in their careers, spitting out trend-setting and innovative freshman efforts, only to see each successive attempt fail miserably, most often because subsequent albums never compare artistically to the first. A lot of this has to do with the high mortality rate of rappers. Tupac has released many albums, but his career was cut short. Biggie put out only two. And Big L's career was cut short because of his untimely death. The Fugees released two albums, only one of which -- The Score -- they even recognize. Then there's Black Star, the Mos Def-Talib Kweli collaboration that spawned only their eponymous effort. Because of rap's high early success rate, it becomes difficult to judge how much talent a rapper truly possesses. Rappers become big fish in a small pond, and every so often, the pond bursts, as the one-timers and B-boy braggadocios are carried off in the flood, while the mainstays and true artists remain, wading freely in a pond that is no longer watered down.

Nas exploded on the scene in 1994 with his first album Illmatic, one of those records that burst the pond. In mere seconds, he was instantly recognizable, and his album was hailed as the greatest thing to hit hip-hop since Run DMC ran the charts in the 1980s. Twelve years later, it still remains the best album that hip-hop has produced. Consequently, Nas's efforts since Illmatic have always been compared to this tightly packed, avant garde album. His blend of jazzy beats with a definite sense of street realism set the standard, not only for him, but for the rest of the rap world. He raised the bar more than a notch, and the rest of the industry had to respond. Of course, none of Nas's other albums are as good as this 10-track, 39-minute gem, but don't be fooled by what you hear from the blowhard Jay-Z or other rappers or rap pundits. Nas has released mostly great work. His follow-up to Illmatic -- It Was Written -- contains many of the elements that made Illmatic successful, while attempting to reach for some mainstream appeal. He did, however, produce a clunker in the form of Nastradamus, his third album. He followed that up with a wholly mediocre I Am, then hit his stride again with Stillmatic, as he returned to the style that made Illmatic and It Was Written so successful. The Lost Tapes, God's Son and Street's Disciple are his last three albums, and each one seems to build on the last. Street's Disciple is his most important album since Illmatic, and God's Son is certainly his most personal, as it was released after the death of his mother.

But this post is about Illmatic, the best album in hip-hop history. Nas made a smart move early on: He enlisted the help of some solid, underground DJ's to produce each of his 10 tracks. He teamed up with the incomparable DJ Premier, L.E.S., Pete Rock, Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest and The Large Professor. He has since remained loyal to Premier and L.E.S., as he often features their beats on his albums. On the album's first track, Genesis, Nas says, "But when it's real you doin this. Even without a record contract." This opening song features Nas talking to AZ and another member of the group The Firm. There is no rapping on it, but it offers the listener an idea of what's in store. AZ adds later: "Yo, we drinking this straight up with no chaser." Truer words were never spoken because on Nas's album, you're getting a healthy combination of urban despair and hope for the future. It's coming to you straight, unfiltered. If you don't like it, if it's too real, move on.

N.Y. State of Mind is only the album's second track, but perhaps its best. And maybe it follows that if this is the best track on hip-hop's best album, then this is the best track in hip-hop history. Of course, I mention that in jest, but it certainly is a top five, or even top three, song in the annals of rap. It's opening builds on what Nas said in Genesis: "Yeah, straight out the fuckin dungeons of rap/Where fake niggaz don't make it back." It's a Premier-produced cut, so it comes with the standard strong Premier drum-work, a touch of jazz (in the form of a piano here), the omnipresent bass riff and customized scratching in the chorus. But the silky smooth beat belies the urgency in Nas's words. He speaks of crime, murder, gun-toting and drug-dealing. In other words, he's describing what really happened on the streets of Queensbridge where he grew up. The description is so vivid in this song that you feel as though you're there on the streets with Nas, dodging bullets and running through the project buildings to escape the jungle that is the street. Nas says, "It drops deep as it does in my breath/I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death/Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined/I think of crime when I'm in a New York state of mind."

Nas features AZ -- the only guest artist on the album -- on Life's a Bitch. This is a quick ditty with a musical background that would be just as familiar on a Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye album. Nas and AZ rap about the unknown. You never know when your life could come to an end. It's a prescient song, to say the least, since in just a few years, Biggie and Tupac would be gunned down. Nas raps, "I switched my motto -- instead of sayin fuck tomorrow/That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto." The World is Yours is a Premier-style track, but not produced by the DJ himself. This song seems to be the antithesis to N.Y. state of Mind, as Nas recounts a softer, more fun and engaging story of the streets. He admits that there's some good out there, and anyone can find it if they're looking hard enough. He says, "Check the chip toothed smile, plus I profile wild/Stash through the flock wools, burnin dollars to light my stove/Walk the blocks wit a bop, checkin Danes plus the games/people play, bust the problems of the world today." The bass and cymbals enter simultaneously to announce the onset of the next track, Halftime, the song that put Nas on the map. In this track, Nas explains to the rap world that it's halftime, and while its current game is coming to an end, his is just beginning. He drops some deft word play on this one, saying, "You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer/That's like Malcolm X, catchin the Jungle Fever."

Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) brings Premier back into the mix, who uses what could be a synthesizer to create a relaxed beat, which is perfect for a song in which Nas reminisces about growing up in Queensbridge. He says, "My window faces shootouts, drug overdoses/Live amongst no roses, only the drama, for real/A nickel-plate is my fate, my medicine is the ganja/Here's my basis, my razor embraces, many faces/Your telephone blowin, black stitches or fat shoelaces." On One Love Nas shouts out to his pals in prison. This song probably has more meaning to people close to Nas, as it appears to be a very personal track between him and his friends. The emotion is definitely there, though, as he plays town crier to the encarcerated. He raps, "Whattup kid? I know shit is rough doing your bid/When the cops came you shoulda slid to my crib/Fuck it black, no time for looking back it's done/Plus congratulations you know you got a son,"

An aggressive bass line introduces One Time 4 Your Mind, a song in which Nas waxes about the time he spends with his boys. It's a slight peek into his personal life. Nas says, "When I'm chillin, I grab the buddha, get my crew to buy beers/And watch a flick, illin and root for the villian, huh/Plus every morning, I go out and love it sort of chilly/Then I send a shorty from my block to the store for Phillies." Premier comes back for the third and final time on Represent. Nas raps about representing what you believe in and never compromising your values. He encourages everyone to live life to its fullest because there are a number of a ways someone could die on the streets. It could happen today, tomorrow or in 30 years, so you better be who you are and do the things you want to do: "Straight up shit is real and any day could be your last in the jungle/Get murdered on the humble, guns'll blast, niggaz tumble/The corners is the hot spot, full of mad criminals/who don't care, guzzlin beers, we all stare." The album ends with It Ain't Hard to Tell, a song sans a chorus. Just so you don't forget, Nas uses this final cut to let the listener know that he's here to stay, and he may just be the best thing to happen to hip-hop: "This rhythmatic explosion, is what your frame of mind has chosen/I'll leave your brain stimulated, niggaz is frozen/Speak with criminal slang, begin like a violin/End like Leviathan, it's deep well let me try again."

No rapper has been able to touch this album. It's so good, that not even Nas has topped this release. But it endures and is enhanced by the album's apparent brevity. Because it's only 10 tracks and 39 minutes, there's no filler, just solid, uninterrupted music. It contains all the brashness of an immature rapper, but unlike most newbies to the genre, Nas has solid footing for his cockiness because all 10 tracks explode on the listener. I don't think it's too far-fetched to think that in 25 years, we'll still be looking at this album as the apex of hip-hop. Not one rapper alive has yet to dethrone Nas, not only as New York's finest, but as hip-hop's best rapper.

Nas Discography (Ranking out of five stars):

-- Illmatic (*****)
-- It Was Written (****)
-- Nastradamus (**)
-- I Am (***)
-- Stillmatic (****)
-- Lost Tapes (****)
-- God's Son (****)
-- Street's Disciple (****)