Track Listing

1. The Genesis
2. N.Y. State Of Mind
3. Life's A Bitch
4. The World Is Yours
5. Halftime
6. Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)
7. One Love
8. One Time 4 Your Mind
9. Represent
10. It Ain't Hard To Tell
11. Life's A Bitch (Remix)
12. The World Is Yours (Remix)
13. One Love (Remix)
14. It Ain't Hard To Tell (Remix)
15. On The Real
16. Star Wars

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13193 in Music
• Released on: 2004-03-29
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nasir Jones made this debut album at the age of 20, already armed with the calm perceptiveness and been-there-done-that attitude of a much older ghetto vet, though sometimes his inner callow youth shows itself. Illmatic is a look back at a life spent in the culture of the projects, acknowledging joy as much as pain and taking note of violence as a fact of his environment rather than a focus of his life. It's enlivened by Nas's kicky, deep-threaded multiple rhymes--you can tell he grew up listening to Mr. Magic's rap show and internalising the secrets of everybody's flow--and by tracks from a bunch of all-stars, including the Large Professor, DJ Premier, and, most memorably, Q-Tip ("One Love"). --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

The Greatest Album Ever Made From The Greatest Lyricist Ever
What can be said about Illmatic that hasn't been said before, probably not a lot but this my personal take on what I consider to be the best album ever made. From the beginning when a new york train drives loudly past a room where Nas' verse from the breakout song Live At the Barbeque with Main Source plays at half volume before a gang disussion gets underway. A non nyc native realises they are about to be taken to world not only wholly unbeknown to them but also to world that modern mainstream Hip-Hop itself has long since forgotton. Nas spits verses on the 9 classic tracks produced by Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Pete Rock & Large Professor with the wisdom, delicacy and heartfelt experience of someone twice his age. Forget the bragadocio gangsta mentality of Curtis Jackson and his ilk, Nas deals with issues such as gang warfare, gun crime and drugs with a brutal honesty that portrays them not as glamourous acts but merely as parts of the colorful tapestry of his home in the Queensbridge Projects that take place everyday. What really impresses are Nas' multi-faceted rhyme patterns and his story telling ability both of which are yet to be beaten in any genre of music. For those who wish to return to a forgotten time buy this album and let Mr. Jones take you back through the greatest 40 mins of narrative your ears will ever hear, from stories of nyc stick-up kids and shoot outs in fron of tenements to the hopes and fears of generation x black males you will not be disappointed. One word Essential.

Is it worth buying if you have the original?
Probably not, if you already have the original and you are wondering whether it is worth the extra money for the extra tracks I would say no. If you don't already have illmatic then you should definately buy this version instead because it is undoubtably one of the greatest albums ever. The remix's have good beats but it is almost impossible to improve the classic tracks and the two bonus tracks are ok but I wouldn't spend all this extra money on them, stick with the original unless you are a die-hard fan.

Nas is the greatest
About a year ago,I heard "got yoself a gun",and ended up getting stillmatic because it was so catchy.It turned out to be a wise choice-in my opinion nas is the best lyricist in hip hop,whatever you say about tupac or the rest,and he rarely makes a weak song.Stillmatic became my favourite album,and then after buying a couple more of his excellent albums,i decided to get this.Nas's albums always seemed to get compared to illmatic as extremely poor.I got it,and I was amazed!Even better than the other nas albums,and yes its true this is the best hip hop lp ever made!He flows quickly with wit and intelligence and shows his pure lyrical genius.The lyrics better the beats,which are doper than any ive heard on an album for a long time.Nas utilises great street knowledge for a 20 year old,and illmatic shines with flair and originality.This album changed the face of hip hop,and is well worth getting,whether your a fan of hip hop,nas,QB or just music in general.This is hip hop at its best.Buy it now,you won't regret it.