Soul Strut 100: # 25 - Nas - Illmatic
- Thread starter RAJ
- Start date
This tape came out when I was living in San Antonio. I loved nothing more than going on a long car ride (all car rides are long in Texas) and listening to this shit from beginning to end. I always felt it had a real cinematic quality to it.
Pretty much everything Nasty Nas has put out since then has made me cringe, but nobody can front on him having one classic album to his name.
Pretty much everything Nasty Nas has put out since then has made me cringe, but nobody can front on him having one classic album to his name.
SP 1200 said:SIRUS said:what is it about world is yours that you don't like?
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
I do not love that chorus either. I used to love the song and could tolerate the chorus. But over time, the repetitiveness of "it's mine, it's mine, it's mine" has pretty much killed the entire song for me, to the point that I now routinely skip it when I listen to the cd in my truck.
james said:SP 1200 said:SIRUS said:what is it about world is yours that you don't like?
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
Not disputing your eloquent description, which I appreciate, but it's the sound of it I don't like and as we're talking about music that's important to me.
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
Not disputing your eloquent description, which I appreciate, but it's the sound of it I don't like and as we're talking about music that's important to me.
SP 1200 said:james said:SP 1200 said:SIRUS said:what is it about world is yours that you don't like?
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
Not disputing your eloquent description, which I appreciate, but it's the sound of it I don't like and as we're talking about music that's important to me.
that ahmad jamal sample is brilliant. firstly, it's such an odd, obscure thing to have sampled (2 bars of a very long, florid piano solo) and it was cut and looped in a way that was ultra creative. more importantly, the piano is what gives that track momentum and it never gets tired.
love that song, love that record. not mad, but also expected this to be top 5, at least top 10.
The chorus.
Really? I like it. It's completely selfish and personal (the world is mine), while at the same time also magnanimous and universal (the world is yours), with no attempt made to reconcile any contradiction between the two. It's the whole album--and possibly Nas's whole career--in miniature. That chorus is in some sense the river from which all his trademark macro-focus/micro-focus couplets (e.g. "I'm like all races combined in one man / like the '99 Summer Jam") flow. How can you not love that shit?
Not disputing your eloquent description, which I appreciate, but it's the sound of it I don't like and as we're talking about music that's important to me.
that ahmad jamal sample is brilliant. firstly, it's such an odd, obscure thing to have sampled (2 bars of a very long, florid piano solo) and it was cut and looped in a way that was ultra creative. more importantly, the piano is what gives that track momentum and it never gets tired.
love that song, love that record. not mad, but also expected this to be top 5, at least top 10.
SIRUS said:james said:Jonny_Paycheck said:So it's overrated because the marketing and label admin was not up to snuff?
Absolutely. I can't hear "Halftime" without thinking of Michael Rapaport. That's a mic-and-a-half deduction, right there.
he was ok in bamboozled, otherwise i agree.
Trippin son. He slays in Zebrahead!
"Blacks & Whites...together like this...Can you deal with that?!!!"
Absolutely. I can't hear "Halftime" without thinking of Michael Rapaport. That's a mic-and-a-half deduction, right there.
he was ok in bamboozled, otherwise i agree.
Trippin son. He slays in Zebrahead!
"Blacks & Whites...together like this...Can you deal with that?!!!"
This album is not one of my favourites, I like it yes, but its not up there with some of my personal favourites.
I never liked Halftime or Lifes A Bitch. I do liike all the other joints.
I've often felt there's a bit of a if you don't dig Illmatic you don't dig hip hip music vibe from various folk in the past, whilst I don't rank Illmatic as one of my favourites I do love most of the other "classic" rap albums.
I never liked Halftime or Lifes A Bitch. I do liike all the other joints.
I've often felt there's a bit of a if you don't dig Illmatic you don't dig hip hip music vibe from various folk in the past, whilst I don't rank Illmatic as one of my favourites I do love most of the other "classic" rap albums.
james said:Is it accurate to say that Illmatic was largely responsible for making the multiple-hot-producers album acceptable to Real Heads????
From my 1990s vantage point out in the sticks, it seemed like before Illmatic all the underground rappers all had "their" sound and "their" crew, including "their" producer, and the idea of having a different producer on every track was considered the domain of wannabe-sellouts who were chasing a bunch of different audiences by getting tracks from whoever was hot at the moment. After Illmatic, though, that shit didn't seem like such a big deal. And of course now it's commonplace.
Was Illmatic in fact the pivot point for all that, or was I just projecting?
Wanted
ead Or Alive Kool G Rap??
From my 1990s vantage point out in the sticks, it seemed like before Illmatic all the underground rappers all had "their" sound and "their" crew, including "their" producer, and the idea of having a different producer on every track was considered the domain of wannabe-sellouts who were chasing a bunch of different audiences by getting tracks from whoever was hot at the moment. After Illmatic, though, that shit didn't seem like such a big deal. And of course now it's commonplace.
Was Illmatic in fact the pivot point for all that, or was I just projecting?
Wanted
ead Or Alive Kool G Rap??
Incredible album.. but.. The production on Life's a Bitch and It Ain't Hard To Tell always stuck out to me. Great songs individually but the more slick 80s sound didn't fit in with the other album tracks for me. What I mean is its not the perfect record some make it out to be.
Love that MJ sample on It Ain't Hard. Life's A Bitch is another track where the chorus lets it down for me.
crabmongerfunk said: that ahmad jamal sample is brilliant. firstly, it's such an odd, obscure thing to have sampled (2 bars of a very long, florid piano solo) and it was cut and looped in a way that was ultra creative. more importantly, the piano is what gives that track momentum and it never gets tired.
love that song, love that record. not mad, but also expected this to be top 5, at least top 10.
Agreed on all counts. "The World is Yours" is a weak point? DOES NOT COMPUTE.
love that song, love that record. not mad, but also expected this to be top 5, at least top 10.
Agreed on all counts. "The World is Yours" is a weak point? DOES NOT COMPUTE.
batmon said:SP 1200 said: Life's A Bitch is another track where the chorus lets it down for me.
Buggin'
That's one of the all-time great rap hooks.
Some of the sentiments expressed in this thread are baffling.
Buggin'
That's one of the all-time great rap hooks.
Some of the sentiments expressed in this thread are baffling.
batmon said:SP 1200 said: Life's A Bitch is another track where the chorus lets it down for me.
Buggin'
Always thought that for someone of his lyricism it was blander than it could have been.
Buggin'
Always thought that for someone of his lyricism it was blander than it could have been.
1. "The Genesis" - big props for putting Wild Style on wax(beat and dialogue)
2. "N.Y. State of Mind" - The shit
3. "Life's a Bitch" (feat. AZ) The shit
4. "The World Is Yours" - good....(Pete-Rocks"adlibs irritate me in 2013)
5. "Halftime" - good but hella & hecka old by the album debut...Is Deep Cover on The Chronic????
6. "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" - ehhh...good story/lyrics, mediocre beat
7. "One Love" - good
8. "One Time 4 Your Mind" - The shit. Nice & simple w/out the horns & producer talk over.
9. "Represent" - real good
10. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" - good
Around 5 thru 7 its a little weak IMO. Great Build up, mediocre middle, great dismount.
2. "N.Y. State of Mind" - The shit
3. "Life's a Bitch" (feat. AZ) The shit
4. "The World Is Yours" - good....(Pete-Rocks"adlibs irritate me in 2013)
5. "Halftime" - good but hella & hecka old by the album debut...Is Deep Cover on The Chronic????
6. "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" - ehhh...good story/lyrics, mediocre beat
7. "One Love" - good
8. "One Time 4 Your Mind" - The shit. Nice & simple w/out the horns & producer talk over.
9. "Represent" - real good
10. "It Ain't Hard to Tell" - good
Around 5 thru 7 its a little weak IMO. Great Build up, mediocre middle, great dismount.
Similar threads
