Illmatic XX

"Album pick" - "Often cited as one of the best hip-hop albums of the '90s, Illmatic is the undisputed classic upon which Nas' reputation rests ... one of the few '90s rap albums with absolutely no wasted space. Illmatic reveals a great lyricist in top form meeting great production, and it remains a perennial favorite among serious hip-hop fans".

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"The original is a truly magnificent piece of work; thrilling in its literary ambition, masterful in its musicianship and unrivalled in its influence. Like all great works of art, Illmatic isn't just about the story it tells; it provides us with a fully-fledged character study of the genius behind it".

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"Whether it's kismet or the producers were just really on point during the sessions, Nas even sounds good on the beats on a purely musical level. He sounds just as fluent when he's happy to be alive at 20 over the R&B grooves on "Life's a Bitch" (which features a sorrowful trumpet solo from Nas's father, Olu Dara, on the outro), giving some inspiration on "The World Is Yours", or floating over that Michael Jackson sample on "It Ain't Hard to Tell". It's as if there's a conscious attempt at placing Illmatic as canon in the narrative of struggle in black art forms".

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