CLASSIC SATURDAYS: Nas- Illmatic (20 Years Later)
When discussing “The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time”, there can be a lot of contenders. One of the biggest contenders of all time is Nas’ immortal and damn near perfect Illmatic. 20 years later, it’s still in the conversation and it’s still an album that rappers have yet to truly top. Released during a renaissance for Hip-Hop in the early-to-mid 90s, it stood out from the pack as something that could truly transcend the genre. But in the spectrum of transcendental Hip-Hop, it’s a fascinating subject. There are plenty of other candidates: 36 Chambers, Ready to Die, Madvillainy, Low End Theory, It Takes a Nation of Millions, MBDTF, Aquemini, Paul’s Boutique, Cold Vein, Blueprint. However, Hip-Hop is a genre where even the albums nearest to perfection have plenty of flaws. Low End Theory and Madvillainy are both a bit too long, there’s one or two just OK tracks on Aquemini and Paul’s Boutique, It Takes a Nation of Millions suffers from vaguely dated production, and MBDTF and Ready To Die are fantastic records plagued with two awkward sketches (One featuring Chris Rock yelling over a beautiful beat about pussy, the other is Biggie awkwardly fucking a girl on a washing machine). The only two Hip-Hop albums that are almost inhumanly perfect are 36 Chambers and Nas’ masterpiece, Illmatic.
What also separates Nas from the pack is that his album didn’t really do much to revolutionize the game. All those other albums innovated and twisted Hip-Hop into new places, sonically and lyrically. What Nas did wasn’t innovative, but it perfected his lane. Illmatic is the epitome of Boom Bap; it’s an album that so perfectly nails every beat and every lyric and every track that it’s almost uncomfortable to listen to. All those other albums overcome their flaws by taking those tiny problems and making them endearing. Some of those other albums are still damn near perfect, and their flaws have morphed to become integral parts of the album. Illmatic doesn’t have any of these flaws, it’s just front-to-back concision and skill. Notice that Jay-Z never came at Illmatic during that infamous Nas vs. Jay-Z beef? There’s a reason for that.
Nas collected an assortment of now-legends to produce his unwitting magnum opus: DJ Premier and Large Professor each produce 3 tracks, Pete Rock and Q-Tip appear, and L.E.S. also contributed his defining beat to Life’s a Bitch. The ominous piano plunking and dissonant beeping over NY State of Mind creates a near ghoulish mood that rivals anything from 36 Chambers, allowing Nas to debut with one of the most intimidating Hip-Hop tracks of all time. This then transitions to the silky and sexy soulful beat underneath Life’s a Bitch, which nicely contrasts the realness of the lyricism and hook supplied by an on-fire AZ (Who does a damn fine job as the album’s only vocal guest). The outro of the song also includes a stunning horn solo from Olu Dara, who is Nas’ father. There’s some amazing scratching on The World Is Yours, some great bells and horn samples on Halftime, a subtle soul vocal sample w/ organs on Memory Lane, a nice jazzy vibe on One Love, a silky and slow drum on One Time 4 Your Mind, a vintage mysterious sound on Represent, and an incredible vocal and sax sample on It Ain’t Hard to Tell. If this album was just instrumentals, it would easily have the potential to be a classic.
But what makes Illmatic one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time, in addition to one of the greatest albums of any genre, is Nas himself. He opens NY State of Mind with the line “Straight out the fucking dungeons of rap/ Where fake niggas don’t make it back” with an almost sadistically satisfying snarl, leading into him absolutely ripping the track apart. Nas was young, and Illmatic made it immediately clear that Nas was someone to be reckoned with. Even if some of his street stories were clearly hyperbolic (As a kid, Nas was more of an observer of the streets around him than any actual sort of participant). It helps that Nas has a fiery and commanding flow all over the album, but this album hits an entirely new level with Nas’ incredible lyricism. There’s this line from NY State of Mind:
“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”
And then there’s these lines from The World Is Yours:
“While all the old folks pray to Jesus, soakin’ their sins in trays/Of holy water, odds against Nas are slaughter/Thinkin’ a word best describing my life/To name my daughter my strength/My son the star will be my resurrection/Born in correction, all the wrong shit I did, he’ll lead a right direction”
Illmatic stands out because of how hauntingly introspective Nas explores his inner city life. At every second, death is lurking around him, and he’s stuck in a place that’s damn near inescapable. New York isn’t only conveyed in the dirty boom bap sound, it’s conveyed through the extremely mortally-grounded lyricism that Nas maintains throughout the entire album. Nas does engage in some braggadocio here and there, but it’s always warranted and never truly a focus (Plus, he has some killer lines that absolutely allow him to say such things. Like, the entirety of Halftime). Nas’ street stories and introspection helped bring heavy lyricism back to Hip-Hop, opening the door for every politically conscious rapper ever to come after, as well as every extremely lyrical rapper that would follow (With all the extreme wordplay the opens itself up with repeat listens, particularly on tracks like Represent).
Illmatic is still an album that practically haunts Nas to this day. While Nas has released plenty of noteworthy Hip-Hop albums since (God’s Son is particularly good, and Stillmatic has plenty of fine tracks (Including the Jay-Z eviscerating Ether)), each album has lived in the shadow of an album so influential and so great that every Nas album since has been measured up to it. In Hip-Hop itself, it didn’t really revolutionize the sound. But it did change the dynamic of Hip-Hop in the 90s. The East Coast experienced a seismic shift with Illmatic, with Nas clearing the light-hearted vibes of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, blasting the door open to let Diddy and Biggie to step up to the plate (As well as opening the lane for Wu-Tang to take over). After the West Coast established its firm footing in Gangster rap, Illmatic brought the East Coast to the game late, but with no less of an impact. 20 years later, Illmatic still stands as an influential and essential Hip-Hop album, the epitome of one of the greatest eras in music ever.
Summary: Illmatic is truly a classic and defining example of New York Boom Bap; A lyrically fascinating, sonically heavy, and overall intense and brilliant Hip-Hop album that retains it’s uniqueness through how perfectly and deftly it handles its street subject matter.
Choice Cuts: N.Y. State of Mind, Life’s a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Halftime, It Ain’t Hard to Tell, Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park).
Leftovers: Ha!
A++
You can watch the video for It Ain’t Hard to Tell below. Illmatic is out now on Columbia records (You can grab the latest reissue here)
ALBUM REVIEW: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Piñata
There are a couple things that are always surefire ways of making a good Hip-Hop album. If your delivery is commanding and attention-grabbing, you can make a good album. If your lyricism is either memorable or mind-bending, you’ll probably make a good album. If your production is on point, you can make a good album. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib have made a good album.
Piñata finds Madlib on the production boards and Freddie Gibbs on the mic, which is a combination that pays off throughout the entire album. Gibb’s has a throaty and deep voice that really commands even the most laid back of beats. Madlib has some great soulful and wonky beats that mesh well with Gibbs’ style. The two aren’t a match made in heaven, like Killer Mike & El-P, but it’s a MC-Producer duo that makes sense and works out pretty well in the end.
What’s disorienting about Piñata is how songs can be both laid back and intense all at once. Album highlight High has some tongue-twisting confusion from Madlib, spitting some of his most intense verses on here (We also get a nice verse from Danny Brown). But the beat in the back is a pretty laid back soul beat. The two combine to create a track that’s intensely satisfying. The whole album has a Gangsta rap vibe to it, but it’s a throwback gangsta rap, back to the old days of Jazz Rap and Boom Bap. It doesn’t hurt that Gibbs can spit absolutely insane verses with his intricate and booming flow. There are a couple points here where Gibbs begins to sound like Tupac, and that’s a great thing.
Then there’s Madlib on the production, who brings some absolutely banging beats to the table. Shitsville has a nice reverberating drum and “string” that feels both modern and vintage simultaneously. Thuggin’ has a very dreamlike quality to it, bringing in some jazzy bass and loud shiny guitar sounds. And if some old-school ass kicking is what you need, the laid back beat on Real works perfectly. Madlib’s production isn’t particularly showy or in your face, it’s just straight up nice, fleshing out every song to its fullest potential.
The features here are just icing on the cake, whether it’s a typically solid Danny Brown verse on High or a nice Raekwon verse on Bomb (Raekwon sounds great on this throwback production, even though the beat is one of the weakest on the album). The second half is inundated with features, and most of them are pretty good. Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt bring their command to Robes, delivering two nice verses that are intricate but laid back (Domo has been on a roll since those jaw-dropping verses on Doris). Scarface’s verse Broken isn’t particularly stunning, but his voice brings a nice sound to the track. And surprisingly, Ab-Soul drops a really great verse here (the hook here is also great). And then there’s the big posse cut at the tail end, the title track. The lineup is a bit confusing (Domo? Mac Miller? Who is G-Wiz?), but the absolutely ominous beat absolutely allows all of the rappers to lay down the line. Domo’s verse is nice, G-Wiz actually isn’t bad, Casey Veggies drops a REALLY good verse, Meechy Darko scares the shit out of me, and Mac Miller…well…I guess he’s kind of there. It’s an average posse cut, but it works.
It’s a very, very good Hip-Hop album that does everything it needs to do. The production is great, Gibbs spits some straight fire on a lot of tracks, and the album itself manages to last 17 tracks and not get old. Some of the longer skits could have been excised, but that’s every Hip-Hop album. If raps is what you need, Gibbs has a ton of it.
Summary: Piñata is a great project, bringing Gibbs’ aggressively intricate flow together with Madlib’s disorienting and laid back production to create a project that is full of good vibes and bangers.
Choice Cuts: High, Shame, Scarface
Leftovers: Knicks
B/B+
You can stream Shame below. Piñata is out now on Madlib Invazion.
SHORT ALBUM REVIEW: Prince Po- Animal Serum
Prince Po hasn’t released a full length album since 2006’s Pretty Black. That album, itself a fine-but-forgettable affair, didn’t really do a lot to keep Prince Po in the limelight in the long period between its release and the release of this new album. On his newest effort, Prince Po does manage to leave a bit of a longer impression, especially with his new production partner Oh No, who produces the entire LP.
Oh No’s production style, which is heavily indebted to funky soul of the 70s, isn’t the most unique sound in the world. Just go listen to anything Alchemist has ever done. While none of the beats on Animal Serum really stick out as being show-stopping bangers, everything here vibes pretty well with the general flow of the album. The old school drums on 1st Word to What Was Said are nice, and the huge chiming synth sounds that come in are sharply abrasive, in a good way. There are some moments that do push in other interesting directions, like the spacey electronic sounds on the ominous Where U Eat. My favorite beat on the entire album, the wonky Smash, manages to use a sample source that’s all too familiar and actually do something really unique with it. All of the beats manage to mesh this soul sound incredibly well with Prince Po’s thick voice and heavy delivery, something that Alchemist did really well with Action Bronson on his Rare Chandeliers mixtape.
Prince Po himself uses Animal Serum to maintain that he is a good, but not entirely unique emcee. His voice has a nice thick quality to it that is used in commanding flows throughout the album. There are moments where he even sounds like a more straightforward El-P, which is exciting (See Machine Rages). There aren’t really any lines that stick out on the album, which kind of makes an album by a dude whose name is “Prince Poetry” a tad disappointing. Visionz, perhaps the most bland song on the album ,seems to be trying to say something. However, it never quite gets to where it needs to be. Po spends more of the album rapping well enough over some great beats, and that works well enough.
Summary: Animal Serum is a nice return from Prince Po, even if the production outshines the serviceable MC.
Choice Cuts: Where U Eat, Smash
Leftovers: Visionz
B-
You can stream Smash below. Animal Serum is out now on Green Streets
MIXTAPE REVIEW: Action Bronson- Rare Chandeliers
Action Bronson has released a lot of material in the past two years, so it’s been kind of hard to keep up. First there was that Dr. Lecter album that came out in June of 2011. Then he released a bunch of mixtapes, including this year’s really good Blue Chips mixtape with Party Supplies. Now, he’s dropped yet another mixtape, this time with legendary producer Alchemist.
While I’ve liked most of Bronson’s past material, I’ve never really loved his work. He has a booming and nasty flow, but his lyricism sometimes gets in the way. He veers between talking about his food (Which I’m cool with) and graphic sexual talk (Which I’m not as cool with). He also normally has production I like, but it’s never really memorable. Here, I was hoping that a few of those little nit picky issues would change. Bronson has really matured over the past couple of projects, and it’s shown. Plus Alchemist is a fantastic producer. The man had the power to salvage that mediocre Domo Genesis EP earlier this year.
The tape does immediately show promise. The beat on Big Body Bes Intro is just lush and bold. Then Bronson immediately goes hard on Rare Chandeliers, using a fiery flow over the James Bond-esque beat. The samples that Alchemist uses in-between Bronson’s verses are absolutely wonderful, adding a sense of more old school Hip-Hop to the tape. Which I really like.
Really, the thing that sticks out here isn’t Action Bronson, but Alchemist. Each beat sounds like its been tended to with the greatest care. Everything sounds just perfect. Plus, it shows that you don’t need SBS (Southern Boom S**t) beats in order to sound aggression or tough. I mean, Bronson is a big fluffy fat guy who has a thing for fine cuisine, and on this tape he sounds absolutely mean. In fact, Alchemist’s beats sound even better than much of his own past work. While his beats on No Idols did improve that tape, the beats were a bit one note and boring. Here, they live and breath, being exciting without taking too much attention away from Bronson. I mean, the saxophones on I Deserve You are absolutely great (along with the soul samples). In fact, this tape really feels like some early era Kanye West production. And I’m totally cool with that.
The guests here sound pretty good. They all have voices that match the feel of the tape, which is something that normally doesn’t happen. I especially like the track with Black Hippy’s Schoolboy Q (Someone that always sounds better on guest verses than his own tracks). For the most part, Bronson does his best here. His flow is fiery and his lyrics aren’t disgusting to the point of me wanting to turn off the tape. The lyrics aren’t particularly interesting, which is a little gripe I have, but they aren’t bad. I’m just glad he’s not graphically talking about vaginas and celery in the same verse as much. And if he does, I was too distracted by the fantastic production and the sound of his voice on the beat to really take notice.
Summary: Rare Chandeliers is Bronson’s best project yet, with some fantastic production, a bold flow, and some solid guests.
Choice Cuts- Rare Chandeliers, Demolition Man, B***h I Deserve You,
Also, that Mixtape Cover is fantastic.
4/5
Stream the entire tape below. You can download Rare Chandeliers here
Vantage Point Music 