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: J. Cole- Born Sinner
J. Cole is an interesting figure in today’s Hip-Hop landscape. On one hand, he is pretty much mainstream. His tracks like Work Out play on local Hip-Hop stations right next to Rick Ross and Jay-Z. On the other hand, and you can hear it in his music, he constantly yearns to be different from them. It’s clear in much of his music, both in style and his rather blunt lyrics, that he wants to be like Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick happens to be the best of both mainstream and the more lyrical “not mainstream” (I don’t want to call it underground). J. Cole has tried at this, but he’s never really impressed me. So, I’ve just kind of ignored his output. Then I heard this, and I think my mind has kind of been changed.
Unlike the half-there Cole World, this album has a hungry J. Cole. Every verse and flow and song feel like Cole is heavily invested in it. And that’s probably true, figuring he produced much of the album solo. There are several tracks here where he spits absolute fire. However, one thing that has always prevented Cole from truly breaking out as a great spitter is the fact that his flows, while they are intricate and diverse, aren’t really showy or extravagant. He always brings a subtle sense of talent to his music. In fact, it’s so subtle, I didn’t even notice it until I listened to Born Sinner with close inspection. Another subtle thing I appreciate about Cole is just how much he appreciates his “Hip-Hop elders”. Many MCs today ignore the history of Hip-Hop before them (This was a major element of an excellent documentary by Ice-T recently). But Cole manages to sneak in references to his past, both subtle (Like that reference to the Eve (On She Knows) or blunt (Like the DMX line on that song, the Biggie sampling on the wishy-washy Villuminati, or the pretty blunt track Let Nas Down.
The main thing that prevents Cole from truly breaking out as being more than a solid MC is probably his lyricism. The man is desperate to tell a story, and there are points on this album where he does execute that goal with stunning accuracy (I personally like some of his inner dialogue on Runaway a lot). But when stories stretch for a song (or into interludes and outros), they get lost or they become redundant. While I love Forbidden Fruit, the outro with “Lil J. Cole” kind of beats a dead horse (not to mention the fact it’s incredibly annoying).There are some places where Cole meanders in and out of stories or just goes for bland material. LAnd of the Snakes is particularly a culprit of this meandering.However, despite some overarching problems in entire songs, the guy can bring a bolt of energy to even the most inane and generic of topics. There is some clever wordplay, like the three-tier Stars analogy on She Knows. Despite the fact that Rich Ni**az covers ground that has been covered by everyone from Killer Mike to Kanye (Watch the Throne) to his buddy Kendrick, he still brings some interesting twists to the point. Plus, there are little lines that are absolutely great (I love the I’m On One reference on Power Trip). Even when his lyrics get a bit dopey (like that BMX line on She Knows), they eventually lead to something remotely interesting.
The one thing that manages to stay consistent throughout the entire album is how fantastic the production is. Often dark and very tight, the production keeps the album going even through the most tired of songs. Plus, there are elements of the production that just hit all the right sweet spots. Keyboards and saxophones and huge choirs are spread throughout the entire album with great skill and logic. A lot of it feels like the antithesis of Trap and Bass beats. Hell, the awesome track Forbidden Fruit veers towards the Jazz Rap of A Tribe Called Quest. Save the “it was a good idea on paper” sampling of Cults (a band that I’ve totally forgotten about until this review) on She Knows, the production on every song is great or better.
For the most part, I think Cole is getting towards where he wants to be. This project, while a bit overlong (and kind of back loaded), manages to show off his talents and drive. He saves most of the album for himself, saving most of the guest work for hooks (Relegating Kendrick Lamar to a hook may have a deeper meaning to it, but I digress). Even if some of the songs are weak, the album as a whole is a really solid effort. Cole really gives it his all, and if his obsessive desire to please doesn’t make that apparent (Especially on the somewhat self-loathing Let Nas Down), his fantastic production and attempts at lyrical skills will.
Summary: Born Sinner is a marked improvement from his debut, bringing stronger production that helps elevate the half-great/half-not-there lyricism.
Choice Cuts: Runaway, Forbidden Fruit, Power Trip, Chaining Day
Leftovers: Villuminati, She Knows, Mo Money
3.5/5
You can stream Born Sinner here until Tuesday. Or you can stream Power Trip below. Born Sinner is out Tuesday (6/18) on Roc Nation/Columbia
ALBUM REVIEW: Meek Mill- Dreams & Nightmares
It’s been a long 10 months. From mixtape to mixtape to mixtape…that MMG showcase album…that dissapointing-but-not-realy-that-bad Rick Ross album…we’ve finally reached what I and many others have been waiting for: Meek Mill’s solo debut album. Of all the Maybach Music signees (Which seemingly grow every month), Meek Mill has always shown the most promise. While fellow MMG members like Stalley and Wale rely on bland flows with “deep” lyricism, Meek Mill has been bringing a certain unhinged energy to everything he’s done with Maybach Music. The best tracks on Self Made 2 involved Meek Mill. Mill was also on God Forgives, I Don’t more than most of the other MMG members. He always had interesting verses, so of course I was most excited for his Warner Bros. debut.
So here we are, the big debut for Meek Mill. And of course, it’s a massively disappointing album.
The opening track, Dreams and Nightmares is the best example of what I’m talking about. At first, it seems like we’re going to get some more dimensions to Meek Mill than the aggressive flow that made his mixtapes fun, but not great. But of course, the serious moment is abruptly broken by his aggressive flow, where he rhymes about the same braggadocio bull that MMG has made its name from. The song feels a bit odd, since he’s practically screaming about Rolex watches and things. Of course, the way the song went matches the song title, but it could have been executed much better.
Really, the things that worked well on his Dreamchasers mixtapes don’t work here. In God We Trust has a thundering southern beat, but it’s the background music to Meek Mill’s obnoxious empty rants about how famous he is and how much he loves his own penis. As a Hip-Hop enthusiast, such subject matter really gets old after hearing it 100 times. The main problem I notice about the album is that Meek Mill still has a mixtape state of mind throughout the tape. Bragging on a tape normally works better, since the tapes are meant to show off how good a rapper you are. Of course there’s some bragging involved. But on an album, you should prove yourself with things other than empty claims. Meek doesn’t provide much beyond that here.
Really, this feels like an early Rick Ross album. It might be kind of fun to listen to, but it’s nothing really beyond that. The comparison really sticks out. The track with Kirko Bangz (Young & Gettin’ It) is just a couple random rants about how rich and better Meek Mill is, with Kirko singing an awful (if a bit catchy) hook to tie everything loosely together (Side note, Kirko Bangz has the dumbest name…is it supposed to sound like Kurt Cobain? Because if so, that makes absolutely no sense.). Believe It (Which features Rick Ross) opens with Rick Ross grunting the following line:
All I Talk About Is Money
At least they’re somewhat self aware. However, the following song is nothing but expensive things they own, including Meek Mill talking about “Trying to get this money!” (Which, being signed to Warner Bros. makes no sense since he probably just gets cash automatically for just existing. That might not be true, but the line seems a bit false.). Plus the beat sounds like the same Teflon Don beats Rick Ross has been using constantly since he finally got some respect for that album. Except the empty claims are no longer humorous and astounding. They’re just obnoxious.
I could go into more than half the tracks here and how much the lyrics take away from everything else, but I’d rather not. I accept this kind of stuff from Rick Ross, but I just can’t from Meek Mill. Especially since it’s clearly just him emulating his label’s boss. The brags come across as less impressive and more pathetic.
Some tracks end up being at least somewhat better than the generic ostentatious songs that clutter this album. Traumatized has a nice, subdued beat with Meek Mill actually trying to tell a story (to mixed success) with a calmer flow. Maybach Curtains has a nice hook by John Legend and a classy (if slightly generic and synthetic) beat. Plus, the Nas verse is pretty solid. Plus, with this inundation of loud Rick Ross songs lately, it’s nice to hear him rap over a smoother track here. Plus, the previously released Amen has a great beat, a great hook, and some nice verses.
There are other little problems scattered throughout the tape. Tony Story Pt. 2 has some cheesy sound effects and some off-kilter flow from Mill that sounds nearly off beat. Mary J. Blige’s hook on Who You’re Around feels really out of place. Oh, and Meek’s yelling again for no reason. Then the last 3 tracks all have bad hooks and bland/mishandled production. But the worst offense is that Meek didn’t give us a debut album. He gave us Dreamchasers 3.
In a bigger picture, this album really has made me give up on Maybach Music. Nothing they’ve released this year has been more than “Alright”, and at this point they’re a loud noisy hype. And Meek just happens to be the loudest of the bunch.
Summary: Dreams & Nightmares really disappoints, offering little more than his mixtapes before gave us, plus it shows way too much dependance on braggadocios and generic beats.
Choice Cuts: Maybach Curtains, Amen
1.5/5
The video for Amen is below. Dreams & Nightmares is out now on Warner Bros./ Maybach Music
ALBUM REVIEW: DJ Khaled- Kiss the Ring
I would go into detail about who DJ Khaled is, but since he really has little presence on any of his albums, including the latest Kiss the Ring, it would be kind of futile to explain who he is. His albums, this being the third year in a row he’s dropped one, are normally good at showing where Mainstream Hip-Hop is at the moment it’s released. Kiss the Ring continues this tradition, which as a result gives kind of mixed results.
Because his albums are just song-based random collaborations, I’m going to go over the album song by song in this review, simply because that’s the best way to go about with an album like this, from worst to best track.
12. I Don’t See Em– You all know how I feel about 2 Chainz, and this song just reestablishes how I felt about him on his album, throwing in Birdman (Who does nothing interesting) and the on-this-album-too-much Ace Hood, Plus the beat is bland and uninteresting, which is a problem.
11. Don’t Pay 4 It- Kirko Bangz sings the hook here, and I have no idea who he is. Not that it matters, because it was the least infectious hook I’ve heard all year. Meanwhile Wale continues too rap like he’s better than he is, Mack Maine tries a sing song thing that fails miserably, and Tyga does OK, if it’s simply typical Tyga.
10. Suicidal Thoughts- A weird, reggae influenced track with Mavado and (I think) Sean Kingston. It sounds fine, but it doesn’t fit in with the testosterone filled rap tracks on the rest of the album at all…
9. B**ches and Bottles– Future does this weird, not good Auto-tune hook, T.I. does OK but sounds way too nasally for my taste, And Lil Wayne drops easily the worst line of the year:
“Yeah I’m married to this s**t/ You can call me s**t carter”
Yuck.
8. Take It To the Head– This track is more boring than actually offensive, with Chris Brown singing a lame, poor excuse for a hook and Ross and Minaj dropping boring verses. Meanwhile Lil Wayne continues to give us evidence as to why he should retire.
7. Outro (They Don’t Want War)- It’s a boring track. The Jamaican theme that doesn’t appear on the album comes back for some reason, after not being on any of the first 9 tracks. DJ Khaled actually raps here, but nothing interesting is said or heard.
6. – I’m So Blessed– A T-Pain track, it kind of kills the mood from the track before it. Big Sean delivers a typical, standard verse, Wiz sounds very laid back, when he really shouldn’t be, and Ace Hood is still on this album too much. But the hook is just too infectious to call this average.
5. – Shout Out to the Real Deal- An OK track. Meek Mill does just fine, Ace Hood delivers the best of his three appearances on the album (No idea why he’s on this), and the track is made better than average because for some reason Plies just goes in on his verse, screaming his name and being more aggressive than he needs to.
4. – I Did it For My Dawgz- This song is good simply because it’s so ridiculous. The hook, Rick Ross yelling and Jadakiss echoing is hilarious, and Ross sounds like he’s crying when he screams “Oh Lord!” This is the type of stuff I wanted more of on God Forgives, I Don’t. Meek Mill accents the song nicely, and the only real problem is French Montana, who only is gaining traction because Shot Collar has a great horn hook. Either way, this song is a banger.
3- Hip-Hop- This track has the best beat on the album, it’s slow burning and hard hitting, with Scarface’s verse being serviceable and Nas delivering a typically fantastic verse. It’s a good song.
2.- I Wish You Would– This song is solid, Kanye brings back his auto-tune voice for the first time since 808s & Heartbreaks, the hook is catchy, and Ross drops a typical Ross verse (Along with accenting the rest of the song with his catchphrases). Exactly what I want out of a DJ Khaled track.
Vantage Point Music 