In 1994, hip-hop was going through an at-times painful growth spurt. Since N.W.A.ās and Ice-Tās ascent in the late ā80s, the rap game was no longer owned by the East Coast. After the worldwide popularity of Dr. Dreās The Chronic in 1992, things were looking even worse for hip-hopās hometown. The East Coast / West Coast feud that would later indirectly claim the lives of Biggie and Pac was still in its infancy, but New York needed a shot in the arm.
The hype behind young Queensbridge native Nasir āNasā Jones had been in full swing months before his smash debut album Illmatic, thanks to Columbia Recordsā promo machine. From his earliest appearance on Main Sourceās āLive at the BBQ,ā to his own accomplished debut āHalf Timeā (as Nasty Nas, on the Zebrahead soundtrack in late 1992), it was clear that this kid was something special. In fact, the pressure on him must have been overwhelming at times. April 19, 1994 couldnāt have come soon enough.
And as soon as the first lines of āN.Y. State of Mindā kick in, bolstered by perhaps DJ Premierās darkest beat of all time, the entire East Coast breathed a collective sigh of relief. Godās Son had arrived. Backed by an absolute all-star cast of New Yorkās top-shelf producers ā Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip and a youngster named L.E.S. ā the album never lets up. Serious to a fault, and lyrically dense to an extent that has possibly never been matched, the 20-year old Nas stood on the shoulders of his predecessors and proudly proclaimed, āDonāt fuck with the East⦠we are BACK.ā
Illmatic was actually a slow-burn, which might surprise fans that have come to its genius more recently. Despite an unheard-of ā5 Micsā in The Source ā despite an unwritten rule of never awarding classic status to debuts ā it didnāt go gold until early 1996, and didnāt hit platinum status until late 2001. But when you dive deeper that shouldnāt be a shock: like Black Moon and Wu-Tangās debuts, it was a dark, hard record, made for heads in New York, not teeny-boppers in Des Moines. There were no dance beats, no crossover love songs. Just boom-bap and rhymes, skills and heart.Ā
TRACKLIST
40 Side North
A1 The Genesis 1:45 | A2 N.Y. State Of Mind 4:53Ā |Ā A3 Life's A Bitch 3:30Ā |Ā A4 The World Is Yours 4:50Ā |Ā A5 Halftime 4:20
41st Side South
B1 Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park) 4:08 |Ā B2 One Love 5:25 |Ā B3 One Time 4 Your Mind 3:18 |Ā B4 Represent 4:12 |Ā B5 It Ain't Hard To Tell 3:22