Nas – Illmatic 30th Anniversary Remixes, Rarities (rsd 2024)

Released in 1994, Illmatic is widely considered the quintessential hip-hop debut and a pinnacle of the genre’s lyrical craftsmanship. Recorded when Nas was just 20, the album features production from a "dream team" of New York producers, including DJ Premier and Pete Rock, creating a sophisticated backdrop for Nas’s vivid storytelling. While initially a slow burner commercially, it was an immediate critical success, famously receiving the rare "five mics" rating from The Source. In Australia, Illmatic is hailed as a foundational text for hip-hop heads, with tracks like N.Y. State of Mind enjoying long-term legacy airplay on Triple J and community radio. The album currently holds a top-200 spot in the Rolling Stone Top 500. Its cultural impact lies in its setting of a new standard for street poetry and narrative depth. As many critics have observed, Illmatic is a "perfect" record, capturing the essence of Queensbridge life. As Nas famously rapped, "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death," a line that became a defining mantra.