10 Hip-Hop Albums Every New Fan Should Listen To
4. Illmatic - Nas
The Album: Widely considered the best rap album of all-time, Nas's Illmatic is a tour de force. On Illmatic a 20-year old Nas offers a realistic depiction of the ghetto-life. Upon release it was praised for its honesty and for not glorifying the violence and crime of impoverished communities.
Nas fully embraced the anti-commercial part of rap and wanted to offer a real fresh perspective regardless of profits or the demands of the masses. That attitude delivered a brilliant album but it also has its flaws, none of Nas's singles charted and the album struggled to sell.
However now, critics look back on his realistic storytelling and unique multi-syllabic rhyming structures as a landmark in rap history.
Standout Track: The World is Yours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PnuIRnJW8
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