The rapper that molded my love for hip-hop and was the soundtrack of my early stages of music discovery. Illmatic is an absolute masterpiece, amazing job breaking it down and bringing light to this pioneer of hip-hop music. ❤️🙏🏽
What I love about Illmatic it's that it really feels like a poetic anthology of Nas' brain. Everything he went through in his life builts the bomb that was this album, even with every song having different vibes and styles, Nas keeps everything consistent by basically being himself as much as he can be with the best possible execution.
@King Benny Garcia Checkout Magic by NaS, it's put together in same style as Illmatic, 30 minutes long, 9 tracks, no wasted lyrics, fantastic production and sequencing, it literally is a perfect album to me, perfect for any short errand, walk, jog or workout, I listen to it 2-3x per week 54 weeks straight since it's release, the only other album that Gabe me same.feeling was illmatic.
Funny because I ignored and underestimated Nas for years. My best friend let me hear It Was Written in high school back in '97...and I was blown away by that album but I didn't think Nas could do any better. A few years later my cousin let me hear Illmatic and I was instantly a hardcore Nas fan. As a rapper myself I was extremely inspired by this album. A true masterpiece that'll live forever as the pinnacle of hip hop
I think NaS was never able to truly top illmatic (at most tie) due to the circumstances with it. That NaS had to prove himself, he was "destined to live the dream for all the peeps who never made it". Most rappers just do it decently, but he made one of the greatest pieces of music ever. He truly had Kings Disease
Great job with this. I was too young for Illmatic in 1994 and it wasn't the first Nas album I heard by the time I got to listen to it but it hit me like no other album in hip hop ever did. I've listened to and loved so many classics since then but I instantly understood why Illmatic got the praise that it did.
I listen to tracks from illmatic almost daily, incredible storytelling and impeccable beats, I don't think any hip-hop album will top that, pure masterpiece
94 was definitely the peak of hip-hop w/biggie debuting and the west coast rap in full swing.. But illmatic really took rap to the next level. He made you feel like you were in the projects with him and did it all with the sickest flow you've heard
As important as this album is and nas for that matter he always put the kids first. When I saw the documentary and the kid spoke about the shootings it brought a tear to my eye because I grew up around the same world. Nas is the voice for the voiceless. I'm glad I got to meet his brother jungle who happens to be friends with someone I grew up with from my neighborhood. Like raekwon and Ghostface said when they first heard him...Nas is the golden child
Awesome vid! And to think Nas still evolved as an artist despite having the best album of all time as his debut. He made even more classics which I hold up to Illmatic ! 🐐🐐
@@KingBenny his catalogue is too deep tbh. IMO he has songs that are on par or better from other albums. Like take it in blood off IWW, or Small World off I am… Nas really the goat. Only person to compete himself with is Nas himself
Ay your content is great and dont feel unmotivated when a video does bad its not a reflection of your content, sometimes the thumbnail is all it takes to tank or propel a video. Try experimenting with different thumbnails or titles and see which get you more traction
... Nas is and always will be the greatest MC to me. Illmatic carried me through some tough times in my teens years and although most of the tracks were based off of his life experiences...i felt like they were meant for me and only me. Now at 45 y.o. from genesis to It ain't hard to Tell i still believe these tracks was all for me and I met GODSON once at San Diego House of blues and the love he showed us (the fans) was surreal. Proud Dad moment: my 13 y.o. son asked if he could start collecting vinyl records...I'm like OFC but you have to pick the first album wisely because you'll always remember your first...fast forward he chose Illmatic as his first album. 🤘🏾😌✊🏾
@@KingBenny it truly is. especially now. But the type of person he will become after being exposed to such treasures makes it all worth it. Great job on this vid it made me subscribe 1 minute in. I haven't finished going through your catalog but can you do a digable planets vid? Peace
Man nas has given his heart and life to hip hop like jesus he is still putting out classics as he has from the beginning an inspiration to all artists my idol and reason my music is always trill and poetic godson
@@KingBennyexactly. LOTS of masterpieces in hip hop alongside Illmatic. The Low End Thory The Chronic Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Just to name a few
I first heard the world is yours in 03 playing tony hawks underground but I was never into rap as a kid my dad was in his 50s so I listen to classic rock but around 2010-11 is when I got into hip hop and I lone behold the first album I fell for was illmatic and the world is yours hit me all those years later. And the tony hawk pro skater series is responsible or my musical taste weather I knew it or not
Nas is the King of Queens and easily top 5 best rappers of all time such legend and icon in hip hop history thank you nas for giving us “Illmatic”😭❤️😤🔊🔥🙏🏿
Easily one of the greatest albums of all time. The vivid description shook me to the core. A majority of folk would've never understand the stories this man painted with his verbal paintbrush. I've listened top this album for over 15 years and I still hear lines that I finally understand due to the difference in slang and era. "Speak with criminal slang/ Begin like a violin/ End like Leviathan"
Great video and thank you for going back to the roots of hiphop and explaining it. Hiphop knowledge is unfortunately not important anymore to these young rappers and listeners
I first heard illmatic and liked it alot but was more a fan of Black Moon and Mobb deep til I heard Nas on Cuban Linx then It was written became my favorite album and its after that that I revisited Illmatic and reallly saw the beauty
I listen to illmatic daily. I hadn't heard it for such a long time but watched a documentary about him and it got me digging out illmatic from my record collection and I have listened to it every single day since. Life's a Bitch and half time is my favourite tracks.
There's so much stuff on Illmatic and how it was made ngl... it was crazy when I'd watch different interviews and docs and their stories would line up it was crazy
Been steady bumping Illmatic since around 2004 when I looked up the track order on cdnow to download them all from kazaa and then burn it to a CD (reading that 🔙 I may have just shown my age here 🤣) At first I didn't get the hype and wondered if it was overrated, but I kept listening to it and it started growing on me until it became my favorite hip hop album of all time around 2007 or maybe 2008 and has held that spot ever since.
hate when ppl say it's his only good or classic album It Was Written, Gods Son and Stillmatic are easy classics Hip Hop Is Dead, I Am, Streets Disciple, Untitler are still great albums to me and Nastradamus is still good to me honeslty might be abit biased since he's my favourite rapper of all time but he has an amazing discog Lost Tapes is amazing aswell
@@KingBenny While I do agree some of the songs haven't aged well I do also think that there are a few songs on Stillmatic that will always sound amazing no matter the time period imo, "Got yourself a gun" instantly comes to mind, as well as "What goes around", the other songs are amazing too for sure but they do have that 2000's sound
@@BeatsByRouph i mean I like tribe but I want to make a good video ab them and for that I gotta get deeper into them... I've seen a few documentaries or mini docs but I just gotta keep finding more before I do a vid for them
I got into hip hop in 95/96 and at that time people were kinda looking down on him even though at that time his discography was Illmatic, It Was Written and The Firm. Today those first two are universally viewed as classics with The Firm finally getting flowers. Then he put out I Am and people. But then he dropped the ass Nastradamus. But then got dissed and every album since has instantly become a must-listen.
At places like 4:49 can you caption there who is talking? I think earlier it was lauryn Hill talking as well but I wasn't sure because it wasn't captioned as such. Thanks!
Best hiphop album of all time imo, closely followed by 36 chambers by the Wu-tang clan... Arguably one of the best albums of all time, all genres. Every track is a slapper and you can clearly hear the inspiration this album had on the game if you compare hiphop pre illmatic and post illmatic.
We need another NT State of Mind. There are certain Nas tracks that I just love but that he really does. And two of thesecare off his hated double album - Thief's Theme and Suicide Bounce.
![[Free] Old Kanye West x The College Dropout Type Beat "Hallelujah"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jLPfagGV8hs/mqdefault.jpg)
The rapper that molded my love for hip-hop and was the soundtrack of my early stages of music discovery. Illmatic is an absolute masterpiece, amazing job breaking it down and bringing light to this pioneer of hip-hop music. ❤️🙏🏽
Thanks! I made sure to get as many things as I could right for the fans of the album so it means more coming from illmatic fans
frr rbrub check m eitt
Couldn't of said it better myself 👏👏‼️vid is really official fr too man
One 💕✌🏾
Nas is one of my all time favorite rappers and it’s really interesting to see how he put together a legendary album when he was just a teenager
Honestly I'm the same age he was when he made illmatic and I don't think I could do it tbh
What I love about Illmatic it's that it really feels like a poetic anthology of Nas' brain.
Everything he went through in his life builts the bomb that was this album, even with every song having different vibes and styles, Nas keeps everything consistent by basically being himself as much as he can be with the best possible execution.
It is def one of the most poetic lyricism I've heard on the albums
classic album, the lyrics, production and samples are straight legendary
There's not a lot of albums built like illmatic tbh
@King Benny Garcia Checkout Magic by NaS, it's put together in same style as Illmatic, 30 minutes long, 9 tracks, no wasted lyrics, fantastic production and sequencing, it literally is a perfect album to me, perfect for any short errand, walk, jog or workout, I listen to it 2-3x per week 54 weeks straight since it's release, the only other album that Gabe me same.feeling was illmatic.
Hands down his best album. The others were cool but this one cemented his status
🧑🏽🍳
Even his recent album, he’s just got the perfect flow, voice, and lyrics. See in to his 40’s and still rocking the world
.
The fact that " It Aint Hard to Tell" was broken down by a Harvard Lecture tells you all you need to know about the crazy worldplay was on that song.
Yeah... it does
Illmatic makes me feel like I’m visiting New York.
Funny because I ignored and underestimated Nas for years. My best friend let me hear It Was Written in high school back in '97...and I was blown away by that album but I didn't think Nas could do any better. A few years later my cousin let me hear Illmatic and I was instantly a hardcore Nas fan. As a rapper myself I was extremely inspired by this album. A true masterpiece that'll live forever as the pinnacle of hip hop
I think NaS was never able to truly top illmatic (at most tie) due to the circumstances with it. That NaS had to prove himself, he was "destined to live the dream for all the peeps who never made it". Most rappers just do it decently, but he made one of the greatest pieces of music ever. He truly had Kings Disease
dj prem, Q tip and Pete rock produced the hardest beats on illmatic plus nas lyricism and story telling compliments the beat perfectly
Yes! Exactly my point with this video
He IS the greatest rapper of all time
Great job with this. I was too young for Illmatic in 1994 and it wasn't the first Nas album I heard by the time I got to listen to it but it hit me like no other album in hip hop ever did. I've listened to and loved so many classics since then but I instantly understood why Illmatic got the praise that it did.
Outside of The World is yours I think everything didn't make sense to me
I listen to tracks from illmatic almost daily, incredible storytelling and impeccable beats, I don't think any hip-hop album will top that, pure masterpiece
Idk I think there's better hip hop albums in terms of preference but purely from a legacy standpoint... illmatic is the hip hop album
@@KingBennyI agree stillmatic is a better album to me I can’t listen to illmatic from start to finish buts it’s cool
@@cassandraclark5499 damn it’s the same for me but the other way around. I prefer it was written to both though
At its time sure but MMLP comes close
@@NoChillAustin nah MMLP is a ten but it’s not Illmatic I’m sorry
94 was definitely the peak of hip-hop w/biggie debuting and the west coast rap in full swing.. But illmatic really took rap to the next level. He made you feel like you were in the projects with him and did it all with the sickest flow you've heard
he does paint a pretty cool picture
Weird I found you at 5k views you’re more than double. Don’t give up, watch it keep going. Thanks for your time man
aye man... hopefully soon
Found your channel last year bc of the tyler and dj Khaled video. Loving the content, keep it up!!!
Thank you! Glad you stuck around and are liking the content
Awesome and well put together video, Illmatic will forever be great
Illmatic will definitely live on forever and thanks btw
Nas
Illmatic
🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤
The only rap album I notice I played all day was Illmatic. I can never get tired of this classic
Idk if I could play it all day but its def rly good
@@KingBenny Illmatic n Brandy Two Eleven deluxe 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️ all day
As important as this album is and nas for that matter he always put the kids first. When I saw the documentary and the kid spoke about the shootings it brought a tear to my eye because I grew up around the same world. Nas is the voice for the voiceless. I'm glad I got to meet his brother jungle who happens to be friends with someone I grew up with from my neighborhood. Like raekwon and Ghostface said when they first heard him...Nas is the golden child
Nas is the greatest to ever touch the mic untouchable aint no debate. The goat. 🐐🐐🐐
What a brilliant history lesson and breakdown
you have earned yourself a subscriber in me
Thanks! Hope you stick around
Underrated video bro this video was awesome I hope u get to a mill subs at least man
Hopefully some day it will happen lol
Awesome vid! And to think Nas still evolved as an artist despite having the best album of all time as his debut. He made even more classics which I hold up to Illmatic ! 🐐🐐
idk I think like three of his top five songs are on illmatic tbh
@@KingBenny his catalogue is too deep tbh. IMO he has songs that are on par or better from other albums. Like take it in blood off IWW, or Small World off I am… Nas really the goat. Only person to compete himself with is Nas himself
Illmatic
KD3
Magic
IWW
Stillmatic
LT1
LIG
KD2
GS
DR
KD1
Untitled
HHID
I Am
LT2
SD
Nasir
Nastradamus
NaS discography is unmatched, only Jay-Z comes close, but NaS pulled away with KD Trilogy + Magic albums!
Great vid man ur underrated asf love ur content
Thanks for the love!!!
love the dilla beats you put in this video! my favorite beat maker. also nas is great
Dilla is also my favorite beat maker ngl
Top tier video! Keep up the great work man, love the shit❤️
Thanks I appreciate the love
The piano sample on The World is Yours is incredible 🤝
Ay your content is great and dont feel unmotivated when a video does bad its not a reflection of your content, sometimes the thumbnail is all it takes to tank or propel a video. Try experimenting with different thumbnails or titles and see which get you more traction
Yeah I know that trust lol... this video has had like 6 thumbnails at this point... thanks for the comment tho
the first kick on ny state of mind goes so hard
... Nas is and always will be the greatest MC to me. Illmatic carried me through some tough times in my teens years and although most of the tracks were based off of his life experiences...i felt like they were meant for me and only me. Now at 45 y.o. from genesis to It ain't hard to Tell i still believe these tracks was all for me and I met GODSON once at San Diego House of blues and the love he showed us (the fans) was surreal. Proud Dad moment: my 13 y.o. son asked if he could start collecting vinyl records...I'm like OFC but you have to pick the first album wisely because you'll always remember your first...fast forward he chose Illmatic as his first album. 🤘🏾😌✊🏾
Thats dope ngl... but collecting vinyl an expensive hobby tbh
@@KingBenny it truly is. especially now. But the type of person he will become after being exposed to such treasures makes it all worth it. Great job on this vid it made me subscribe 1 minute in. I haven't finished going through your catalog but can you do a digable planets vid? Peace
@@damonpenn824 im not gonna lie I've never heard of digable planets... I'll have to check em out, thanks for subscribing tho, it means a lot
love this album. great work on the video
Thank you sir... all support is appreciated. Thanks for giving it a chance
Man nas has given his heart and life to hip hop like jesus he is still putting out classics as he has from the beginning an inspiration to all artists my idol and reason my music is always trill and poetic godson
i’m 21 and it’s literally the first rap album I listened top to bottom
It wasn't my first album ngl but I think its a good entry point if you like lyrics ig
That's awesome your off to an amazing start
Best channel on yt
I wouldn't say so but thanks! I appreciate it
@@KingBenny Don't be so modest
@@KingBenny I would say that
@@zap_2811 idk but aye I appreciate it still
I really enjoyed this video well done, now I'm going to go find my old Ipod. I have a certain album for some reason needs a listening.
thanks! but idk old ipod sounds kinda crazy
Illmatic is the most HIP HOP album of all time
King Benny Garcia back with another banger
another banger comment tbh
@@KingBenny the fact you only have 17k subs is wild you deserve to have a gold plaque already
Nice video boy, you should make more analysis on perfect albums, like GKMC, Madvillainy, TPAB, Enter the Wu
ngl these take hella energy so prolly not unless i rly want to
@@KingBenny ok, just hope that you remember to do this videos, which you probably forget, thanks anyway
@@PaulaDentro-rp6yl of the albums you named id say GKMC is the most likely tbh... mostly bc GKMC is a west coast Illmatic
@@KingBenny alright brotha
@@KingBenny Nas is not that nice and there are hip hop albums just as lyrically dangerous as "illmatic".
Illmatic is arguably one of the very few albums that can be considered a masterpiece of the genre.
Hip hop has a lot of masterpieces imo
@@KingBennyexactly. LOTS of masterpieces in hip hop alongside Illmatic.
The Low End Thory
The Chronic
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Just to name a few
Nas Is The Reason I Fell In Love With HIP-HOP! 🎙️🔥
I first heard the world is yours in 03 playing tony hawks underground but I was never into rap as a kid my dad was in his 50s so I listen to classic rock but around 2010-11 is when I got into hip hop and I lone behold the first album I fell for was illmatic and the world is yours hit me all those years later. And the tony hawk pro skater series is responsible or my musical taste weather I knew it or not
Retweet
Nas is the King of Queens and easily top 5 best rappers of all time such legend and icon in hip hop history thank you nas for giving us “Illmatic”😭❤️😤🔊🔥🙏🏿
without a doubt top 3 of all time unmatched
illmatic or nas?
@@KingBenny both
Easily one of the greatest albums of all time. The vivid description shook me to the core. A majority of folk would've never understand the stories this man painted with his verbal paintbrush. I've listened top this album for over 15 years and I still hear lines that I finally understand due to the difference in slang and era. "Speak with criminal slang/ Begin like a violin/ End like Leviathan"
One of the best rap channels on CZcams
Thanks....I should make more content than just rap
Great video and thank you for going back to the roots of hiphop and explaining it. Hiphop knowledge is unfortunately not important anymore to these young rappers and listeners
Thank you! I appreciate it, I think its important to always look at the beginning
respect man, respect. thank you so much for this video..
Respect... I appreciate it
Great video man 👏
Great comment tbh
I first heard illmatic and liked it alot but was more a fan of Black Moon and Mobb deep til I heard Nas on Cuban Linx then It was written became my favorite album and its after that that I revisited Illmatic and reallly saw the beauty
loved the video and where did you get the clip of the kid in the end spittin facts
it was in the illmatic press kit that released as promotion
I listen to illmatic daily. I hadn't heard it for such a long time but watched a documentary about him and it got me digging out illmatic from my record collection and I have listened to it every single day since. Life's a Bitch and half time is my favourite tracks.
There's so much stuff on Illmatic and how it was made ngl... it was crazy when I'd watch different interviews and docs and their stories would line up it was crazy
Lifes a bitch my favourite song ever
my fav the world is yours but half time valid
subbed alr. Great video
Thanks! every sub is def appreciated for me
The Greatest Hip Hop Album Ever👑
Can't disagree tbh
I ain’t ever seen somebody explain how loved this album is so well 👏🏾
Thanks! It means a lot to hear
I don't think anyone anywhere anytime has ever had such a tremendous debut.... everlasting and iconic
Nas worst discography is a new rapper best discography
What I find crazy is how much Logic sampled off of this album for songs like dead presidents and young Sinatra
CLASSIC
The best video I have watched in 2023 and the year has just begun 😮
Thanks!!! I put extra effort into this one
Paid in Full and Illmatic were direction changers. Hip hop was one way prior to their creation and much different after
Goated Video
goated comment
Been steady bumping Illmatic since around 2004 when I looked up the track order on cdnow to download them all from kazaa and then burn it to a CD (reading that 🔙 I may have just shown my age here 🤣) At first I didn't get the hype and wondered if it was overrated, but I kept listening to it and it started growing on me until it became my favorite hip hop album of all time around 2007 or maybe 2008 and has held that spot ever since.
Idk I feel like burning CDs is something ppl did up until like 10 yrs ago
@@KingBenny word, I suppose I was thinking mostly how name drops like 'cdnow' and especially 'kazaa' made me sound a lil dated 😂
hate when ppl say it's his only good or classic album
It Was Written, Gods Son and Stillmatic are easy classics
Hip Hop Is Dead, I Am, Streets Disciple, Untitler are still great albums to me and Nastradamus is still good to me honeslty
might be abit biased since he's my favourite rapper of all time but he has an amazing discog
Lost Tapes is amazing aswell
I like a bunch of his albums but idk... a tillmatic I feel is a bit aged, and I'd put probably all kings disease albums over it.... maybe even magic
@@KingBenny While I do agree some of the songs haven't aged well I do also think that there are a few songs on Stillmatic that will always sound amazing no matter the time period imo, "Got yourself a gun" instantly comes to mind, as well as "What goes around", the other songs are amazing too for sure but they do have that 2000's sound
What, no mention of Rakim, Slick Rick, or G Rap when talking about early Nas influences? Enjoyed the video nonetheless 👍
I mentioned Rakim in the original draft but I had to cut it down, and what was left of that audio got corrupted
@@KingBenny It's all good homie, appreciate the content as I said 👏
My Choice For Number One Hiphop Artist
Great vid dawgs
thank you dawg
Can you do a $not video? Great video btw
Prolly not
"I trip, we box up crazy bitches aimin guns in all my baby pictures"
Nas my fav rapper/rap group after A Tribe Called Quest
Tribe cool but i gotta get deeper into their music
@@KingBenny that’s true the more you hear their music the more you like it. There is also a documentary of them on yt.
@@BeatsByRouph i mean I like tribe but I want to make a good video ab them and for that I gotta get deeper into them... I've seen a few documentaries or mini docs but I just gotta keep finding more before I do a vid for them
this was the first album i listened to
I got into hip hop in 95/96 and at that time people were kinda looking down on him even though at that time his discography was Illmatic, It Was Written and The Firm. Today those first two are universally viewed as classics with The Firm finally getting flowers.
Then he put out I Am and people. But then he dropped the ass Nastradamus. But then got dissed and every album since has instantly become a must-listen.
At places like 4:49 can you caption there who is talking? I think earlier it was lauryn Hill talking as well but I wasn't sure because it wasn't captioned as such. Thanks!
All of that is Nas talking ab his producers and then the producers talking ab nas
amazing video brother
Thanks for giving it a chance
Best rapper alive currently is Nas especially after the KD trilogy & Magic.
8:43 This is why Nas was/is/always will be MY top 5 if not #1!!! Create what will live on, poetic lyricism in purest form aged wine.
Nas, Wu Tang, Capital Steez and Shane Eagle..... All of their first albums
Amerikkkan Koruption got some crazy wordplay ngl
great videoman keep it up
Thanks! I'll try to
World is yours easily one of the best beats ever made Illmatic will never die
world is yours is top 10 beats all time
illmatic is my favorite album ngl
13:54 THIS SHIT MADE ME WHEEZE LMAOOOOO
Nas, the best EVER!
super informative video 👍
Thanks! Happy you enjoyed!
this is excellent
Excellent comment tbh
Greatest album ever 'cause sleep is the cousin of death.🔥
Best hiphop album of all time imo, closely followed by 36 chambers by the Wu-tang clan... Arguably one of the best albums of all time, all genres. Every track is a slapper and you can clearly hear the inspiration this album had on the game if you compare hiphop pre illmatic and post illmatic.
9:37 very true statement
That first word u spoke. Sounded hella auto tuned. Lol it was magical
Lol I didn't notice tbh
@@KingBenny u took that waaaaaak to Poland for a little bit.
@@Swagolisious2 I noticed too lmao.
I thought he was about to sing.
trying to make something as impactful as this.
I’m new to rap after listening to rock for 10 years but I wanted to see Wu and Nas when they came to Petco Park, they sold out though so I couldn’t go
Looooove illmatic ...
Illmatic it'a masterpiece and one of my favourite albums,but,in my opinion,It's Dark And Hell Is Hot is the best album in HipHop
my favorite rap album of all time
W
Nas Is "The" Greatest Of All Time.
Nas is such a lagend icl
hes top 3 all time in my books
What’s the outro song instrumental? I can’t place what it is
J Dilla - Life
We need another NT State of Mind.
There are certain Nas tracks that I just love but that he really does. And two of thesecare off his hated double album - Thief's Theme and Suicide Bounce.
I like NY state of mind but we dontnneed another one tbh
amazing video
amazing comment!
The "Greatest of All Tims"
I seen nas on the New York state of mind tour
I never sleep cuz sleep is the causing of death
Man that's enough