Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one
of the greatest hip hop full lengths
of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact
of this damn near perfect slice
of east coast street hop – truly one
of the great, filler free,
beginning-to-
end classics with not a wasted second! Part
of the strength
of the record is the top-shelf choice
of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all
of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort
of vibe – on titles that include "NY State
Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". Columbia has gone all out with the reverence on this double LP reissue, with remastered sound polish and a bonus LP with remixes
of "World Is Yours", "Life's A B***h", "One Love" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell", plus bonus tracks "On The Real" and "Star Wars".
(Includes the printed inner sleeves. Cover has promo and hype stickers.)