While I am spinning much of my favorite hip-hop tonight on the BIRN, there are a few favorites that don't quite make it past FCC guidelines. So throughout this week I'll be highlighting some of those artists that I couldn't play. And who better to start with than Nas? Nas' stellar debut album Illmatic has served him as both a blessing and a curse throughout his career. Had his debut not been the masterpiece that it is, he may not have achieved the amount of success he's had. Subsequently, however, he has never been able to match the quality of his debut throughout the rest of his career. His album reviews are plagued by the constant comparison to his masterful introduction to the world. Not to say his later records are bad -- because all of them are not -- but none of them can compete with Illmatic. The production is dope, the flow is excellent, and the poetic rapping just rolls off of Nas' tongue with ease.Nas - N.Y. State Of Mind (from Illmatic)
Nas - The World Is Yours (from Illmatic)
"The World Is Yours" is my favorite Nas song. It's classic. Pete Rock's production is butter.