Liner Notes
*THIS RELEASE HAPPENED TO COME THIRD IN HIP-HOP CONNECTIONS TOP 100 READERS POLL! WHICH MEANS THAT OUT OF OUR FIRST BUNCH OF RAP RELEASES WE HAVE RELEASED THE NUMBERS 1,2 & 3, WHICH ISN’T BAD GOING! AND IT’S PURELY CO-INCIDENTAL SINCE THESE ALBUMS WERE ALL REQUESTED LONG BEFORE THE POLL WAS PUBLISHED. SO WELCOME TO THE BEST INDIVIDUAL RAPPER SINCE RAKIM WITH HIS SEARING DEBUT ALBUM. WE’RE TALKING NAS AND THE ASTONISHING “ILLMATIC”. RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER “ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS)” (SVLP215), “ILLMATIC” PUT THE EAST COAST WELL AND TRULY BACK ON TOP IN PURE TERMS OF RHYMING ABILITY AND PRODUCTION VALUES. EVERY TRACK ON “ILLMATIC” IS A KILLER WITH ABSOLUTELY NO FILLERS WHATSOEVER. ROCKING TRACKS INCLUDE “THE GENESIS”, “N.Y. STATE OF MIND”, “LIFE’S A BITCH”, THE WONDERFUL “MEMORY LANE (SITTIN’ IN DA PARK)”, THE OLD-STYLE “REPRESENT” AND THE HYPNOTIC “IT AIN’T HARD TO TELL” – IN FACT THE WHOLE DAMN ALBUM IS PRETTY MUCH INDISPENSABLE FOR LOVERS OF NATURAL BORN RAPPERS. PERHAPS MORE ASTONISHING IS THE FACT THAT NAS WAS ONLY 19 WHEN HE RECORDED THIS SPECTACULAR DEBUT. THEY DON’T COME MUCH BETTER THAN THIS – BELIEVE US!-- VIRGIL, SIMPLY VINYL.
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