Line of Defence Records
Nas - Illmatic
Nas - Illmatic
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"I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death."
No album better reflected the sound and style of New York, 94. Raw rap, soul samples and beat breaks. A gifted writer whose wordplay knows no bounds, Nas tells his own story, the archetypal anti-hero with ambitions of ruling the world, escaping the conflict, violence and brutality of New York's underbelly.
The son of Jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas draws on Jazz influences, with producer Pete Rock utilising Jazz piano chords and even having his own father play the trumpet solo at the end of "Life’s a Bitch". Jazz also permeates the albums most essential cuts, with The Ahmad Jamal-sampling, boom-bap classic "The World Is Yours" remaining a stand out track.
The lyrics remind us that New York is the beating heart of Illmatic, "To everybody in Queens, the foundation (it's yours) / The world is yours." Nas represents the East Coast through and through and deserves to be ranked one of the best East Coast rappers of all time.
Tracklist
- The Genesis
- NY State of Mind
- Life's a Bitch feat. AZ & Oli Dara
- The World Is Yours
- Halftime
- Memory Lane (Sittin in Da Park)
- One Love feat. Q-Tip
- One Time 4 Your Mind
- Represent
- It Ain't Hard To Tell
ABOUT LINE OF DEFENCE RECORDS
LINE OF DEFENCE RECORDS is the sister store of INN DEFENCE, a café and events space located in Dumbarton, Scotland which aims to provide educational events and activities for the public. With every sale of a record you're providing funding for a young person's guitar lesson, group therapy sessions, and more!
Please join us in creating a unique experience through music.
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PLEASE NOTE: all cancelled orders incur a £3 restocking fee. In order to prevent damage in transit/seam splitting we recommend the option at cart to send the record unsealed and with the record out it's sleeve. We cannot accept liability for seam splitting if you don't choose this option.
