20th anniversary reissue in a new artwork.
Lacquer cut engineer and pressing plant identified with matrix/runout.
A MASTERPIECE
• Original Debut Album REMASTERED
• 180-gram high quality heavyweight vinyl
• Download card includes FULL ALBUM PLUS 10 rare remixes, demos & freestyles
Nas' seminal debut album has been expanded 20th anniversary edition titled, ILLMATIC XX. Long considered one of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time, ILLMATIC is a densely textured, deeply lyrical portrait of life in the US's largest public housing project, Queensbridge. Upon release, the record signaled the resurgence of the moribund New York hip-hop scene and helped pave the way for Biggie Smalls, Jay Z and a new generation of New York rappers. ILLMATIC XX is the ultimate fan experience and features new liner notes by longtime friend, Sacha Jenkins (Ego Trip), previously unseen and rare photographs, a personal note from Nas and more! 2014 is the year of ILLMATIC XX!
Out of a seemingly endless array of hip hop albums, every now and again something fresh and powerful rises to the top of the pile. Hailing from the Queensbridge Housing Projects in Long Island City (home to Marley Marl among others), 20-year old Nasir "Nas" Jones is less concerned with being an impersonator than with being an originator, bypassing adolescent fantasies and B-boy braggadocio in favor of jazzy beats, rap noir realism and new answers to urban despair.
ILLMATIC is his story, a cautionary tale of the inner-city streets, and as Nas makes plain on his opener, "The Genesis," this is what he does, with or without a record contract, and it's going to be served up straight, no chaser. And because Nas has the courage to transcend popular trends, to separate himself from the ranks of wannabes and me-toos, he may be on the verge of inaugurating some stylistic changes of his own.
Personnel includes: Nas, AZ (vocals); Olu Dara (trumpet).
Producers: DJ Premier, L.E.S., Pete Rock, Q-Tip, The Large Professor.
Engineers include: Eddie Sancho, Jason Vogel, Jamey Staub.
Recorded at Chung King Studios, D & D Recording and Battery Studios, New York, New York.
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rap & Hip-Hop
Track Listings
Side: 1
1 The Genesis
2 N.Y. State of Mind
3 Life's a Bitch - Nas feat. AZ & Olu Dara
4 The World Is Yours
5 Halftime
Side: 2
1 Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)
2 One Love - Nas feat. Q-Tip
3 One Time 4 Your Mind
4 Represent
5 It Ain't Hard to Tell
