A new series we here and KevinNottinagham.com want to initiate. Of course, we love our reader participation and the give-a-damn comments we get 85% of the time. Unlike other blogs, the comments and the commenters kind of establish more discussion and aren’t one word or two word statistics. With that said, we feel that this could really generate some discussion. What I (Sean Deez) want to do is discuss an album and from there, rank the tracks and kind of give a reasoning for the explanation. It will allow some discussion for the album itself as well as particular songs, maybe even some that have gone overlooked. As an added bonus the commenter with the best response whether with a list of their own or the flat out best response/reasoning could be chosen to do a list and rank of their own (when I need my beauty sleep, and trust me, I need a lot of it) or maybe even get a prize that KevinNottingham.com might be able to offer up once in a while. It’s a win-win situation. Big shouts to my favourite message board, Hip Hop Lovers on Facebook for inspiring me to drop this on a wider scale.
The first album, well, let’s stick to the most discussed and talked about hip hop album ever, Illmatic. Short, sweet, but drastically hard to split these hairs.
Listen to Illmatic in full on Imeem.com
10. “Genesis”
It is a trademark in the hip hop intro world, in fact, I adore this intro. Especially using the “Subway Theme” and when you get to re-hear Nasir’s verse from “Live @ the BBQ,” that feeling kind of seeps in. Still, because of no lyrical content, it has to take the last place cake here.
9. “One Time 4 Your Mind”
Sadly, this song gets overlooked more times than not. The beat doesn’t stay as fast paced as the other joints on the album and it really doesn’t have as much energy from Nas. Crazily enough, while this is the one “misstep” on Illmatic, it could easily be the career defining song for another artist. Nevertheless, it fits the album perfectly.
8. “Halftime”
This is where it gets hard and essentially one large blur. “Halftime” is perfectly placed in the middle of the album, proving as a sort of intermission from the lyrical onslaught given by the three songs prior to it. It’s Nas, fierce, but ever so gracious. Really, this could be number one on any list.
7. “Represent”
Some consider this DJ Premier’s greatest beat, and rightfully so, they can argue that. Nas is great on this too and the whole crew in the background really gives this the atmosphere that justifies the title. [laughs] Once again, what do you guys want me to say, this could be number one on any list.
6. “One Love”
Q-Tip certainly hooked this up and Nas certainly didn’t disappoint. Rapping prison letters? Yeah, that’s dope and really really moving. The beat meshes with the lyrics so poetically, and yeah, again, could be number one on anyone’s list.
5. “The World Is Yours”
One of Pete Rock’s finest beats and one of Nasir’s finest moments. ” I Sip the Don P” kicks in and dude just zones out. I guess some people wouldn’t agree that this is a great song though: “You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song.”
4. “Life’s A Bitch”
No famous guest appearances on Illmatic, but, “Life’s A Bitch” does remain the defining verse in AZ’s career. The long lasting debate of “who came better” always begins and ends with AZ and Nas. Two outstanding verses backed by one hell of a relaxed and mood-fitting LES beat makes this a necessary top lister.
3. “NY State of Mind”
If there’s one song I could just get up and rap on stage, it would be “NY State of Mind.” In between giving shouts to Premier for the gem beat in between verses, I’d be pacing back and forth just thinking of the upcoming verse, without nerves, but filled with excitement. No song gets me feeling the way “NY State of Mind” does… and I know I’m not the only one.
2. “Memory Lane”
Is it weird that a song I consider “the most perfect hip hop song” is number two on this list? Probably. But don’t ask, because on some days this can be number one or number three or whatever. I still stand firm though. This song gives me a state of nostalgia, this feeling of chilling on the stoup, this feeling of great hip hop. Plenty of artists have made a song like that, one of those joints that just has you chilling with your boys and talking, but no song, NO SONG has this everlasting appeal and mental stamina.
1. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”
Bar none, one of the best beats to ever grace hip hop and some of the best sample usages. Props to Extra P. But, is there a better end to a hip hop album? I mean, this is why it’s number one here: the last song on the greatest hip hop album ending it on an even higher note than when it started? That’s something special. In fact, it’s lasting appeal is that it makes you go back to the start just to get that feeling of anticipation and climax to feel track number 10 all over again. Ever eat those Drumsticks? You know, the first bite is so good with the chocolate and the nuts and stuff, then the ice cream is cool, its satisfying, but that feeling of that last bite of the cone itself, the chocolate filled cone, isn’t it just the best freaking bite ever? Yeah, I’m getting hungry for hip hop
*Seriously, this rank list is a great one to begin with because it’s foolproof. You could put “Genesis” at number one and you wouldn’t get yelled at. These are my rankings, but what are yours. Am I an idiot? Rhetorical question, but feel free to go nuts on these rankings as well.
Related posts:
- Illmatic Beat Contest: Week 1
- Getback: Bonus Tracks
- Illmatic 10th Anniversary Edition: Original Samples
- Two Hot New Tracks Produced by Remot!
- Illmatic Beat Contest: Week 10
Follow: Sean Deez on Twitter
