Nas Illmatic Torrent Download
Brie Hoffler
In the clip from WatchLOUD's YouTube channel, Tragedy speaks about the term that has become "a cornerstone in Nas' career." Tragedy explained that he first used the term on Marley Marl's In Control Volume 1 compilation album.
"The first time that I used the word Illmatic in a rhyme was a song called 'The Rebel ' on volume 1 of Marley Marl's In Control," he explained. "I was in some trouble, I was about 14 or 15 and I went to Marley's studio on Astoria Blvd. The studio was a little walk from Queensbridge and I was dipping in and out of buildings because I was on the run."
Tragedy then explained that no matter what he was going through his need to make music took priority. "I had to go make this song, for me whatever is going on in life, I have to do music," he explained. "I recorded the song, but ended up getting snatched up a while later and that's when the album [Nas' Illmatic] came out."
"Initially I did feel a certain way, but it wasn't the usage of the word. To be authentic, I actually got it from an OG named Illmatic Ice. It's not that I said 'Im gonna make this word up.' I was in the streets so much that I said forget ill, I get illmatical. I took it and made it into a rhyme. When certain terms came out Hip-Hop was able to magnify those terms because a particular artist had a voice to do it."
-The 7-inches are housed in a custom hardbound casebook that includes a 64-page book of extended liner notes by Sacha Jenkins with full lyrics, photos, and 12-inch singles discography.
Thirty years ago on April 19, 1994, Nasir "Nas" Jones dropped Illmatic which is regarded by many as the greatest hip-hop album of all time. Before 1994, Nas (under the name "Nasty Nas") was rapping and making demo tapes with Large Professor, and in 1991 performed an unforgettable verse on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque." The next year Nas released "Halftime" for the Zebrahead soundtrack, another Large Pro cut, and signed a deal to record an album for Columbia Records. Nas was being compared to one of the lyrical greats, Rakim, and the pressure was on to drop a debut album to top all rappers. A dream team of hip-hop producers including DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and L.E.S. was assembled to work on what would become the 5 Mic classic Illmatic. Not only did it establish Nas as the Best Rapper Alive in 1994, but it also raised the stakes for hip-hop production, lyrical technique, content, and overall artistic ambition.
Illmatic is the crown jewel of the mid-90s classics that still define the genre. No filler, one intro, and 9 tracks of hip-hop perfection. Every song on this album matters. From Premier's masterful "N.Y State Of Mind" to the AZ-assisted "Life's A Bitch" and Pete Rock's piano-laced "The World Is Yours" Illmatic starts with a powerful trio of songs that easily could solidify this album as classic if it stopped right there. Other tracks such as "Memory Lane" and "One Love" show Nas focusing on his neighborhood and local legends that molded him into the person he was which made them all just as important to us. Large Professor delivers the album's first single "It Ain't Hard To Tell" while Premier delivers the album's certified street anthem "Represent". Serious to a fault, and lyrically dense to an extent that has possibly never been matched, the 20-year-old Nas stood on the shoulders of his predecessors and made them proud with this one. Thirty years later the album stands the test of time, where time is truly illmatic.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of Illmatic, Get On Down in partnership with Sony's CERTIFIED is proud to present the entire album on six 7-inches with 2 remixes. The box sets are in stock and shipping now!
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