Throwback Thursday Record Review

What up world? This is the first official edition of the Triple Optic Hip Hop Throwback Thursday Record Review. As you can see by the album cover, today's pick is Illmatic by one of the nastiest spitters reppin since the early 90's. Nas came out of nowhere with this record and just kicked in the door of the hip hop world with his guns smokin. This record was released in April of 1994 and the world was introduced officially to Nasty Nas. It wasn't the first time I had heard Nas rhyme over a beat though. And if you were a fan of underground hip hop, you had probably already heard him as well. That's Nas on the first verse of Main Source's "Live at the BBQ". That would of been a dope ass BBQ to be at.

Illmatic opens up with a sort of skit track called "Genesis". And I believe the goal of that song was to put the listener into a "New York state of mind". What better way to do this, than to have the sounds of the train rumbling over some tracks and the sound of an oldschool beat in the background blending in with Nas and his Queens Bridge homies shootin the issh about various things. It definitely got me in the state of mind they were lookin for, and then they roll right into the DJ Premier produced "New York State of Mind". As with the rest of the album, the lyrics and the flow on this song are absolutely bananas. With lines like, "I never sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death", Nas has one leg in the front door of Hip Hops crib and prepared to get mad comfortable.

AZ makes a guest appearance on the L.E.S produced, "Lifes a Bitch", and these two brothas from QB murder this track. Try and tell me you were able to not sing the chorus back in 1994 after you played the record front to back 15 times the first day it came out. "Lifes a bitch then you die, thats why we stay high.. Cuz you never know when you gonna go". Amen brothas, Amen. One of my favorite producers makes his first appearance on this record with "The World is Yours". What a sick ass track. Pete Rock lays down pure genius and Nas gets funky with his bad self. "I'm out for presidents to represent me... Say what? .... Im out for dead president to represent me".

The Legendary Large Professor blazes his first of three tracks on this classic album with "Halftime". This beat is ridiculous and makes me uncontrollably bob my head with it's funkiness. "I used to watch CHiPs now I load Glocc clips". This is just one line in a song that is relentless in its ass whooping of your senses. Come up for air Nas, your killing em'. It really seems like I am on the jock of the producers of this album, but you cannot deny the pure genius of these cats. Primo strikes again on the next track with "Memory Lane". And yes I was ready to take that trip. Nas continues to destroy every beat put in front of him and this song keeps that streak going. "Peace God".

Q-Tip makes an appearance in the production category with "One Love" and damn near takes the award for the Best Production on this album. The beat and the flow are the example of what makes this music an art form. Nuff said. Large Professor seems to want to make his play for that award, as he lays down the jazzy "One Time For Your Mind". You can just picture a three piece Jazz band playing in a mad smoky room, as Nas spits his gems into the mic. Pure unadulterated dope. And then here comes Primo again. He doesn't want to be left out of the competition so he lays down "Represent" to vie for the title. Nas doesn't let off the throttle and spits that smooth flow and raspy voice into the mic with bar after bar of dopeness.

The album is closed out with Large Professor providing "It Ain't Hard To Tell". How could this song not be bangin with samples from Michael Jackson and Kool & The Gang? When I hear this song it just reminds me of chillin out on a Saturday afternoon, with a cooler full of cold ones and something cookin on the grill. As a matter of fact, this is my new official BBQ theme track. This album is simply described with one single word......CLASSIC. It is timeless and even the youngsters coming up today only knowing hip hop as the shit they hear on the radio, would not have anything negative to say about this gem. It is an art though and people will interpret art in different ways. But if you are a fan of true Hip Hop, you know as well as I do that this record is one of the greatest of our time. Do your thang Nas and REPRESENT REPRESENT.