because of the beat and sample
Nah... that was Fab sounding like he was comin' into his own. Then you got the album and it was mostly Fab bein' the same formula nikka he'd always been.
I don't think anyone has ever expected or wanted 'Illmatic' to come from Fab. That's not what any of his listeners seem to want from him anyway. But at times, it doesn't even seem like Fab is givin' the best FAB he can give. That's why his albums always fall short. Lotta that shyt just sounds lazy, and you get the feelin' that he doesn't care about half the songs on the album either.