Lyricism
Nas' lyricism on Illmatic has been compared by music writers to that of eminent rapper Rakim.[5][110]
During the time of its release, Illmatic brought a renewed focus on lyricism to hip hop—hearkening back to the heyday of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim.[5][14] Music journalist Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote of Illmatic, stating that Nas "perfected a dense, rat-a-tat rhyme style that built upon the legacy of 1980s pioneers like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane."[88] In his book To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic, William Jelani Cobb writes of Nas' impact on lyricism and the comparisons to eminent rapper Rakim at the time:
Nas, the poetic sage of the Queensbridge projects, was hailed as the second coming of Rakim—as if the first had reached his expiration date. [...] Nas never became 'the next Rakim,' nor did he really have to. Illmatic stood on its own terms. The sublime lyricism of the CD, combined with the fact that it was delivered into the crucible of the boiling East-West conflict, quickly solidified [his] reputation as the premier writer of his time.[110]
Despite its initial low sales, the album had a profound impact on the hip hop underground circuit, and marked a major stylistic change in hip hop music by introducing a new standard of lyricism.[38] Before the album's release, hip hop lyricism was mostly defined by two popular forms. One was characterized by a fast-paced ragga-flow accompanied with a whimsical, often nonsensical lyrical delivery, and had been popularized by the Brooklyn-based groups Das EFX and The Fu-Schnickens.[111] The other was characterized by a slurred "lazy drawl" that sacrificed lyrical complexity for clarity and rhythmic cadence, and was exemplified by West Coast hip hop emcees including Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G.[112] However, Nas' content, verbal pace, and intricate internal rhyme patterns inspired several rappers to modify their lyrical abilities.[5][14] Music critic Rob Marriot notes, "[R]appers like Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi, Nature, Cormega, Noreaga, Capone, Raekwon, Ghostface, and even the Windy City wordsmith Common seemed to find new inspiration in Nas' self awareness, internal rhyme schemes, and mastery of street detail."[51] Mariott also describes the impact of Illmatic's "poetic approach" on Jay-Z, writing: "The Brooklyn MC switched his style up from his fast-talking Jaz-O days enough to produce Reasonable Doubt, an album marked by Nas-like introspection..."[51]
Many rappers have taken note of Illmatic's influence on their lyricism. Ghostface Killah recounted, “When I used to listen to Nas back in the days, it was like, ‘Oh shyt! He murdered that.’ That forced me to get my pen game up. . .The whole Illmatic album forced you to go ahead and do shyt . . .It was inspiration." [113] Detroit rapper Elzhi states, "[A]round the time Nas did Illmatic, it made me wanna step my game up. . .He's one of the reasons I did go off into storytelling because his pictures were so vivid. When he displayed his rhyme schemes and his word play and his songs, it made me wanna create visual pictures as well."[114] Casey Veggies also recounts the impact Nas' lyricism had his own work as an underground rapper in the 2000s: “I [got into] Illmatic when I was 14, 15. I didn’t get onto to it till late, but when I did, that's probably the only thing I listened to for six months to a year...After I got heavy on Illmatic, I put out Sleeping In Class (2010). That's when I really tried to sharpen my skills and get better.”
Nas' lyricism on Illmatic has been compared by music writers to that of eminent rapper Rakim.[5][110]
During the time of its release, Illmatic brought a renewed focus on lyricism to hip hop—hearkening back to the heyday of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim.[5][14] Music journalist Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote of Illmatic, stating that Nas "perfected a dense, rat-a-tat rhyme style that built upon the legacy of 1980s pioneers like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane."[88] In his book To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic, William Jelani Cobb writes of Nas' impact on lyricism and the comparisons to eminent rapper Rakim at the time:
Nas, the poetic sage of the Queensbridge projects, was hailed as the second coming of Rakim—as if the first had reached his expiration date. [...] Nas never became 'the next Rakim,' nor did he really have to. Illmatic stood on its own terms. The sublime lyricism of the CD, combined with the fact that it was delivered into the crucible of the boiling East-West conflict, quickly solidified [his] reputation as the premier writer of his time.[110]
Despite its initial low sales, the album had a profound impact on the hip hop underground circuit, and marked a major stylistic change in hip hop music by introducing a new standard of lyricism.[38] Before the album's release, hip hop lyricism was mostly defined by two popular forms. One was characterized by a fast-paced ragga-flow accompanied with a whimsical, often nonsensical lyrical delivery, and had been popularized by the Brooklyn-based groups Das EFX and The Fu-Schnickens.[111] The other was characterized by a slurred "lazy drawl" that sacrificed lyrical complexity for clarity and rhythmic cadence, and was exemplified by West Coast hip hop emcees including Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G.[112] However, Nas' content, verbal pace, and intricate internal rhyme patterns inspired several rappers to modify their lyrical abilities.[5][14] Music critic Rob Marriot notes, "[R]appers like Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi, Nature, Cormega, Noreaga, Capone, Raekwon, Ghostface, and even the Windy City wordsmith Common seemed to find new inspiration in Nas' self awareness, internal rhyme schemes, and mastery of street detail."[51] Mariott also describes the impact of Illmatic's "poetic approach" on Jay-Z, writing: "The Brooklyn MC switched his style up from his fast-talking Jaz-O days enough to produce Reasonable Doubt, an album marked by Nas-like introspection..."[51]
Many rappers have taken note of Illmatic's influence on their lyricism. Ghostface Killah recounted, “When I used to listen to Nas back in the days, it was like, ‘Oh shyt! He murdered that.’ That forced me to get my pen game up. . .The whole Illmatic album forced you to go ahead and do shyt . . .It was inspiration." [113] Detroit rapper Elzhi states, "[A]round the time Nas did Illmatic, it made me wanna step my game up. . .He's one of the reasons I did go off into storytelling because his pictures were so vivid. When he displayed his rhyme schemes and his word play and his songs, it made me wanna create visual pictures as well."[114] Casey Veggies also recounts the impact Nas' lyricism had his own work as an underground rapper in the 2000s: “I [got into] Illmatic when I was 14, 15. I didn’t get onto to it till late, but when I did, that's probably the only thing I listened to for six months to a year...After I got heavy on Illmatic, I put out Sleeping In Class (2010). That's when I really tried to sharpen my skills and get better.”
Yeah ok.You saw all the love illmatic got for the last month and was
And this thread is the result.
Why y'all take this shyt seriously?