Nas - Illmatic

A timeless hip-hop album, Nas' "Illmatic" remains both an inimitable work and a major influence on the current rap scene. At just 20 years old, Nas created a sensation with the release of his debut album. Hailing from the rough and tumble of Queensbridge, one of hip-hop's historic strongholds, the young rapper revealed himself as a first-rate writer. His lyrics relate the daily life of the ghettos with a precision and poetry that was hard to find elsewhere.