Featured musicians and performers: Nas, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, Great Professor
Key Features/Characteristics: Poetic lyrics, complex vocabulary, jazz influenced music, social commentary.
"Illmatic" showcases Nas's historical and poetic talent and is considered one of the best hip-hop albums ever made. Released at the age of 20, Nas' first album captured the hardships and dreams of the African-American community in New York, earning critical acclaim for the hit songs and haunting reality "Illmatic." " ho, which was only a modest financial success at first, gained a cult following and is today recognized as an East Coast hip-hop institution. It continues to be explored and hailed as a masterpiece in the genre, and later had a profound influence on hip-hop producers and musicians.