Nas "Illmatic" 1994***

Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, Venice

In my review of Nas's debut album below,  I refer to it as music from the streets. I was a bit hesitant to use the word ghetto as I don't know whether it is politically correct or even relevant any more. Incidentally I recently visited the original ghetto in Venice, Italy. Its bland multi-storied buildings make for a stark contrast to the impressive palazzo's of the rest of the old town. It took its name from a foundry (getto in Italian) that was there before that district was used to house the city's Jewish community. From the 16th Century, the Jews of Venice were allowed to circulate freely and conduct their business during the day but, come nightfall, they had to retreat to the ghetto, whose gates were locked by the city guards until the next morning. Although Napoleon officially abolished that segregation 2,5 centuries later, Venetian (and European) Jews continued to live in their own isolated, usually downtrodden, city quarters. American cities had their own ghettos housing African-Americans or poor immigrants. In the past they've been the subject of popular songs ranging from militant black power (e.g. Gil Scott Heron) to well-meaning white paternalism (e.g. Elvis' "In the Ghetto"). One wonders if they're still relevant today, when the president of the U.S.A. (ostensibly the most powerful man in the world) is an African-American. On the other hand, unarmed black kids still get shot in their own neighborhoods just because they looked suspicious to some cop. Confusing, the world we're living in. When this album came out 20 years ago, Nas famously sang "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me", meaning the presidents pictured on dollar bills. I'm pretty sure he couldn't imagine an actual black president sitting in the White House then - or that such a revolutionary change would make so little difference. Don't get me wrong, I think Obama's a good one as U.S. presidents go, but it seems that Nas had it right all along: Dead presidents do wield greater power than live ones. 

Previous month's Q magazine had a big feature on the best albums of the 90's and, although not one of my favorite music mags, I just had to buy it. You see, I'm a sucker for all those lists and retrospectives and, of course, I wanted to count how many of them I own. I ended up with 70%, a very decent percentage given that I'm not so keen on electronic music or hip hop. I do have Nas's "Illmatic", partly because it appears on many similar lists (here on no.49). Nas was only 20 when he made it, an authentic poet of the street rapping eloquently about the harsh reality of life in the big city. Guns and drugs are recurring themes, so he often gets tagged as Gangsta-Rap, but I think that that's misleading as he's less aggressive and more poetic than your Ice-T's and NWA's. The album starts off with a trio of strong numbers (after the introductory "The Genesis"). "N.Y. State Of Mind" is a very rhythmic rap about the violent side of life in New York and "Life's A Bitch" a bleak presentation of the inner city's desperate youth "Life's a bitch and then you die/That's why we get high/Cause you never know when you're gonna go". The latter features a lonely saxophone playing in the background, one of many jazz elements elevating "Illmatic" above the average rap album of the era. "The World Is Yours" is a reference to Al Pacino's motto in the movie Scarface and features the Nas's classic (and often plagiarized) line "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me". The funky "Halftime" was Nas's debut single (preceding the album by almost 2 years) and "One Love" a letter - not to lover, but to an incarcerated friend. It's musically one of the best numbers thanks to the sympathetic production by A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and the atmospheric piano samples. The album closes with "It Ain't Hard To Tell", another jazzy piece that served as Nas's second single from the album. Though I can't claim to have any deep knowledge of hip hop, I can see why "Illmatic" is so highly rated. I found it lyrically and musically interesting and, unlike some other albums, free of filler and listenable from beginning to end. I'd say it's worth 3(*) to the open-minded rock fan, more if you're into hip hop or electronica. Enjoy..

**** for Life's a Bitch, The World Is Yours, One Love, 

*** for N.Y. State of Mind, Halftime, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Time 4 Your Mind, Represent, It Ain't Hard to Tell

** for The Genesis