![nas one love acapella nas one love acapella](https://www.groovenutrecords.net/html/upload/save_image/04261924_5ea561435fb39.jpg)
If you’re looking for a breakdown of the sounds, beats, and samples used to furnish the record, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re interested in the stories behind the album, check out the in-depth, comprehensive oral history of Illmatic written by our very own Shane Ryu. The making of Illmatic is itself a grand and thrilling tale. It cast the young emcee as a preeminent project philosopher, with lyrics as sharp as his eye for detail. Nas’ rich lyricism is put to use exploring death and incarceration, extolling the power of ambition, musing over the transient nature of life and remembering the friends who’ve gone too soon.
![nas one love acapella nas one love acapella](https://sf.ezoiccdn.com/ezoimgfmt/hiphopgoldenage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4f775e9f9c617f3660b6fc135532777a.1000x769x1.jpg)
It ain’t hard to tell that, a quarter of a century on, Illmatic still packs a serious punch. Not only was the young emcee a spiritual successor to Rakim, one of the coldest to ever rock the mic, but he encapsulated “the attention to detail of Slick Rick, the urban realness of Kool G Rap and the vocal presence of Big Daddy Kane.” He seemed a realisation of hip hop’s potential a representation of what the artform could achieve. When the record dropped six months later, The Source ran a two-page spread that christened the Queensbridge emcee as ‘The Second Coming.’ It was, in no uncertain terms, a landmark moment for hip hop. It’s short, and every single song is incredible.” – Jonathan Schecter I put in my bag, got back on the train to New York and I put in my Walkman and what I hear is probably the greatest hip-hop album of all time. Schwartz rummaged around his cluttered desk and handed Schecter a cassette. “By the way,” mentioned Schecter as they wrapped up, “I was wondering if you have any Nas?” He recalls Schwartz reacting with surprise, as if Nas’ two cuts – Main Source’s “ Live At The BBQ” and Zebrahead single “ Halftime” – hadn’t exactly set the East Coast ablaze.
![nas one love acapella nas one love acapella](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uHdhspNfitM/hqdefault.jpg)
The conversation turns from established artists and business arrangements to the new and exciting, chief amongst which is a teenager from Queensbridge with little more than a track to his name. Jonathan Schecter, co-founder of The Source, is in a meeting with Ruffhouse Records founder and CEO Chris Schwartz. That’s right: there ain’t no filler here. We’re breaking down the samples throughout the massive album, from killer to killer. Whilst it might not have been the most immediately impactful of the year’s debuts, it still stands as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. If 1994 is one of hip hop’s greatest years, then Illmatic is one of the richest cherries atop the proverbial cake.