kojobaffoe's review
4.0
Nas' Illmatic is absolutely deserving of this type of honest and detailed exploration but, unlike the album itself, there are moments when the essays fall a little short. The writing in some of the essays is stilted and get caught up in the desire to come across as 'intellectual and academic.'
But, even with that, each deserves to be heard, and read, and engaged with. Each has its place just as each song on Illmatic crafts a story that resonates, even for those of us who aren't from New York, or Queensbridge, specifically.
But, even with that, each deserves to be heard, and read, and engaged with. Each has its place just as each song on Illmatic crafts a story that resonates, even for those of us who aren't from New York, or Queensbridge, specifically.
slevatich's review
4.0
Variable essay quality and ultimately a bit overbearing of a requirement to have an essay per song (most come in waaay too long), but there's some good words here for a great album. The final section of the book, relaxing those constraints, really shines and is a great balance of shorter takes, different formats, and rich context (see: 1994 primary source interview transcripts!!)
More...