Spurred by a friend’s note on facebook that most people STILL don’t know about Illmatic, I thought I’d begin posting my favorite albums as youtube playlists whenever available. Why not use the technology to promote more good music instead of just being frustrated with how terrible hip hop is currently? To me the 1990-1996 era was the greatest of all time for the genre, and also had more variety than we will see again. If you didn’t love at least five albums every year during that period you just weren’t trying. So here’s one of my top 5 albums of all time, Nas’ Illmatic:

Link to playlist on youtube

All the songs that, regardless of genre, sound like they could be part of an updated (probably terrible) deconstruction of the Western model. The songs are great though. Features the likes of The Eels, Jay-Z, and Warren Zevon. The villain’s theme? Kool G. Rap’s ‘It’s a Shame’. The hero unable to run from a fight he begrudgingly takes on by the end of the movie? David Bowie’s ’5:15′. Townswoman lamenting her plight? Janis’ ‘Work me Lord’. Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Estranged scores the final battle’. :

Downbeat
Soul Music
Off-Kilter Funky
Hip-Hop Storytelling
Ambient but not Terrible
Imaginary Western Soundtrack
The Downside of Fame
Music to Drink Whiskey By
Best Posse Cuts
hip hop, mixtape, playlist, remix, sample, soundtrack, westerns

In: Entertainment, Music



No Comments