Category Archives: Hip Hop

Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuttin Ta Fuck Wit

May 18, 2016 Tasmina Khair Leave a comment

The Wu Tang Clan and their debut album, Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers), changed the face of hip hop. “The group’s 1993 debut, basically obliterated the old rule on hip hop. It broke ground in so many ways, from charting new directions in sampling, studio production, and storytelling to expanding the concept of a hip hop crew” (Denver Post, Harrington). The Wu Tang brought an entirely different element to hip hop with their ensemble and production. Member RZA said in an interview, “We were street kids, guys that was more like felons, or high school dropouts. Not saying this was a positive thing, I’m saying this is the difference of our character. If you keep eating McDonald’s, you gonna get sick. You need a real home cooked meal of hip hop. Of the real people” (The RZA Interview 36^th Chamber of Shaolin).

The Wu Tang fused East Asian martial arts culture into their form and lyricism, uniting different and otherwise separate cultures into one realm. Each aspect of the group and their album, from the lyrics to the title songs to the group name and stage names have been inspired by kung fu. Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, more widely known as RZA, was the mastermind behind the idea of the Wu Tang. He states, “This war style of this movie (Shaolin vs Wu Tang) was invincible and unbeatable. And that’s how we felt about our lyrics. Wu Tang Clan became us” (The RZA Interview 36^th Chamber of Shaolin).

Kung Fu and other forms of martial arts exhibit a quality of invincibility and toughness. This quality is woven into the Wu Tang Clan’s intricate lyrics. For example, in the first song of the album, “Bring Da Ruckus,” the introduction includes a snippet from the film Shaolin vs Wu Tang. “‘Shaolin shadowboxing and the Wu Tang sword style. If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu Tang could be dangerous. Do you think your Wu Tang sword can defeat me?’” This song continues to portray the idea that this group and their lyrics, are not a force to be messed with; if one dares to, they should ‘bring da fucking ruckus’ because ‘Wu Tang slang’ll leave your headpiece hanging.” “My Wu Tang slang is made fucking dangerous. And more deadly than the stroke of an axe chopping through your back *swish* giving bystanders heart attacks. Niggas try to flip, tell me who is him I blow up his fucking prism make it a vicious act of terrorism.” In Shame on a Nigga. Ol’ Dirty Bastard raps, “Do you wanna get your teeth knocked the fuck out? Wanna get on it like that, well then shout,” meaning anyone who fights him will get beaten up. And Method Man raps, “For rhyme and for rapture, got niggas resigning, now master my style? Never. I put the fucking buck in the wild kid, I’m terror razor sharp, I sever the head from the shoulders, I’m better than my competta.” His raps have people resigning; and the people who try to imitate him and his style will never be able to, because he will slaughter them, literally. The song continues to perpetuate this representation of the Clan as everything but gentle and easygoing. In Method Man, they rap “I’ll fuckin pull your fucking tongue out your fucking mouth and stab the shit with a rusty screwdriver,” to portray how incredibly tough and intimidating they are.

The tough and raw nature of this album represents the nature of life in New York City – rough and filled with hardships. There were high rates of crime, drugs, and poverty. In the song C.R.E.A.M. the first verse begins with Raekwon rapping, “I grew up on the crime side the New York Times side, staying alive was no jive.” Living in New York City, meant that one had to fight to survive. One had to embody the traits of the City and also become tough and aggressive. C.R.E.A.M. most vividly portrays the cold, hard reality of the crime life in NY.

Inspectah Deck in verse 2 raps, “It’s been twenty-two long hard years of still struggling. Survival got me bugging, but I’m alive on arrival.” He continues, “I peep at the shape of the streets. And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep. A man with a dream with plans to make cream [cash] which failed; I went to jail at the age of fifteen. A young buck selling drugs and such who never had much. Trying to get a clutch at what I could not. The court played me short now I face incarceration. Pacin’ – going upstate’s my destination. Handcuffed in the back of a bus, forty of us. Life as a shorty [kid] shouldn’t be so rough. But as the world turned I learned life is hell. Living the world, no different from a cell.”

The Wu Tang Clan was focused in Staten Island where most of the members originated from and lived in. Most of the members were from neighborhoods like Stapleton and Clifton, federally subsidized low income housing complexes, also known as projects. Violence and conflict was often the result of high levels of unemployment and poverty. In his book The Tao of Wu, RZA wrote, “I’ve lived in at least ten different projects in New York…and they all taught me something different even if they were lessons no one would choose. Imagine you’re eight years old, going to the store with 35 cents to buy a packet of Now and Laters and a bag of sunflower seeds. You get there, three teenagers choke you with an umbrella, take your 35 cents and buy cigarettes. That’s the projects: math and economics on every block. You wonder why the jail and courthouse are so close to the projects. When you get locked up a few years later, you learn” (RZA, 122).

During the 1980s, crack had arrived to New York City. It had a profound impact on America, particularly on inner city life. It had completely altered life for the worse. For example, Clifton or Park Hill acquired the nicknames “Killer Hill” and “Crack Hill” because of this. Raekwon said in an interview, “Park Hill was a dangerous project you know what I mean. I grew up with drug dealers all my life. It’s where I learned how to grow up fast. Park Hill was one of the most hated projects in Staten Island because it was like everything that you needed on the Island – drugs, money, guns, prostitution, all that shit was going on in our projects and we was growing up living in it. It was a hustle area” (New York Minute Episode 5: Raekwon). Crack had exacerbated the already growing rates of drug use and crimes, which in turn worsened the already high rates of poverty.

Drug, crimes, prison, violence, and poverty were all things that the members of the Clan witnessed and experienced while living in the projects of Staten Island. The Wu Tang was “From the generation that was ravaged by the era of crack and trapped in neglected cities under the regime of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. The desire to be a superhero or a comic book character, has not been a mere fantasy but a bizarre attempt to flip reality…” (Ghansah, 127). Music was a means of flipping reality; the formation of Wu Tang Clan served as a coping method as well as an escape route from the harsh reality of life. RZA states in the Tao of Wu that, “As a kid, especially, a single parent kid, the one thing you really need is protection…and more kids wish they had some kind of special powers to protect themselves” (Ghansah, 130). And that is what he and the Clan did with the powers of kung fu and Shaolin.

Growing up in New York was more about survival than anything, and one had to do whatever it took to survive. “Niggas got to do what they got to do, to get through – know what I’m saying? Because you can’t just get by no more, word up. You gotta get over straight up and down” (C.R.E.A.M). Transferring the values, ideas, and themes from kung fu films into their music and character was a method of survival for the Wu Tang Clan.

Shaolin is a recurring symbol in this album. For example, “From the slums of Shaolin, Wu tang Clan strikes again” (Method Man), “I come from the Shaolin slum, and the isle I’m from” (Da Mystery of Chessboxin’), and “Started off on the Island, aka Shaolin” (Can It All Be So Simple). Shaolin was synonymous to Staten Island for the Wu Tang, it represented where they came from and the place that they could escape to, like their music or the movie theatres. RZA stated, “These films definitely resonate with the Black community. It’s the underdog thing, the brotherly thing, and also I think its escapism. Cause you can go there and watch the movies and it’s not even America” (The RZA Interview 36^th Chamber of Shaolin).

These films emphasized values of fighting, of being strong and resilient, and having a strong brotherhood which were some of the essential elements of what it meant to be a Wu Tang member. RZA explains that the brotherhood between the warriors in the films were what inspired him and shaped his mentality of a brotherhood. “Especially in 36 Chambers, in the beginning you think both of the guys made it, but only one of them did because his friend risked his life so he could make it” (The RZA Interview 36^th Chamber of Shaolin). Brotherhoods are built on complete loyalty and trust, bound by the ideas that they will protect and support each other and die for one another. Gang activity often increases during times of economic and social hardships because the concept of brotherhood that gangs spring from, ensure the survival of all members of the group. Having support and comfort helps people deal with the struggles and reality of living, which was what the Wu Tang Clan provided for each other.

Member RZA said, “The movie 36 Chambers in Shaolin hit me multiple times in my life. The first time I saw it, it just was the first film that I had seen that had a history that was outside the scope of American history. And being a Black man in America, history don’t go farther than slavery actually. Then when I saw it again at the age of 14, I actually started hearing things that I heard in the movies. It kinda started getting to me in an internal level and I started looking into books about Eastern philosophies. The third time it affected me was when I was 19 when I was with the Wu Tang crew, throwing lyrics. It let me understand that a chamber is a chamber that a man must go through, something a man must conquer. That made me call the album the 36^th Chamber” (The RZA Interview 36^th Chamber of Shaolin). The kung fu genre allowed RZA and the other members to create their own identities. It provided a promise of a more helpful, brighter future as a result of being resilient and patient. This genre portrayed the theme that overcoming struggles is something that everyone must go through, this resonated with the Wu Tang Clan members who were surrounded by hardship in the circumstances around them.

Album Essays, Hip Hop, Manhattan, Rock

Double Fantasy

May 18, 2016 Rina Suzuki Leave a comment

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy (1980) is one of the famous and unforgettable albums that evoke New York City. The album is supposed to be a special album in celebration of Lennon’s return to the music industry after spending the prior five years raising his son, Sean Lennon. However, it became his posthumous work and his last album, after he was murdered in front of his apartment on December 8, 1980. It happened just after the album was released. It became famous worldwide, in part because of the tragedy, and the album was chosen as the 1981 Album of the Year at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.

The album is written by both John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Each songs by John and Yoko are composed alternately and it is like a conversation between a man and a woman. In this album, songs written by John sound gentle and sweet, and the more powerful and energetic songs were written by Yoko.

My favorite song from this album is “Woman,” written by John. Generally, it is understood as a romantic song for Yoko. There are also some alternate interpretations of it. For instance, John said that he had written this song to show his respect to Yoko, as he knew how tough and hard it is to raise a child after the five years caring for his son. Also John had written the song an apology to Yoko for the “Lost Weekend”. John and Yoko had lived separately for a while and he had lived in Los Angeles with May Pang from October 1973 to January 1975. John and Yoko were calling about this period of time as “Lost Weekend” although it is not literally a weekend (Allan Kozinmarch, 2008). These two are really famous interpretation of this song and they are all about John and Yoko. Moreover, this song has deeper meaning for women in this world. There is this lyric, “It’s for your mother, or your sister, anyone of the female race”, which shows us his feminist statement. He also says, “For the other half of the sky,” at the beginning of this song, which refers to women. His thought about women had been changed by Yoko very much and I will explain how Yoko affected John’s thoughts in the next part.

After Yoko married John in 1969, they started having relationships with avant-garde artists, antiwar movement people and feminists. Her thought was “love and peace”, and also she was a women’s liberationist. She is making many arts related to her thoughts. “Cut peace” is one of her famous and most distinctive art works. This art first staged on July 20, 1964 at Yamaichi Concert Hall, Kyoto. Audiences come on a stage and cut clothes, which Yoko Ono is wearing. Yoko explained it as a pain in her heart. It also showed us how women are passive and discriminated by men. We can understand women’s discrimination was bad at that time through this art. Her book of poem called “grapefruit” is about world peace. She is asking as to “imagine” in this book. As you can assume, this book affects John Lennon very much. This book inspired a song “Imagine” released by John Lennon. When John Lennon recorded this song, he credited only himself, but later he disclosed that the song “Imagine” was inspired by Yoko Ono and written with her . “Woman” on Double Fantasy reveals that Yoko affected John’s thought and changed it very much.

Many immigrants came to New York City to find a new life. However, New York City at the time John and Yoko lived there, in late 1970s to the early 1980s, wasn’t a really an easy place to live in. It was a dirty, bad conditioned and busy city. It’s ironic that these man and woman, who were hoping and working on the world to be peace and full of love, actually lived in New York City where one of the most dangerous place and the worst place to raise children. According to The New York Times, the number of drug abuse by New York’s school children rose very high in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. In 1977, “ A congressional committee on drug abuse found a “very substantial increase” in narcotics use among New York City school children in the last year year and a half “from the seventh grade on up.”” It also says that “the city’s overall narcotics problem had reached a “crisis situation” and the city’s criminal justice system “is in almost total collapse.””

Despite the situation in New York City, John and Yoko decided to move to there and started to raise their son, Sean Lennon, which was challenging for them. This song “Starting Over” is expressing a feeling of getting tired of living in New York City and asking people to get out from this city. You can see it from the lyrics, “Why don’t we take off alone. Take a trip somewhere far, far away”. Also as the lyrics says “Every day we used to make it love. Why can’t we be making love nice and easy? It’s time to spread our wings and fly. Don’t let another day go by my love. It’ll be just like starting over. Starting over…”.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, New York City was one of the highest rate of drug use and crimes. Crimes in New York City related to John Lennon’s death too. He was murdered by his fan in front of his apartment and Yoko Ono was with him. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were living in an apartment, The Dakota, on 72nd St, which is one of the richest and safest place in New York City. Mark David Chapman was one of the most enthusiastic fan of John Lennon until he became a Christian. He actually had a list for murdering, which included some musicians, actors, actresses and politicians. However, he was particularly infatuated by John Lennon. Although, he didn’t have a particular person to kill at first, he decided to kill John because John seemed easier to kill for him. Also when he had heard that John said, “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus”, it triggered and he started preparing to murder John Lennon. This is a tragic irony that a musician who was singing for world peace was killed by his fan.

Suggested Reading

Allan Kozinmarch (2008), A fond look at Lennon’s ‘Lost Weekend, New York Times

Edward C. Burks (1977), House Panel Finds Big Rise in Drug Use by New York’s Schoolchildren, The New York Times

Toshinobu Fukuya (2009), Yoko Ono Lennon, pp 2,5,6

Toshi Ichiyanagi 一柳慧 (2015), Toshi Ichiyanagi

Album Essays, Hip Hop, Long Island

Fear of A Black Planet

May 18, 2016 Yorranshell Wattson Leave a comment

Public Enemy made their first appearance in the music scene with their 1987 debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show. The hip hop group would soon be thrust into the mainstream arena with the release of their second album It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, as their continued provocative style, messages and unique sound generated mass hype. Their unapologetic confrontation with white America as well as their desire to affect the minds of America’s black youth allowed for their continued musical success in 1990 after releasing Fear of a Black Planet.

Before their rise to fame however, Public Enemy was officially formed in Long Island by Adelphi University students Carlton Ridenhour (Chuck D) and William Drayton (Flavor Flav). Richard Griffin (Professor Griff) was soon recruited into the Public Enemy group as a minister of information and side man. Members of Chuck’s previous music group, Spectrum City, which included Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, and Eric Sadler, further became the production team for Public Enemy under the name of The Bomb Squad. The Bomb Squad helped to craft the chaotic, spontaneous, and overwhelming sound associated with Public Enemy tracks. Their production involved the use of sound bites, looping, addition of atonal (having no musical key) sounds and the incorporation of various samples all in one track.

Fear of a Black Planet has a disruptive quality that counters the cool smoothness of the imminent gangsta rap subgenre that has steered mainstream modern rap and hip hop into their current state. Right off the bat numerous music samplings can be heard in the first track on the album. This pattern of sampling, which was essentially an amplified version of what hip-hop groups were already experimenting with at the time, continues throughout the entire album to create an interesting mesh of sounds. The Bomb Squad shockingly used samples from 18 different songs to produce “Anti-Nigger Machine” and 19 different songs to produce “Welcome to the Terrordome.” In many instances, the combination of music samplings and recurring sporadic voice snippets produces a harsh and chaotic musical effect to complement the harsh truth behind the ideas present in Chuck D’s lyrics. The way Chuck bluntly delivers his lines combined with the nature and tone of his voice makes for a killer combination.

Regardless of its fundamentally chaotic sound, Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet has proven itself to be a very dense and powerful album. The breadth and depth of topics discussed in the album are compelling to say the least. From the importance of decreasing crime within the black community to the acceptance of interracial relationships and peace amongst all peoples, the album refreshingly addresses topics related to race and society. The overall messages of the album are extremely progressive and empowering. Considering that Chuck D’s main goal in producing music was to reach out to fellow black and inner city youth, the messages within the music are meant to be progressive and inspirational.

The torrid social climate of 1980s New York was an important driving force of Fear of A Black Planet. As is indicated by its title, the album is very much a commentary on the black experience in America. Unlike, most hip hop artists at the time, Public Enemy shamelessly sheds light on relevant social issues, mostly those affecting the black community. The use of storytelling in the third person point of view and pre-recorded dialogue allow for dueling perspectives to be presented to the listener. Presenting all of these arguments allows for further discussion and reflection on the black experience in America and the true intentions of Public Enemy.

Public Enemy also mentally stimulates and informs the listener on the black experience in America with the deliberate use of certain phrases that function to intrigue the audience enough to seek further information on historical facts and contemporary news. Listeners are motivated to inquire about the meaning behind trigger phrases like “40 acres and a mule Jack,” as well as the background stories of individuals mentioned on the tracks such as Yusef Hawkins and Louis Farrakhan. The stories on these individuals could easily be left to perish if it wasn’t for their revival and relevance in Public Enemy’s songs. Exposure to overlooked concepts, phrases and individuals helps to promote overall awareness and understanding in curious young listeners. It isn’t surprising that white and suburban youth would also latch onto the album and subsequent music styles it helped to cultivate.

Following the birth of hip hop culture in the South Bronx during the 1970s, there would ironically be an emergence of talented hip hop artists in Long Island nearly a decade later. The irony lies in both the calm suburban atmosphere of Long Island as well as the demographics of the island in comparison to contemporary South Bronx. Public Enemy for example, emerged out of Nassau County, a suburban and predominantly white region of Long Island. With that said, Fear of a Black Planet undoubtedly sounds like New York City. Together, the sound collages, samples, and rock-like undertones parallel the daily sounds of a typical busy New York City street. Considering Nassau County’s proximity to the city, it could very well be the case that Public Enemy was influenced by the city and desired to incorporate a vibrant, energetic and youthful New York City vibe into their music. This would certainly help them appeal to black youth in New York, given that New York had the greatest population of black people out of all the Mid-Atlantic states in 1990.

The rise of hip hop music groups from Long Island such as Eric B and Rakim, De La Soul, and Public Enemy is a testament to the ability of hip hop to rise and flourish even in conditions that differ from the norm.

(Street in Hempstead, Long Island near Chuck D’s High School)

All of these suburban artists were able to officially launch their music careers relatively quickly without too many obstacles in comparison to urban rappers, many of whom grew up in poverty. Rakim was able to respond to Eric B.’s search for New York’s top MC by using his roommates home studio. De La Soul members were able to release a successful debut album right out of high school given the resources they had. Before becoming an official group Public Enemy members had already known each other while running and producing music for a college radio station. Furthermore, during the creation of Fear of a Black Planet, the Bomb Squad was able to use the latest “devices such as the E-mu SP-1200 drum machine and sampler, the Akai S900 sampler, and a Macintosh computer to arrange samples and sequence tracks.” Many Long Island rappers simply had easier access to the necessary equipment to produce music and were connected to individuals that would further their music careers. This was a big advantage over artists who were trying to make it in environments lacking resources, connections and money. Therefore, it is no surprise that many rappers do come from the middle class or suburban homes. Even in today’s society, some of the most influential young rappers like Kanye, Drake, J Cole, and Wiz Khalifa were all raised in middle class families and were supported in their musical aspirations. It is also interesting to note that they were all raised without their fathers in much of their childhood years. While their experiences would differ from rappers who were raised in more difficult environments, this unfortunate similarity is also a means of identifying with their fellow hip hop artists. Afterall, it is no secret that hip hop and rap music had originally formed out of oppression and struggle. In addition, the sense of isolation and subtle forms of discrimination faced by black people in predominantly white suburbs may have also pushed black suburban dwellers into further identifying with the black community and hip hop.

On a different note, the idea that black hip hop artists emerging out of middle class and suburban homes are anomalies, sheds light on the larger issue of housing segregation in the 1980s. Black people, regardless of class, simply did not have the same mobility as their white counterparts in choosing where they wanted to live. After the abolition of slavery in 1865 by the Thirteenth Amendment, African American people were subject to the Jim Crow Laws in the South while, de facto segregation continued in the North. Discriminatory housing practices such as racial steering, blockbusting, redlining and mortgage discrimination made it difficult for striving black people to be treated fairly. Racially restrictive covenants were used between 1920-1948 to bar African Americans from certain communities.These covenants were legal contracts imposed on buyers of property that prohibited the purchase, lease or occupation of a piece of property by a particular group of people, often African Americans. A similar example of housing discrimination can be seen in the Levittown establishments in Long Island, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. One important case being with the Myers family.

Not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 followed by the Fair Housing Act in 1968 did it became illegal for African Americans to be discriminated against. The Fair Housing Act made it illegal to refuse to sell, rent to, or negotiate with a person because of their background. This act would ensure a fair housing market and protect the enjoyment of housing rights. The black middle class was thus finally able to have greater housing opportunities. By 1990 46.2% of Americans were living in the suburbs compared to 31.3% living in their central cities . The black population accounted for only 7% of the total suburban population. Even so, this was still an improvement, representing a 29% increase in the suburban black population between 1980 and 1990. While movement of the black middle class to better neighborhoods was vital towards promoting increased success in future generations, on the other hand this “black flight” also resulted in concentrated poverty. As better off black people moved out of predominantly black areas, the concentration of poverty in these areas increased. Concentrated poverty results in a vicious cycle of continued poverty, increased crime rates, low levels of education, weak family structures and increased health concerns.

Screen Shot 2016-05-18 at 5.45.57 PM — Concentrated Poverty Levels (40% or higher) in NYC

Listening to this album was a great experience. Aside from the hip hop group originating in Long Island, the album is most definitely a New York album due to its ambitious and assertive attitude. The music is blunt, direct and “in your face,” forcing the listener to become more socially conscious. There is notable reason behind the chaos of Fear of a Black Planet that has its roots in racial and social conflict. Furthermore, the sheer fact that Public Enemy members from the suburbs are the ones who are able to creatively discuss major issues affecting the black community, on an international platform, is astonishing. It is a reminder of the importance of housing mobility in the black community, especially after it had been inaccessible to so many black people for such a long time. Housing mobility, an issue Public Enemy barely discusses on the album, is ironically revealed as a major issue of this album’s time based on exactly where Public Enemy members were raised themselves.

The Blueprint to the success of Jay Z’s career

May 18, 2016 daisytetecatl Leave a comment

Shawn Carter, better known by his artist name Jay Z, is currently one of the most successful rappers of his time. With a current net worth of over 610 million, Jay Z demonstrates the ideal achievement of the American Dream. His roots are established in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, right in the infamous Marcy projects. Carter has had the opportunity to develop a rapping career out of the Marcy Houses and become a widely recognized artist. While Jay’s current music may not be his best, we cannot deviate from his captivating lyrics from his early career. As his sixth studio album, The Blueprint is a representation of Carter’s greatest works, earning a spot on The Village Voice’s “The 50 Most NYC Albums Ever” and is considered one of the greatest albums of the 2000s as well as the current decade. Numerous factors can be considered into the success of The Blueprint most noticeably the authenticity of his story of his life and hustle in one of the most violent housing complexes in New York City.

The Blueprint is really an embodiment of the struggles of living in the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. Carter described his attachment to his origins, the violence he was exposed to, the inevitable drug dealing, and the struggle to survive. Jay Z had said, “crack was everywhere – it was inescapable. There wasn’t any place you could go for isolation or a break. You go in the hallway; [there are] crackheads in the hallway… We were living in a tough situation, but my mother managed; she juggled. Sometimes we’d pay the light bill, sometimes we paid the phone, sometimes the gas went off. We weren’t starving—we were eating, we were O.K.” (As reported by Lisa Robinson in an interview for Vanity Fair in the November 2013 issue). Even on the last track of The Blueprint, “Blueprint (Momma loves me)” Jay Z raps

“Marcy raised me, and whether right or wrong/Streets gave me all I write in the song”

The couplet suggests that his lyrics are a product of his life in the projects. Carter had spent the first half of his lifetime living in the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant, all the experiences and lessons he acquired throughout those years provided him with the substance to write raps about his struggles. This is what I would consider the “real” or “old” Jay Z. Hearing about his lifetime was not foreign because many of his fans were living with him.

On another note, everyone has heard of the infamous West Side/East Side feud between rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, but what about the one of that between Jay Z and Queen’s own Nas. Prior to the release of The Blueprint, Jay Z had performed the first verse of his track “Takeover” during Hot 97’s concert, Summer Jam. This specific track was one of the tracks to be included in The Blueprint and it was a rap aimed directly at Nas and Mobb Deep. This performance had triggered the feud and had fans excited for the full release of the track.

Aside from hype from feuds, one of the surprising aspects of the success with an album such as The Blueprint had much to do with its release date. Amid the sadness of the falling of the World Trade Center, Shawn Carter’s The Blueprint had dropped the very same day along with other albums by Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Nickleback, P.O.D., Ben Folds, The Coup, Dream Theater, and Slayer. Among these albums, The Blueprint had the most commercial success. Experts and professors had their share in determining what made this album so successful; part of the reason may have been the audience (As stated by Craig Johnson in CNN’s “Jay Z’s music on 9/11” article, 2011). Hip-hop during the 90s and early 2000s was a genre that was not just considered music, but a culture for youth. While enjoyed by various age groups, hip-hop was mostly popular among teens and people in their early twenties.

As a man from New York, Jay Z understood the importance of the World Trade Center in New York, and felt the impact as well. Jay Z had mentioned the tragic event numerous times post September 11, in lyrics from “9/11 Freestyle” and the first track of his seventh album, The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse. In efforts to help organizations, Jay Z had donated a dollar from every ticket sold during his Blueprint Lounge Tour, a clear indication that he is well aware of the situation that had unfolded and that he was there for his fellow New Yorkers (Tardio, MTV, 2015).

The Blueprint was very impactful in Jay Z’s career, as it continues to be one of the most successful albums of his career, but its value in content left an indentation as to who the real Shawn Carter is. Its content of soulful samples make it an incredible album. The Blueprint described indeed, Carter’s blueprint of his early life, but also laid out his future plans in changing the rap game. It was the foundation to the albums that followed, particularly The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, in 2002, and then The Blueprint 3 in 2009. Shawn Carter had gone on to do the unexpected as he had stated in The Blueprint and has established his name in hip-hop history, becoming one of the most powerful and wealthiest rappers of all time (As stated in Forbes, 2016).

Album Essays, Hip Hop, Queens, The Big Apple

Get Rich Or Die Tryin

May 18, 2016 Thomas Malaickal Leave a comment

In 2016 with all of the technological advancements we have and how easy it is for a person to listen to a specific genre of music, we are in a great position to be able to witness and judge different types of music according to our own likes and dislikes. However, music is a great way for us to understand what an artist is trying to convey through his lyrics and beats. Gangsta rap was a style of music that personified the “thug” or “gangsta” lifestyle. Once a hardcore hip hop genre, it has evolved into a new distinct form due to the help of numerous artists and their change in their work because of the shifts in mainstream music. One such artist that attempted to bring out a last gasp for gangsta rap was 50 Cent. Curtis Jackson, or 50 Cent, with his album Get Rich or Die Tryin depicted his life of drug dealing and hardcore street life through his rhythm and lyrics. His album exemplified and sometimes even glorified the hard life that is involved in living in the streets and performing crimes.

After hearing the songs in the album and without doing any research on 50 Cent himself and about his life, one would assume that he was mixed in with the wrong crowd since his youth. He was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood in Queens. He grew up during the 1980s crack epidemic and started selling drugs at the young age of twelve. Tragedies and Jackson’s life seemed to go hand in hand for throughout his adolescence as his mother was murdered when he was eight years old and this caused him to live with his grandparents and practically be raised by the streets. The exposure of selling drugs in the streets along with other experiences with gang members and the police influenced his music. Along with an experience he had of being shot nine times also had a huge influence on the life he wanted to live. South Jamaica, in Queens, was designated as a poverty zone back in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It already was put in a terrible disadvantage and it became worse as the crack epidemic hit in New York City as South Jamaica became a hotspot for the epidemic. Different gangs practically operated the neighborhoods. These disadvantages made living in this neighborhood hard and affected the youth that lived in this area at the time. In high school, 50 Cent decided to pursue a rap career and this was where he put out a small initial album which got him enough recognition to sign a contract with Dr. Dre and Eminem. In 2000, he dropped his first major album, and probably his only major album, Get Rich or Die Tryin featuring both Eminem and Dr. Dre.

The album itself encompasses what it meant to be living in the streets of New York City. 50 Cent himself talks about his experiences being a drug dealer in many of the songs in this album. Overall, the album reminisces his experiences during this dark time in his life and basically gives us an inside look into the mind of people who have to live this life. The hip-hop era that started in the end of the 1980s and the 1990s had a huge impact on the hip-hop scene and this album can be thought of as a product of this era of hip hop. The idea of being a “gangster” was looked as an exciting aspect after listening to this album. The thrill and danger can be seen as an exhilarating lifestyle that most people crave even though they don’t understand the real situation that 50 Cent had to go through. While growing up, kids my age always started speaking more slang and pretended to be a “gangster” because this lifestyle and culture was really appealing and it has become more prevalent as more artists bring that aspect into their music and art. During the turn of the new century, a portion of New York City music was dominated through rap and hip hop and this album was considered a huge success during it’s time due to its excellent beats, and lyrics that people started to enjoy and started becoming more mainstream.

However, the whole genre of gangsta rap deals with a lot more than what 50 Cent had in his album and the popularity of its album. In the beginning, rap was generally only taken seriously by young inner city youth who had similar backgrounds to that of the artist or could relate to the lyrics in any sort of way. In simpler terms, thugs listened to thug music. In my opinion, Hip-Hop always seemed to be a genre of music that emphasized trying to be ‘cool’ in the eyes of different people. 50 Cent did a great job trying to show how his life can be taken in a new and excited way through his lyrics and through his beats. After doing a little initial research on 50 Cent, it became a little clearer why the lyrics went into such great detail on different situations of street life. Even the album title and album cover picture depicts what it really means to put your life on the line to be successful in street life. It comes down to either you are going to make it big or your going to probably die if you are not good enough. The album also goes into people trying to pretend like they are “gangsters”. In the song, Wanksta, 50 Cent raps about different people that pretend they are about the street life but are actually pretending to be something that they are not. In his song Wanksta he says, “You said you a gangsta, but you neva pop nuttin’.”Through his controversial lyrics and his extremely enticing beats, he uses his art as a way to express his past life and struggles in New York City along with educating others about the rigors of the street life of New York City.

Rap is considered a mainstream drama today but it is completely different from the original gangsta drama that was presented decades ago. Today, rappers like Drake and Macklemore have become hugely popular with their affective rap. They do not talk about hardcore street life or try to encourage it. As oppose to earlier rappers like, Ice Cube and Dr.Dre, they were fixed on getting their message across to public. Rap groups like the N.W.A. had collisions with the authority’s numerous amounts of times, but that didn’t stop them from sharing their rhymes and lyrics with their fans. While his thuggish ways distinguished him in the world of gangsta rap – helping to produce millions of record sales and generating media attention that in turn produced more record sales – since the unsolved murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, hip-hop culture and the music industry that continues to profit from it has changed. It has moved on from the sensibility that unchecked violence in the music has no consequences in reality. That’s not to say that drugs, violent crime or gangsterism has been completely eradicated either in our communities or in the music of hip-hop, but we have certainly moved on from the unchecked celebration of it, and some of the very same folks who were bangin’ in the 90s are helping to save young people in the streets today. Rappers like Ice-T and Ice Cube are currently television and movie celebrities because of this new trend that takes away from gangsta rap. Ice Cube and other like him play pivotal roles in trying to bring awareness to the youth of today of not living a life that they lived in their youth. Recently, Ice Cube came out with a movie called Straight Outta Compton which beautifully depicted the struggles they had to go through in a time where segregation was blatantly obvious and it was extremely difficult for them to express their issues with society. They know have strong voices when it comes to racial or segregation issues and have become huge influences to kids in the inner city and try to help them from that lifestyle.

As a last gasp of relevancy, 50 Cent’s album shows how this genre of rap has evolved into something much different than how it started out. He can be declared the last gasp because many of the albums put out today are nothing like Get Rich or Die Tryin as they do not need to show thug life or harshness anymore. Today 50 Cent has merely become just an afterthought in terms of celebrities and famous rappers. His name only pops up here and there for different controversies that he finds himself in and he hasn’t put in an album of quality since this album which gave him his fame. His album and fame demised because of the aforementioned change in rap style. 50 Cent lacks what artists like Drake and Kendrick Lamar bring into the market and this is why he is considered just a mere afterthought. This is extremely surprising after his album sold 12 million copies and the album made Rolling Stone’s list of the top 50 albums of the decade and became one of the most commercially successful rap albums of all time. Though 50 Cent’s decline was due to himself and all the controversies that he got himself into, it also speaks volumes of the decline of gangsta rappers like him in today’s age. Recently, he was even got taking a video of a disabled airport employee who he had thought was high and putting it on his social media. Along with social controversies, he filed for bankruptcy recently to keep himself safe from lawsuits that have been filed against him. This has much relevance when we talk about his decline because it has much to do with it.

Get Rich or Die Tryin was in a sense the last gasp of gangsta rap before it completely diminished from mainstream music. It was an excellent example of what gangsta rap was because of its violent lyrics and hard beats. It exemplified the life of inner city youth and how living in the streets was something hard to deal with but somewhat cool. After a short decline due its extreme violent themes, gangsta rap came back but only to decline once again after new artists like Drake and Kendrick Lamar changed the landscape of rap was and the possibilities it could bring in terms of the lyrics they sang. 50 Cent has become a mere afterthought after his album brought him to the top. A generation of gangsta rappers have now been silent in their rap game as a new era of rap emerges.

Album Essays, Brooklyn, Hip Hop

I love it when you call me Big Poppa

May 17, 2016 AJ Leave a comment

New York City is and will always be one of the greatest cities on earth. It is here that many historical events took place, and it is also here that the futures of the current generations at the time began. New York City has an interesting history, and interesting people who would shape the city’s and country’s future were created from that history. However, not everyone who lives in New York City contribute to society equally. These individuals may not have invented the newest automobile engine or cured cancer, but they added something to what a majority of Americans enjoyed: music. The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was born on May 21, 1972 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His huge build, booming voice, and ability to tell stories with his speech locked him into being considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Many factors influenced his music, including his childhood, dreams, and Bedford-Stuyvesant itself. Biggie’s first album, Ready to Die, gives an in depth look at his life. The Bed-Stuy that Biggie grew up in has shown significant changes from the Bed-Stuy today.

Christopher Wallace had a rough childhood, but his interests and actions growing up served as inspirations for his music. Biggie was interested in rap since he was very young. A major influence was Donald Harrison, who Biggie met at 12 or 13-years-old. (Weinstein, “15 Things We Learned about Biggie from NPR’s “Stories of The Notorious B.I.G.””) Biggie was interested in learning about music and Harrison was more than willing to teach. Harrison introduced Biggie to many Jazz artists. Harrison also taught Biggie about increasing and decreasing his slow, as well as techniques for speed, agility, and tonguing in his speech. These techniques were mastered by Biggie, and what he learned can be heard in his music. (Murray, “Biggie Smalls Jazz influence”) Biggie’s voice could be identified almost instantly, as his voice was unique. It was a booming and thunderous voice that turned the heads of those who recognized it. Within the album, there are two sides that can be heard from Biggie. On one hand, there is a smooth and soft vibe to his tracks. On the other hand, Biggie isn’t afraid to show strength and uphold his gangster reputation. “Juicy”, “Big Poppa”, and “One More Chance” are the softest and easiest on the ears for listeners not accustomed to rap. “Juicy”’s catchy beat comes from an instrumental mix of Mtume’s funk tune “Juicy Fruit”. (Partridge, “The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die’ Classis Track-by-Track album review”) The song itself is a colorful story of Biggie’s rise to fame, as he raps about his dreams and childhood. “Big Poppa” can be considered the smoothest track on the album, as the beat here, sampled from the Isley Brothers, can be an opinionated contender for being better than “Juicy”. It is in this track that we hear Biggie as being the famous sweet talking ladies man that he was known for. (Partridge) In “One More Chance”, once again we are treated to just how popular Biggie is with the ladies, as he raps about the sexual acts he participates in and how good he is in bed. (Partridge) The other side of Biggie can be heard in tracks like “Things Done Changed” and “Everyday Struggle”. In “Things Done Changed”, Biggie raps about how his neighborhood, Bed-Stuy, has changed. As he raps in the track, “Lounging at the barbeques, drinking brews/ with the neighborhood crews, hanging on the avenues/ Turn your pages to 1993/ niggas is getting smoked,G: believe me.” The neighborhood he grew up in as well as the life he lived has changed drastically. “Everyday Struggle” can be considered similar to “Things Done Changed”, as he raps about his past and stresses as well. Many of the tracks have something to do with sell drugs to survive and taking care of his daughter T’yanna. (Partridge)

As to why the album was popular, Biggie was both open and honest throughout the entire album. The stereotypical street gangster doesn’t show feelings. They’re supposed to be hardened people who will do anything to make money and survive. Gangsters aren’t supposed to show emotion, as it is a sign of weakness. However, although Biggie can be considered a gangster by some, he was very open about his past and inhibitions in Ready to Die. As Sean Combs said, “In street life you’re not allowed to show if you care about something. The flip side of that is his album. He’s giving up all his vulnerability. He’s letting you know how he has felt about his mother. He’s letting you know how he cried. How he as thought about killing himself.” (Toure, “Biggie Smalls, Rap’s Man of the Moment.”) His track “Ready to Die” can be considered the most balanced in terms of the portrayal of a drug dealer’s life. We also see this rough but truthful openness about his life in “Everyday Struggle”, “Things Done Changed”, “Respect”, and “Suicidal Thoughts”. The common themes within these songs is how bad he had it growing up doing things not many people would do in order to survive. Biggie wanted his music to be able to be felt not just by new listeners, but by those who can actually relate to his music. The drugs and criminal life can have its excitement, but it can also be severely dangerous. (Toure)

The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, a Californian rapper known for his good looks and revolutionary heritage, were friends before the famous beef started. They served as inspirations for each other, as they shared what they learned from one another and represented their home turfs. Biggie released Ready to Die in September of 1994. This ideal relationship changed the night Tupac was shot and robbed in the same building that Biggie and Puff were in on November of 1994. Accusations and suspicions were thrown left and right, as Tupac had a good feeling that this was Puff and Biggie’s doing. Tupac recovered, but went to jail for sexual assault charges. No one from Bad Boy Entertainment ever visited Tupac in jail. Tupac then signed with Death Row, which was owned by Suge Knight. What ensued afterward were disses and a sense of uneasiness for both rappers. Tupac hit Biggie with “Hit Em up”, a diss track that called Biggie out, as well as made it clear that Tupac (supposedly) slept with Biggie’s wife at the time. (Lynskey, “Tupac and Biggie die as a result of east/west coast beef”.) This beef caused people who had no business with the beef at all to choose one of the two sides. Because Biggie had an actual album under his name, people listened to it to compare to the west. As Dr. Dre put it nicely, “Pretty soon, niggaz from the East Coast ain’t gonna be able to come out here and be safe. And vice versa.” (Vibe, “Biggie &Puffy Break Their Silence-’95 VIBE Cover Story”) Followers from both parties were loyal, and they would do anything for their demigod idols. Surprisingly, Biggie kept to himself throughout the entire time of the beef with Tupac. He never made a diss track to retaliate against “Hit Em Up”, but “Who Shot Ya” is considered to be a diss track. Out of the two rappers, Tupac escaped the conflict first, as he was killed in 1996. Biggie spent time in California, which was considered dangerous as Californians were still feeling the loss and heat of Tupac’s death. Biggie died in Los Angeles in 1997. He was killed in a drive-by shooting as he was leaving his album release party for his album Life After Death. Although both killers for both rappers were never apprehended, there isn’t direct evidence that the beef was the main cause. However, to this day, there are still suspicions, theories, and assumptions about the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. (Huey)

One way to have some perspective of what Bed-Stuy was like as Biggie was growing up is looking at some of his tracks in Ready to Die. There was a crack and heroin epidemic that hit New York in the 1970s and 1980s, and Bed-Stuy wasn’t immune. (Echanove, “Bed-Stuy on the Move: Demographic Trends and Economic Development in the Heart of Brooklyn.”) In a majority of Ready to Die’s tracks, Biggie references the drug trade and his hardships he was involved in. In “Things Done Changed”, Biggie raps:

If I wasn’t in the rap game

I’d probably have a key knee-deep in the crack game.

Because the streets is a short stop,

Either you’re slinging crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot

In these lines, he gives a perfect summary of what his life was like living in Bed-Stuy. If his rap career did not succeed, then he probably would have been drawn back to selling drugs. In the last two lines, Biggie states that selling drugs or becoming a basket ball player is the only way to make it in or make it out of the hood. Other lyrics from Biggie that describe his life in Bed-Stuy can be heard in “Used to sell crack, so I could stack my riches” of “Machine Gun Funk” and “Pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell/ People Look at you like you’s the user/ Selling drugs to all the losers, mad Buddha abuser” of “Everyday Struggle”. Biggie started selling crack at the young age of 12, and was even arrested on multiple occasions. Biggie continued to sell drugs until he was forced by Sean Combs to stop. (McGovern, “Notorious B.I.G.’s Criminal Past Glock-Blocks Street Naming Honor”) However, Biggie was not just involved in drugs. Biggie also had a history of violence and theft, although they are technically connected with his drug trade involvement. In “Juicy” he raps: “I never thought it could happen, this rappin stuff / I was so used to packing gats and stuff” and “I’m doin rhymes now, f**k the crimes now/ Come on the ave, I’m the real hard to find now/ Cause I’m knee–deep in the beats from” of “Machine Gun Funk”.

What is so attractive about Bedford-Stuyvesant today that is causing another wave of gentrification? There are many historic brownstone buildings in Bed-Stuy, and many were taken care of throughout the years since they were built. These brownstones were built as early as the 1870s. The neighborhood has seen different gentrifications since its founding. African Americans came to Bed-Stuy from Harlem in the 1930s, and they would make up the majority of the demographic by the 1960s. The neighborhood would also be gentrified by Latin Americans and West Indians. Today, those gentrifying are mostly white. Between 2000 and 2010, the amount of white residents has increased from 2.4 to 15 percent. Median price for Bed-Stuy homes have also been on the rise. The median price went from $575k in 2013 to $890k in 2015 and the median asking rent went from $2,150 in 2014 to $2,395 a month in 2016. Although these prices may seem expensive, Bed-Stuy is the cheapest brownstone neighborhood in Brooklyn. It is these homes in Bed-Stuy that give the new owners the ability to create their dream home. (Nonko, “‘Do or Die’ Bed-Stuy Is Definitely Gentrifying.”).

The saying goes that if you can make it in the Big Apple, then you can make anywhere. This may or may not apply to everyone, but for The Notorious B.I.G. he did certainly more than make it. Growing up in poor crime ridden neighborhood and living in abject poverty is the life Biggie knew before he became famous. With hustle, talent and even some luck, Biggie was able to obtain a record deal that would change his life forever. His first and only album to be released as he was alive, Ready to Die Solidified Biggie as one of greatest rappers of all time. Within this album, Biggie colorfully tells the story of his life. In this album, he makes himself vulnerable as he raps about his life struggles, feelings, and dreams. An important aspect to understanding the depth of this album is studying where Biggie grew up and lived. Christopher Wallace grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. As a high school dropout, Biggie looked to selling drugs as a way of making money and surviving. The neighborhood went through changes since its birth. Starting out as mostly white in the 1930s, Bed-Stuy would have a majority black demographic. With the scar of the Great Depression however, the neighborhood soon became poor. Crime would rise throughout the decades, and a crack epidemic that Biggie participated in made the neighborhood spiral into more chaos. Crime did decrease of Guiliani, but at the cost of racial profiling and harassment. Now, there is a new gentrification, different ethnicities are migrating in, but there has been a surprisingly large increase in whites are as well. Nonetheless, both Biggie and Bed-Stuy experienced drastic changes.

Album Essays, Hip Hop, Queens

Time Is Illmatic: Nas and the Broken Queensbridge Projects

May 15, 2016 maxkulchinsky Leave a comment

Not a single word, or even sentence, can truly embody the significance of Nas’ Illmatic purely because it means so much, to so many people, on so many levels. It is an album—of both great historical and cultural importance—that screams New York City and more specifically Queens and the Queensbridge projects, a public housing project concentrated with poverty and crime. Illmatic put Queensbridge on the map and brought to light the issues looming the area for years. One of the most impressive and even immaculate aspects of Illmatic is that it is Nas’ first record; it is his first offering as an artist, and serves as his first portrayal and declaration of self and artistry. This album’s role in Nas’ career and life makes its intentions and purposes all the more interesting. Finally, on a personal level, Illmatic is an album that helped shape me as a music fan and person altogether. I first came across this classic record at the beginning of my initial adventures in the discovery of music, and specifically hip hop. I was a 12-year-old kid and I was infatuated with the works of contemporaries like Eminem, Jay-Z and Kanye West, and naturally while digging deeper, I found one of their greatest inspirations—Nas. After my first few listens of Illmatic, I was convinced of the record’s conciseness and importance to the genre and culture. With all of these ideas and realms of significance of Illmatic in mind, one may begin to understand the greatness and importance of the album as one of the greatest hip hop, New York City, and just flat out outstanding albums of all time.

Nasir Jones was 21 years young when he recorded his debut album Illmatic in 1994. The record truly came from Nas’ experiences living in the Queensbridge housing projects in the early 1990s. It was a rough public housing project in an inner-city filled with crime, drug abuse and a lack of hope to break the cycle of violence and inescapable poverty.

So as more and more blacks moved into public housing in Queensbridge and more and more crack was being distributed throughout the area, it was more and more likely for blacks to wind up addicted to crack, and/or dead or in jail as a result. Once parents fell victim to these hardships, it created an environment for their children and their children’s children to do the same. On Illmatic this cyclical lifestyle takes the form of stories about Nas’ kinfolk from the neighborhood including “the mentions of his friend Willie “Ill Will” Graham’s senseless murder, wars with police and references to legendary gangsters like Alberto “Alpo” Martinez, Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols and the Supreme Team.” These stories are told through anecdotal references on tracks like “Represent” or in the form of letters to imprisoned friends like on “One Love.”

Though Queens is currently undergoing serious gentrification in neighborhoods like Astoria—which demands rent in the ballpark of Manhattan and other expensive areas— Queensbridge is still very much the ghetto it was in the early ‘90s. While listening to the record, one could imagine a youthful Nas looking out the window of public housing, into the streets he called “the fucking dungeons of rap,” perhaps witnessing a robbery or an arrest. With this perspective and desire for an improved, morally sound life, Nas wrote poetry and raps, and began to take music seriously.

Nas aimed for Illmatic to be not just a debut record, but a record with lasting inspirational power. In 1994, he told The Source magazine, “This feels like a big project, that’s gonna affect the world.” Many, if not all of the ideas and beliefs related to gangs, crime, and the inner-city expressed throughout Illmatic ring true today. That is truly why the record is so special and important. Though not a single song or record can change a place or group of people, it can certainly aspire to do so. An album like Illmatic can inspire both the residents of a rough neighborhood like Queensbridge to try and break the cycle of poverty and crime, and expose the issues of a particular neighborhood to those who do not live with those issues everyday.

Since Illmatic is such a culturally reflective and important record—and was such a well received one at its time of release, and still today—it has served as the greatest curse to Nas’ long musical career. It is a debut album that set up decades of shortcomings for the MC. For example, it is near impossible to come across interviews in which Nas is not asked about Illmatic, it’s influence on hip hop, his career and how he feels that his best work came so early in his career. One particularly interesting answer from Nas on the subject came during his press run for his 2006 album Hip Hop is Dead. Pitchfork asked Nas if he wished Illmatic was not as great of a record as it was so people would stop comparing it to his subsequent works. He responded, “I could never wanna wish that…I want each album to say something different and be accepted better than the last one but I don’t have any point to outdo any particular album of mine.” Imagine how it feels for Nas to have achieved something so incredible and special with his first album, to only continue missing and disappointing people for many of the next 22 years of his career.

Despite the onslaught of antics and mediocre music he has made over the years—including ironically titling one of his albums “Hip Hop Is Dead” at a time in which Nas’ relevance and influence was fairly questionable in hip hop, and titling another album “Nigger” solely for shock value, only to make it an untitled album before release—hip hop fans and the culture as a whole still embraces and loves Nas, mostly for his very first record, which released 22 years ago. On one hand, all of the disappointments and failings of Nas’ career since 1994 make Illmatic all the more special because he will never be able to make an album as good as it again. He will never again be able to capture the same energy (dare I say vibe?) of Queens and New York City at the time. And at the same time, DJ Premier, Q Tip and other contributing producers will sound dated trying to recreate the sounds they crafted with Illmatic. So when he raps, “I dropped an ancient manifest of hip-hop straight off the block,” Nas is not lying. It is a self-predicted and fulfilled prophecy; he dropped a piece of rap mythology on his first try, and it was for the better of the music. Illmatic represents what many music enthusiasts refer to as “the golden age of hip hop,” having conventional, but excellent production and strong complementing lyrics.

For me, personally, Illmatic is still an album to revisit on a monthly basis for inspiration and to return to purer, lyrical hip hop in the onslaught of noise and laziness in modern hip hop. This record proved to me there was more to rap than catchy hooks, pretty electronic beats and braggadocios lyrics—sorry Kanye, I still love you! I digress. Illmatic is an album with infectious and head nod-able beats that are some of my favorites ever. But on top of that, there are genuine, real, important lyrics that can change one’s perspective. In a way, hearing Nas say he is “straight out the fucking dungeons of rap” brings you to that place.

CLICK HERE FOR NAS’ VERY OWN ANNOTATION ON “N.Y. State of Mind”!

Though New Yorkers from the 80s and 90s will relate to Illmatic’s commentary on the state of the city during Crack Era, it is not just an album for that era or even for people living in the Queensbridge projects or similar circumstances. It is for all people, and particularly those looking to be uplifted. Refrains from “The World Is Yours” telling me that the world is mine makes me feel like it actually is, or could be. Similarly, I am a self-diagnosed insomniac, so the bar “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death,” is pretty relatable. “Represent” is a testament to how truly terrible Nas’ upbringing was, given the constant violence he was surrounded by against his will, and provides some perspective to me of how much better my childhood was and how much smaller my issues are comparatively. Unknowingly, Nas brought white Jewish Long Islanders to Queensbridge for a walking tour, to show the inner workings and struggles of the neighborhood. This greater understanding is just the start of a conversation about differences in race and class that divides people within New York City and the entire country in general.

As stated earlier, it is not expected for a piece of art or music to change a group of people, a place or society as a whole. However, in this case, Illmatic makes an attempt to at least recognize what is wrong and needs to be changed in certain areas and facets of society. Because of this and the excellent level of artistry—both on a musical level from the numerous talented (and now legendary) producers and on a lyrical level from Nas—Illmatic is an album that has transcended New York City. It is an album that has also transcended the 90s, and more importantly, hip hop as a genre, which usually comes with negative connotations to certain groups of people. It is an album that speaks to and for an incredibly marginalized and suffering race of people, and calls out to those who are unaware of this to be aware. Historically, culturally, musically and personally, Illmatic is one of the greatest works of music of all time, and there is hardly an argument against this.