The best and brightest writers of the hip-hop generation reflect upon the era's landmark album: Nas's Illmatic.
From the moment then ni... read full description
reviews
Jun 30, 2011
Manny
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Despite the three stars I gave this book, I feel this is a must read for anyone who even remotely enjoys the Illmatic album. Personally, I am a huge Nas fan and I consider Illmatic to be one of the top 5 or 10 artistic achievements of the past 25 years, in any medium... but this book was very disappointing to me for several reasons. The biggest one is that the writers of the essays in the book tend to think that the majority of the album's value lies in what it says, tangentially, about sociolog
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Dec 03, 2010
Lamozia
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Nas is my all time favorite hip hop artist and a legend in the genre of hip hop. This book, which was written based on Nas' first album Illmatic( one of my favorite hip hop albums) breaks down each track on the album in a way in which its like your seeing through the eyes of Nasir "nas"'Bin Olu Dara Jones/ his lyrics are a glimpse into his world growing up in Queens bridge projects New York. I can relate to him, his rhymes, and definitely his struggles. I suggest this book to any die h
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Feb 02, 2012
Byron
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Parts of this I really liked, and parts of it I found almost impossible to read. I would have just skipped them, if I weren't so OCD. In particular, if you do decide to pick this up, don't bother with the chapter on "One Time for Your Mind." Fast forward through it just like you did the actual song back in the '90s, if you're that old. Of the other nine chapters that correspond to the other nine songs on the album, the only one I really, really liked was the one on "Halftime,"
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May 14, 2011
Michael
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A nice anthology of mostly academic critiques of Nas's "Illmatic," arguably the greatest rap album ever, an incredible work of art that continues to blow minds. The essays are chronological, running parallel to the album, so I found myself listening to the tracks before and after each essay, which was enjoyable and allowed me to notice things I'd previously missed. The second section of the book, "Remixes," contains an eclectic arrangement of reprinted reviews and conversati
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Feb 08, 2010
jewelthinks
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great read. although sometimes it's hard to imagine, hip hop being discussed and analyzed from a scholastic point, this was an inspirational book.
i wasn't so much on illmatic before, but i can appreciate things being put into a historical context.
i wasn't so much on illmatic before, but i can appreciate things being put into a historical context.
Feb 09, 2012
Daniel
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There's some really great explication in this book that provides context and insight into Nas' lyrics and samples. There are also a few chapters in this book (there's one for every track of Illmatic) that went way off track and were complete wastes of time. I get the feeling the authors did not spend much time planning their thoughts or editing what they had written. Nas is often praised for using few words to convey complex images and meanings. They failed to head this very point and left a
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Mar 01, 2010
Read by ACRL Member of the Week Kimberley Bugg. Learn more about Kimberley on the ACRL Insider blog.
Jan 07, 2010
Suppaspears9206
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Waited over a year for this to come out. Picked it up first thing in the morning on it's release date. A great book about highly poetic album. Nasir Jones: my favorite artist
Apr 06, 2010
Michael
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If you like Nas, this is a must read. Also, if you're a Michael supporter, this is one for the shelf.
Mar 21, 2010
Sidik
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six word review: Will make you rewind that album.
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Nov 23, 2011
Shayla
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I am an avid Nasty Nas fan. Born to Use mics is a must-read for those who are fans of Nas or hip-hop in general. Each essay describes each Illmatic track and parallels the personal and political views of the author. After reading this book, I listened to Illmatic differently and found a deeper respect for Nas' body of work.
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