Illmatic Appreciation Thread

[DaveC]

Best debut album ever?

Listening to Life's a Bitch right now...unreal verses from AZ and Nas both, plus the trumpet solo at the end

5 mics!

 

[LemonMelon]

Best debut album ever?

No, but it's a truly great record.

And this is coming from someone who generally doesn't care for rap.

 

[DaveC]

Other candidates?

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Bleach.

Or Queen by Queen.

 

[LemonMelon]

Other candidates?

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
The Doors - The Doors
U2 - Boy
Oasis - Definitely Maybe
Ramones - Ramones
Nick Drake - Four Leaves Left

That list is mostly a mixture of albums I like and popular opinion, but you get the idea.

 

[lazarus]

The Velvet Underground and Nico
Patti Smith, Horses
R.E.M., Murmur
Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted
The Arcade Fire, Funeral
The Pretenders
Guns 'n' Roses, Appetite for Destruction

and since we started with Nas:

Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

 

[LemonMelon]

Rap debuts:

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Wu Tang - 36 Chambers
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill

 

[LMP]

Coldplay - Parachutes
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pixies - Surfer Rosa

 

[xaviMF22]

Bloc party -- Silent Alarm

 

[DaveC]

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
Wu Tang - 36 Chambers

I stand corrected.

Now back to appreciating Illmatic!

It's ill halftime!

 

[LemonMelon]

It's ill halftime!

 

[bollox]

Rap debuts:

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Wu Tang - 36 Chambers
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill

good list, but you forgot

notorious b.i.g. - ready to die

 

[LemonMelon]

good list, but you forgot

notorious b.i.g. - ready to die

Ah, great choice!

 

[DaveC]

 

[gvox]

To me the mark of a perfect debut album is the one that shows the most promise for the band that is coming out...that gives a hint of the brilliance that will come in subsequent releases.

So, in that context, Yo! Bumrush The Show is the greatest rap debut of all time. Hands down.


I would put Illmatic in my top 5-10 rap debuts tho, most definitely

 

[gvox]

Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

um...just saw this...that was their second album.

But likely the number one rap album of all time, for me.

 

[t8thgr8]

I dont get how people can say that U2 had one of the greatest debut records of all time. On most peoples other basic choices, the artist/s couldve stopped with that one record and still would be considered legends. Would U2? Hell no. Boy kind of sucks.

 

[DaveC]

Appreciate, dammit!

 

[LemonMelon]

I dont get how people can say that U2 had one of the greatest debut records of all time. On most peoples other basic choices, the artist/s couldve stopped with that one record and still would be considered legends. Would U2? Hell no. Boy kind of sucks.

Appreciate, dammit!

 

[DaveC]

I was referring to Illmatic, but whatever works...

 

[ShipOfFools]

To be honest, the only Nas album I've heard is "Hip Hop is Dead." How does "Illmatic" differ from that one?

 

[DaveC]

After Illmatic, Nas started trying a little too hard for mainstream success.

Illmatic is...indescribable. You need to hear it. It's my favourite rap album of all time.

 

[gvox]

oh you young'uns...