The best and
brightest writers of the hip-hop generation reflect upon the era’s
landmark album: Nas’sIllmatic
At the age of
nineteen, Nasir Nas” Jones began recording tracks for his debut
albumand changed the music world forever. Released in 1994,
Illmatic was hailed as an instant masterpiece and has proven one of
the most influential albums in hip-hop history. With its close
attention to beats and lyricism, and riveting first-person
explorations of the isolation and desolation of urban poverty,
Illmatic was pivotal in the evolution of the genre.
In Born to Use Mics,
Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have brought together
renowned writers and critics including Mark Anthony Neal, Marc Lamont
Hill, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., and many others to confront Illmatic song
by song, with each scholar assessing an individual track from the
album. The result is a brilliant engagement with and commentary upon
one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down on wax.