Life is a bitch and then you die. Illmatic is the product of a world full of crushed dreams. In this world, you either wither under the nightmare or fight your way through the darkness. Nas managed to do the latter. As an inner-city youth surrounded by crime and poverty, Nas reflects on despair and hope in equal measure. After two decades, Illmatic is still the ultimate role model for street rhymers and boom bap disciples. Released just five months before Nas' 21st birthday, Illmatic established him as a fully formed savant. He rained metaphors, complained about the dark options before him and dreamed of a less dangerous future. The harsh realities depicted on Illmatic are not always those of Nas. “One Love,” for example, is a letter addressed to an incarcerated friend. “NY State of Mind” is an investigation into street corners where “kids with guns are running at us” in broad daylight and “unarmed teams are ruined.” He opens "Memory Lane" with a nod to his target audience: "listeners, hard-heads, flying ladies and prisoners, Hennessey holders and old-school ni--as." Queensbridge is a rec...