Disagree? Let’s break it down…
1. The lyrics are a ‘Good Combination’ of declarations of poetic superiority, explanations of his daily operations, product name checks, witty punchlines, casual blasphemy and a healthy dose of Eff The Police sentiment. What more could a rap fan ask for?
2. The beat is a masterpiece in understated SP-12 simplicity…and it has sleigh bells!
3. It isn’t overly eager to impress nor does it outstay it’s welcome.
4. He shouts out the TV show ‘C.H.I.P.S.’. Word to Erik Estrada.
5. Nas mentions that he’s a ‘Nike head’ in the era of 40 Below Timbos and at least a decade before the Beast got Hype.
6. It’s mostly the voice. (c) GURU.
Nah, Thieves In The Night, most def.
^ This can’t be life…
Agreed. Coming off of “live at the bbq” Nas and the Extra P did not disappoint with the debut single. In fact “Halftime” alone kept fans fiending for the album for a solid two years back in 92…even if it was associated with the awful movie “Zebrahead”.
sounding very lo-fi all these years later..
and “mad phat fluid” is wack…
But,
“king poetic, too much flavor, i major”
>
If you like Nas, you might like my blog, Rhymes and Reasons. It’s a series of interviews with hip-hop heads who discuss their lives and a few songs that matter to them. Pretty powerful stuff. Check’em out here:
http://thisisrhymesandreasons.wordpress.com/
Is this even news? Illmatic is the best album of all time so yo this isn’t even a question.
Maybe so…but Rebel INS “Above The Clouds” verse; GOAT!
As dope as “Halftime” was/is, coming off of the intensity of “Live At the BBQ” and even his brief but show steling verse on “Back To The Grill”, “Halftime” was ever so slightly anticlimactic. If you’re goin’ to run with another of Nas’ joints, run with either the demo version of “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” (where he somehow channels G Rap, Tragedy and Large Professor all at the same time) or the mixtape joint “Understanding” (especially that second verse).
bboy, what up!! Been a minute…
oska! What it do Sun?! You know me; I’m always round the way on these here internets.
The track doesn’t hold up as much for me nowadays, but ‘I wear chains that excite the feds’ is still a favourite line and always will be.
This was on Ruffhouse records.. RIGHT, RIGht, RIght, right….
“Cause I am as ill as a convict who kills for phone time.” Still my favorite. Yo Mecbar, its funny you say that, cause no matter how many times i hear this song, I still think of my man Rappaport driving around in that jeep.
The sing yeah. But Kudos the video… can’t beat that vintage nostalgic 8mm footage encapsulating such an epic moment in history. He said “Explore Rap…” Who the fuck says that?!
The “song” yeah…
“I drop Jewels, wear jewels hope to never run it…”
This line was crazy dope to me back then because of the double entendre.
I might agree with you on this one Robbie, This song effortlessly captures the spirit of the ghetto yute dem circa the late eighties early nineties
“You couldn’t catch me in the streets without a bag of reefer/That’s like Malcolm X catching the jungle fever”
“I used to hustle, now all I do is relax and strive/When I was young I was a fan of the Jackson 5”
Shit, I remember seeing that a new Nasty Nas track was going to be debuted on Yo! MTV Raps and installed my VCR. Just before riding my bike to school I taped the song from the VCR to a cassette tape. Damn I loved those days, wished I was 15/16 again sometimes.
“‘Cause when it’s my time to go/i wait for God with the 4-4”
2Pac loved that line…
u know shit is bad when your still knit picking thru music that is almost 20 yrs old! ok so the slang from 94 dont sound hot in 2012..is it supposed to? lol like cmon man…I dont get post like this, is it a celebration or is it a bitch fest? you know this is NAS were talkin about here right? one of the best to ever do it even on an off day…this is illmatic were picking over here one of the best albums of all time without question…”I hate a rhyme biters rhyme, stay tuned to nas soon the real rap comes at halftime” if you dont believe lyrics like this are timeless as they are, perfectly imperfect… you LOST…90s still run shit even in 2012…
Over the years, I’ve been able to proclaim several different tracks of Illmatic as my favorite. Originally, it was “Represent.” Then, “Life’s a Bitch.” Then, it was “New York State of Mind.” “Halftime” had a run too. The other day, “One Time for your Mind” shuffled into my ipod, and right now that one might be holding the title.
Really, the greatest rap album of all time.
Oh, and forget about him checking Nike in this song. Nas was wearing North Face in the Illmatic promo pics. That was in the era when dudes were wearing shirts with big pictures of cartoon characters on them. The Cross Colours era was on its way out, but the Hilfiger era hadn’t really jumped off yet.
I’M BAD By LL COOL J is the best bragging song ever!!!!Rakim IMO first 3 albums all all better than ill matic. Also IT TAKES A NATION is the best LP ever.
“Memory Lane”, I think, bar for bar, is my single favorite Hip-Hop song of all time.
digg, what up!
THAT ALBUM IS WHY NAS IS THE BEST YOU CAN QUOTE EVERY LINE IN THAT ALBUM NO FILLER HE STRAIGHT KILLED. MY FAVORITE LINE ON ILLMATIC HAS TO BE FROM NY STATE OF MIND :A SMOOTH CRIMINAL ON BEAT BREAKS NEVER PUT ME IN YOUR BOX IF YOUR SHIT EATS TAPES.
brag rap might be redundant. and unbelievable might compete?
I love Halftime, one of my favorite Nas tracks. It might be the best brag rap of the 90’s. I was Djing then and you threw it on, people loved it. But am I the only one who hears him doin a straight Lord Finesse flow through the whole joint?
Street Smart F it less no doubt the best brag rap of the 90s.Vicious rhyme after rhyme plus a menacing beat by domingo.