If I had to pick the best solo rap album of all time, this would be my pick. Each song is like a work of art; I can listen to it over and over again and I keep finding new layers of meaning. It's packed with references to earlier music, jokes, and literary devices. But what does it to me are the gut-wrenching narratives that Nas lays out. My favorite song is the second track, N.Y. State of Mind. I find this album intensely moving emotionally. It's just beautiful.



I love the musical elements too. Nas comes on the scene with what was at the time a new rap style for the time...unpredictable, dancing around the beat, often coming in early. It reminds me a little of how Thelonious Monk plays piano. I love the dry, simple musical structure of the songs, centering around drums, a bassline, and a piano loop. These minimal elements are utilized to excellent dramatic effect...seamlessly integrated with the rhyming and storytelling, like the moment when Nas wakes up from his dreams of being a gangsta and the piano loop comes back in just when he says "But just a n***a, walking with his finger on the trigger." It's like the song is slapping me awake when I listen to it but I just want to keep listening to it over and over again.



I find something really deep and powerful in this music...you can hear Nas discovering his own talent and self-worth, moving from hopelessness and despair at the social conditions he was living in, to a sense of empowerment, transcending it and packging his wisdom and experiences into an art form to broadcast to others.



This work I think was revolutionary, a lot like 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang. But this was executed by a single rapper...an impressive feat.



My only complaint is that Nas never seemed to achieve this same level...I still see this as his pinnacle work. I wonder how his career would have been different had he stepped down like Lauryn Hill did after dropping this album. I'm not sure much would have been lost, as there is little in Nas' later work that seems to achieve this same level.



This is not only one of my favorite albums, I think it is one of my favorite human creations.