Illmatic cultists mithered about this 1996 follow-up, but it’s aged magnificently, and they were wrong.
‘Amidst production from heavy hitters like Dr. Dre, Havoc of Mobb Deep and DJ Premier, Nas weaves evocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods, drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdrop of samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, and even Chuck Mangione. With guest turns from Lauryn Hill, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Mobb Deep; classics like Street Dreams and If I Ruled The World.’
Terrific fun; full of life and invention.
‘This first exuberant wave of innocent, upbeat, ‘party on the block’ rap records re-created the sounds heard in community centres, block parties and street jams taking place in the Bronx in the mid-1970s. But where Flash, Kool Herc and Bambaataa were back-spinning, mixing and scratching together breakbeat records, these first rap sides were all made using live bands, often replaying current disco tunes, whilst MCs rapped over the top…’