Illmatic (studio album)
by Nas
Nas bestography
Illmatic is ranked as the best album by Nas.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Upcoming concerts
Listen to Illmatic on YouTube
Illmatic track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 88 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Illmatic rankings
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Illmatic ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,592 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/04/2025 21:06 | IkoIko6 | 107 | 83/100 |
| ! | 11/29/2025 06:06 | JoshN125 | 169 | 68/100 |
| ! | 11/28/2025 17:08 | Andras | 226 | 78/100 |
| ! | 11/27/2025 15:54 |  Anti | 4,627 | 78/100 |
| ! | 11/23/2025 20:09 |  LukasAntoine00s | 373 | 80/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 86.1/100, a mean average of 84.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 86.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.3.
Illmatic favourites
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Illmatic comments
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Well worth the hype. It's simple hip hop but somehow it's such a unique and cool sound. Some great lyrics too. He has probably my favourite rap voice ever too. My picks are It Ain't Hard to Tell and One Love.
One of the best produced albums in hip-hop. Nas's lyrics are phenomenal. He also doesn't fall victim to what most rappers do, have too much filler. This makes the album tight and effective. His flow is smooth and impactful. The second half is weaker than the first half, but this album is still a classic. 9.5/10!
It might be my favorite rap record everz banger after banger after banger, simply amazing beats, top notch rapping skills amd many quotable lines.
A fun and creative listen that utilises brilliant samples to create an infectious and catchy hip hop album. Nas also demonstrates one of the best flows ever found on any hip hop album. This results in a smooth experience for the listener that we can so easily get lost in. His choice of sampling is fantastic as well with them transforming songs like N.Y. State Of Mind, The World Is Yours and It Ain't Hard To Tell. All 3 of these songs are classics of the hip hop genre and the influence these songs, as well as the rest of the album, would have on music is evident as so many artists tried to achieve the quality of his flow and samples. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable hip hop album which had a huge impact on music and is a demonstration of the quality of Nas.
An absolute classic. Influential and sounds great even today.
C_Krug2009 05/08/2022 14:12 | #285111
It's the bible of rap because everybody copies Nas' flow and he modernized the art of the flow. I like it for this reason and because it captures every vibe of NYC. If you ask me the best hip hop album of all time, it's this one, Marshall Mathers LP, To Pimp A Butterfly, and Good Kid Maad City. But I would say you could listen to Illmatic in way more situations as something to put on. I like the beats on I Am... more but Illmatic has better flow and better lyrics.
Excellent example of linking thematic narratives throughout an album. Good flow, interesting lyrics, limited repetition or filler.
No gimmick, just talent.
Buen disco
dubayawalta 04/08/2021 17:42 | #268339
A masterpiece of hip-hop, rap, vocals, and sampling. Top level 90s hip hop.
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