Will there ever be another album better than Illmatic???

[metrosoul]

Will there ever be an album better than Illmatic???

I agree and probably many others on this website would think Illmatic is the best album of all time. But will there ever be something as good or better again in music. I don't but what do you think?

 

[Cold Truth]

hmmm.... not the way the present state of things are going!! actually, i feel that The Score, by the Fugees was just as good, as well as Blackstar and Atliens. and then you have Ready to Die.... i think that these are all at the same level, however they all have very different feelings to them.

 

[DJ Excellence]

Metrosoul : Illmatic is a timeless classic but there are so many other albums that could claim the "best of all time title".
... but I think you're asking a good question .... I think classic albums can still be made nowadays ,Gangstaar's "the Ownerz" is a good example .... okay this is very subjective ! but keep in mind that Rap is a very young music genre so another prolific, creative period like the mid 90's is inevitable ....

 

[soundboy2]

I think there have been a few classics since Illmatic, But an album that is classic in the way Illmatic was classic is hard to do in this current state.I think its going to happen, but its going to be a long time, the money is the major factor, The artist with the skill to do it are being force to "get there money" by putting three or more radio jingles on the plate. Some do a good job at mixxing it up and still break a calssic. But it will be a month of Sundays before one slips thru like ILL. Nothing on Illmatic would get spins today, the hip hop head would love it ,but we don't buy records , enough.
But I know somewhere in the DEEP DARK underground , there is an Illmatic type classic brewing, ONce an AR gets its, he gone be like , "O.K . let get the producer of the minute on one for the lead off single, Then you no longer have an Illamtic.

Jay may be able to buck one with this ""Black Album", he got coming out cause he got money and i hear he not doing a single or video, so that may be your closest thing for now

 

[Cold Truth]

when money is the goal, i do not believe it is possible to release an album like Illmatic. it takes away the focus of the artist, so that even if the album is good, the heart and soul that would have been there isnt there the way it would have been. you cant say, "this one is for the radio, this one was made for the clubs, this here is for the streets, plus i got one just for the ladies...."- which is what almost always happens these days. even Talib has began doing this. (he did "waitin for the dj" with the intent of it catching on and becoming a catch phrase!) so....... that being said, the focus just isnt there. hopefully it wil cycle!

as far as the deep, dark, underground..... dont count on it. these guys are usually of the "i'm sick like cancer" variety; one liners as far as the eye can see. as far as gangstar... guru has been average at best as an mc, and he (along with most of the underground) seems to be obsessed with the "bling-bling" guys. the underground these days is just as shallow as the radio in my opinion. again, with gangstar. guru talks about how so man yartists arent true to the spirit of hip hop, and yet he has songs with snoop (give me a break) and jadakiss, who ironically was the element that made "right where you stand" an instant classic. (yes, i know it was also premier's track... cant get it out of my head!) ????? i think that hip hop as a whole is caught up in itself. if jay actually follows through with his so-called black album, and makes it with no single or video, then perhaps he may very well achieve that elusive TRUE classic (he hasnt had one yet, yes that includes reasonable doubt, but it was a great one.) because of the lack of distractions. but for a guy whose career has been built around the love of money and dissing women...... whose videos have been key, i doubt he will actually follow through with it.

 

[changalang]

i enjoyed both of Big L's albums more than illmatic

 

[Deez]

Honestly, it's probably impossible tyo recap that sound again....... you can try , but it's played out. Illmatic is sick, but their will never be another one.. On the other hand, their is new stuff that's pretty dope too....... check out Joe Budden new album... I give it 4 1/2 mics
Don't take my word for it, it's just an opinion, check it out doh!!!!!!
Dz

 

[soundboy2]

It does seem like people dont just make songs no more, and albums aren't sequenced right these days. Like TruthTold said , they go in like do a club song , ladies song, moma i love u song, me&my bicth song.
That type of formula can take away from the natural feel of an album.
Illmatic and other classics, are like your first love, you meet a lot of females you might really like, but its never like that first time.
The Fix by Scarface is a classic that has a Illmatic feel to it. Mackavelli was a classic like that to me also.So is there going to another ILLMATIC? No never. Will somebody come and make a simailar well thought out,well expressed confessional, that covers all the basis of classic shit to some ground breaking sounds? Yes. Forever

 

[Cold Truth]

.... in regards to the comment deez made, it really isnt about recapturing the sound, the feel, or the "essence" of Ilmatic itself, its about creating an equal. this is in terms of impact, influence, with its own sound, its own heart, its own perspective from its own man......
it has to truly stand the test of time and trancend its core audience, as well as capture AND captivate the era of its creation. it has to enduce more than one emotion, it has to touch on more than one relevant topic.... i mean, come on... you can have a classic party album, a classic street album, etc.... but for a true classic, one that stands out on its own merit and not a marketing gimmick or played out pimp/hustler/thug/lover/fighter theme will go beyond those things.

 

[bigdmakintrax]

I think that there could be another like it, but the thing is the tracks have to be bangin and also the mc has to have substance in his lyrical delivery........also I always wondered about the tracks that never made it to the album I wonder if there were other bangerz they recorded but they put on ice as unreleased....

 

[T-Dash]

Hmmm....well it depends. Illmatic was by all means a classic and one of my fave albums. However, is it really fair to judge the music of that time to todays music? I personally believe that some of the best albums came out during those years (eg. 36 Chambers, Illmatic, etc), however, theres a lot more varience in the music now. I think that artists such as Blackalicious, Cunninlynguists, Louis Logic, Braintax, etc really bring the heat on their albums and produce classics, but just aren't able to compete in todays market with big labels like Def Jam because they can't aford the advertising. I just think really, if you're looking to buy a classic album now...don't go looking in HMV, Sam Goodys, etc.

 

[T-Dash]

bigdmakintrax, a lot of Nas' other bangin tracks from the Illmatic era are on his 'The Lost Tapes' album.

 

[Cold Truth]

the lost tapes sounds very new, actually... the last five years or so. he mentions "the way p diddy did shine" on one... icant remember them all, but there were numerous refrences to recent occurences on that album. i seriously doubt any of those songs were from illmatic's unreleased tracks. the sound isnt even close, and at the very most they were remakes.

 

[T-Dash]

Well Truth Told, I'm going on really what i recently read in HipHop Connections magazine (The longest running hiphop magazine in circulation...even longer than the Source and yes...its a UK one). There was an article about Nas and if he will ever be able to live up to the success of Illmatic with another album and it considers all his albums (eg. I am, Nastradamus, Gods Son, etc) and states basically that the album takes unreleased tracks from his career "harking back mainly to Illmatic rather than Stillmatic". But then again, I see your point because they do sound like his more recent stuff which is maybe why the ones from that time never made it on Illmatic, makes you kinda glad they didn't cause Illmatic is simply a quality product.