By Bernie Herlyn
Music Columnist

If you are a fan of hip-hop, chances are you own, or have heard, a copy of Nas’ Illmatic, a hip-hop classic. So you might get a little confused when Sony decides to release a “10 Year Anniversary Platinum Series” edition of the album. A marketing scheme, perhaps? There’s nothing different about Illmatic itself, except that it has been digitally remastered, even though anyone could attest that it sounds exactly the same as the original.

Tracks like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The World is Yours,” “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” and AZ’s classic verse on “Life’s a Bitch” will never get old. And this is one of the most dense and compact albums of all time, so even after such a long run Illmatic still sounds fresh and original.

So what is the point of buying this one if you already have the original from 1994? Gimmick or not, the album includes a second disc with four remixes and two previously unreleased tracks, “On the Real” and “Star Wars.” Are these few extras worth shelling out fifteen dollars? Let’s find out.

The first track to be chopped up is “Life’s a Bitch,” remixed by Rockwilder. He uses looping strings and R&B-esque beats to lace AZ and Nas’ verses, but it sounds almost too campy and forced to place it above the original beat co-produced by L.E.S. and Nas.

“The World is Yours,” produced by the Vibesmen, blends a catchy piano loop with a generic, uninspiring drum beat, and the new piano loop fails to capture the same effect as the original. The same goes for “One Love” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” both produced by Nick “Fury.” The former lacks the quality of Q-Tip’s beat, and the latter has a similar fate. The recurring pattern of all of these remixes is that the producers have adopted too much of the saturated production found in most current mainstream rap. It is undeniable that the beats of the original would be hard to surpass, and the results of the mostly unknown producers only prove this point.

The CD closes out with the two previously unreleased tracks included with the album. The first, “On the Real,” fares much better than any of the remixes, but with legendary producer Marley Marl on the turntables, that is to be expected. The track makes up for the shortcomings of the remixes, as Nas laces the beat with a smooth flow.

With the thumping beats made by Large Professor on Illmatic (“Halftime,” “One Time 4 Your Mind,” “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”), one would hope that ten years later Large Professor could still deliver on “Star Wars.” Nas shines with his stories about the downsides of fame and the tension that arises between rappers, alluding to his own beef with Jay-Z, the Ice Cube and Common feud of the 1990’s, and even more subliminal references to 2pac and Biggie. “You think in all it’s just rhymin’// But all this time, it’s like organized crime and for instance// there was a time when there was a line between streets and business// but now peep how it’s mixed in, the beef is now sickenin’.” While another memorable track from Nas, Large Professor fails to provide the MC with a memorable beat to the caliber of his work on Illmatic.

The original beats of the album were all head nodders, with excellent production by the likes of DJ Premier and Large Professor. The remixes, conversely, are uninspired and bland, generic beats that will remind the listener of a lot of the producers ubiquitous on radio and television. While the two new tracks are worth a listen, they do not justify the weaknesses found earlier. If you do not own a copy of Illmatic this album is a must-have, but otherwise, like Nas’ other remix album, From Illmatic to Stillmatic, the extras found on this anniversary edition are not enough to warrant a serious look from all but the most die-hard of fans.


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