Stillmatic

Infobox Album
Name = Stillmatic
Type = Album
Artist = Nas


Released = December 18, 2001 (US)
December 27, 2001 (JPN)
Recorded = 2001
Genre = East Coast hip hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
Length = 56:42
Label = Ill Will Records/Columbia Records
CK-85736
Producer = Baby Paul
Chucky Thompson
DJ Premier
Hangmen 3
L.E.S.
Large Professor
Lofey
Megahertz Music Group
Mike Risko
Nas
Ron Browz
Salaam Remi
Trackmasters Entertainment
Precision
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:4srsa9lgq23a link]
*"The Source" rating|5|5 [http://rateyourmusic.com/list/scottbdoug/the_source_magazines_5_mic_rap_albums link]
*HipHopDX.com rating|5|5 [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.129/title.nas-stillmatic link]
*"NME" rating|7|10 [http://www.nme.com/reviews/nas/5983 link]
*RapReviews.com rating|9|10 [http://rapreviews.com/archive/2001_12F_stillmatic.html link]
*"Rolling Stone" rating|2.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/111200/review/6067358?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview link]
*Stylus (A-) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/nas/stillmatic.htm link]
*Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau|dud [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=nas link]
Last album = "Nastradamus"
(1999)
This album = "Stillmatic"
(2001)
Next album = "God's Son"
(2002)
Misc = Singles
Name = Stillmatic
Type = studio
single 1 = Rule
single 1 date = 2001
single 2 = Got Ur Self A...
single 2 date = December 4, 2001
single 3 = One Mic
single 3 date = April 16, 2002

"Stillmatic" is the fifth studio album by East Coast rapper Nas. It was released in December, 2001 by Columbia and Ill Will Records. It was a critical success that reestablished Nas' career after the critical flop "Nastradamus". The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 eventually selling over 1.7 million copies.Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1768874 "Nas Drafts Eminem, Alicia Keys For 'God's Son'"] . Billboard.com. November 25 2002. Retrieved August 11 2008.] The album additionally contained beats produced by longtime Nas collaborators including DJ Premier, Large Professor and L.E.S..

"Stillmatic" was immediately hailed as Nas' best album since his landmark debut, "Illmatic".Hill, Marc L.. [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/n/nas-stillmatic.shtml "Nas: Stillmatic - Review"] . PopMatters. June 12 2002. Retrieved August 11 2008.]

Background

Comeback

"Stillmatic" marked Nas' reemergence atop the rap scene, after many said his career was waning following his previous LP, "Nastradamus" (an album considered by some critics and fans to have been the most mediocre album in his discography). The success of the album resurrected Nas' career, as he has since released several successful and critically acclaimed albums. Well received by critics, "Stillmatic" received 5 mics from "The Source" magazine–a distinction set aside only for classic hip-hop albums. This made Nas one of only a few artists to have two 5 mic albums. It was also on the 2005 list of Rolling Stone's top 100 albums and ranked 20th on Chris Rock's Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all time. [ [http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tha_flu/chris_rocks_top_25_hip_hop_albums Chris Rock's Top 25] ]

Feuds

"Stillmatic" was one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop albums of the year, primarily due to the fallout from Nas's heated battle with rival Jay-Z. Jay-Z had previously dissed Nas in his single "Takeover", taken from his September 2001 release, "The Blueprint". On "Stillmatic", Nas retaliated with the anticipated song, "Ether", a response to "Takeover" which insinuated that Jay-Z had stolen lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G. several times, that he had sold out, and that he was a misogynist, among other things. Several hip-hop aficionados believe Nas won the feud based on this track, which many felt was much more vicious and ruthless than "Takeover", although this is still a subject of debate within hip-hop circles. Jay-Z would respond with the radio freestyle "Supa Ugly", which was not as well received as "Takeover" or "Ether". Cormega, Nature and Prodigy were also dissed on "Destroy & Rebuild".

Music

ingles

The first single from "Stillmatic" was "Rule" featuring Amerie. It was not heavily promoted but still managed to reach #27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It did not receive a video and was not put to compact disc, so many are unaware that it was a single, and believe "Got Ur Self A..." was the first single from "Stillmatic". "Got Ur Self A...", the second single contained a sample from the theme song on the HBO drama "The Sopranos". The third single was "One Mic", which received acclaim for its content and video.

Reception

While widely-acclaimed in the hip-hop media, "Stillmatic" received more mediocre reviews from broader music review outlets such as "Rolling Stone", "Vibe", and Allmusic. The album was certified platinum, though it failed to return Nas to the commercial peak he had reached in the mid and late '90s with "It Was Written" and "I Am...".

Track listing

References