The man behind one of the top 5 greatest hip-hop albums of all-time turned 40 today. I really can't believe, I've been listening to his music for almost 20 years. It really seems like it was yesterday I was ripping off the cellophane off the Illmatic cassette tape I just purchased from Tower Records (Google that, youngsters), eagerly popping it in my Sony Walkman (you might need to Google that as well), and just visualizing the street soliloquies Nasty Nas spoke in my mind.
Nas was one of the first rappers, for me at least, to really emphasize using imagery in his rhyme scheme. While many rappers could tell a story, Nas could literally paint a picture with his words. It was like each song was a different scene from a movie he was scripting for Martin Scorsese to direct.
To this day, Nas is still a top tier rhyme-spitter. He has seen many come and go, and he still stands firmly atop of the pantheon of hip-hop greats. To salute this legend on his born day, I have enclosed one all-time favorite Nas songs. You're welcome.
