Wordle of my iTunes library

Illmatic

When I decided to start this blog, I was listening to "Illmatic" for the first time. I had it in my head that I would write about my experience as a new listener of the Nasty Nas. I figured it would take me about a week to come up with something to say. Two months and at least 10 listenings later, I still feel that, at best, my inchoate graspings might convey a feeling but not an opinion. But seeing as how waiting two months to post to a new blog pretty much dissolves any credibility I might have, I figured I'd spill something out anyway.

Let me start by saying that I did not expect to like this album. Despite all the cries of "classic" and "life-changing", or maybe because of them, I was thinking I had on my hands a Citizen Kane: something to appreciate as an innovation, but not something I'm going to come back to on a rainy saturday. I was so wrong.

First there's the Genesis, which impresses me immediately by taking a scene from "Wild Style" that I had more or less dismissed as awkward and putting it into a context where it means so much more-- where it becomes a genuine expression of the human need for art. You can already tell in the first minute of the album that Nas, echoed by Lee Quinones, satisfies a primal need within himself with what we are about to hear.

And then he hits you with "NY State of Mind". Nas is possessed, and this track is driven and yet so effortless at the same time. I don't know anything about Nas' process, but I imagine a story that he struggled for months to get it right-- never quite getting there, almost giving up-- and then one morning he woke up, told them to roll the tape, and knocked that motherfucker out.
Maybe it's this quality that makes listening to the album an almost exhausting experience. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't take any effort to stick with it, "Life's a Bitch" and "Memory Lane" are perfect conduits of introspection. It isn't until the end, as the Michael Jackson sample on "It Ain't Hard to Tell" fades out, that you realize you're fatigued. You had put the album on for the long drive home, thinking you'd pause to make a phone call or buy a soda but instead your drove straight through, listening-- and then it's over and you're almost home, and none of the other discs you have will do, so you finish the ride in silence.

How I got here.

There’s a set of social standards in the music blog world, did you notice? A holier-than-thou of who’s real. Who’s a serious fan. Who knows the difference between really good rap and Lil Wayne (Weezy used to be untouchable, but everyone can admit that he sucks since “Lollipop” came out, huh.) I think it would be dangerous to try to raise myself to that kind of standard so I’m going to be honest from the beginning. I’ve only been listening to Hip Hop for a couple of years. I’m twenty six and I didn’t really start listening up until after college. I don’t have fond memories for the Golden Age (either one) because I wasn’t there. I do have some fond memories, though, and I think they’re worth sharing. Today I’m going to share with you the moments of my life and the albums that brought me to Hip Hop. It isn’t going to be glamorous, but it is going to be my actual story.

1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
I was a high school freshman when I got this disc. Pretty much all I knew was that I liked Sister Act 2 and that she seemed popular with the Grammy crowd. At first I skipped around listening mostly to the R&B tracks, “Ex-Factor” and “To Zion” especially. Music worthy of anyone’s time, but it wasn’t until a little later on that I stopped skipping track 2 and eased into rap with “Lost Ones.” (I also have to credit this album with launching my love of Neo Soul, but that’s the story for another day.)


2. Quality Control – Jurassic 5
My next run in didn’t come until college. I was dazed in the back seat of my friend’s old caddy--white with red interior and the kind that feels like your driving over waves. He put on Jurassic 5 and the horn sample in “Jurass Finish First” made my head snap up. It was one of those moments where you feel what you think you know changing. I had never heard non-radio rap before, you understand, and once I heard this shit I had to know more. Weirdly, especially with a group as connected to the old school as J5, I didn’t pursue anything except more of their tracks at the time. It would take somebody larger than life to really get my attention.

3. The College Dropout – Kanye West
Kanye made me fall in love. Say anything you want about the man but he was exactly what I needed him to be and at just the right time. My bitterness over an ineffective college degree and a dead-end job needed a voice. I listened to “Spaceship” ever day on the way to my crappy retail job, I think. It was the first time I ever thought hip hop might have something to say to me instead of just at me. “School Spirit Skit 1” embodied my humiliation. Oh, and “Jesus Walks” was pretty hot, too. I mean, come on, wasn’t it?

4. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
If Kanye brought me in, ATCQ sealed the deal. A friend gave me a copy of this one unsolicited and I didn’t actually think I was going to care. Of course, I immediately realized I was an idiot. I heard “Scenario” and I never looked back. A ton of CDs, online tracks, and movies (“Wild Style”!) later, I’m hooked.

How do they do it?

I've been reading hip hop blogs for awhile now, and I've been wanting to get into it myself, but I'm a little tripped up about it. Most of what I learn about hip hop music I get from the blogs. How can I contribute with something new and different? If someone ever actually reads this, let me know.

In the meantime, I'll make this a personal thing. Use my powers of observation. And maybe let you know which tracks are blowing out the bass in my car this week.