The things Nas' Illmatic was saying were sometimes hard realities but it was done on such a high level, I felt I could point to him as a representative. Someone who put my struggle and my worldview into poetry.

Hip hop has evolved, thankfully. Kids are making music that is important to their lives and outlooks.

The things Nas' Illmatic was saying were sometimes hard realities but it was done on such a high level, I felt I could point to him as a representative. Someone who put my struggle and my worldview into poetry.

There are songs and artists now who are trying to do the same thing: be honest to their experiences.

We need to do stuff we've always done, even though you might not like it.

Every piece of music is not for everybody.

Nas' Illmatic blew my mind when I first heard it. The poetry was done on such a high level that in a way, it validated our existence, our culture. He used the language of the street at the time and made it art. Art tends to be validating.