Illmatic, plus the next several months in 33 1/3s

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Popmatters has put up a wonderfully thoughtful 2 page piece on Matthew Gasteier’s 33 1/3 on Nas’ Illmatic:

Illmatic is more than an individual emcee making an individual album. It’s a paradigm shift occurring at a precise musical moment. It’s an event. Gasteier captures this feeling quite well in his treatment of the album, helping to explain why Nas’ little ten-track album lyrically and musically elevated the rap game. This isn’t just a bunch of essays about why some guy thinks some album is dope, it’s an attempt to encapsulate that album’s importance to hip-hop, and ultimately to music as a whole.

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Also, some of you have been asking which 33 1/3s are on the visible horizon, so here is a quick snapshot of manuscripts that we actually have in hand and well on their way to physical existence.

In the next two weeks: Madness’ One Step Beyond by Terry Edwards
Late September: The much-anticipated Brian Eno’s Another Green World by Geeta Dayal
October: Flaming Lips’ Zaireeka by Mark Richardson
October: Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole’s Facing Future by Dan Kois

There are a couple more that are just on the bubble, but we will avoid any undue jinxes and wait to announce those until manuscripts have been turned in.

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