Its influence on subsequent hip-hop artists has been attributed to the album's production and Nas' lyricism, and contributed to the revival of the New York City rap scene, introducing a number of stylistic trends to the region.

Among those producers was DJ Premier,[14] recognized at the time for his raw and aggressive jazz sample-based production and heavy scratching, and for his work with rapper Guru as a part of hip-hop duo Gang Starr.

[15][16] After his production on Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth's Funky Technician (1990) and Jeru the Damaja's The Sun Rises in the East (1994), Premier began recording exclusively at D&D Studios in New York City, before working with Nas on Illmatic.

It's somewhere between The Basketball Diaries and Native Son ..."[24] The narratives featured in Illmatic originate from Nas' own experiences as an adolescent growing up in the Queensbridge housing projects located in the Long Island City-section of Queens.

[28] Jeff Weiss describes the "enduring image" often associated with Nas' narrated stream of consciousness: "[A] baby-faced Buddha monk in public housing, scribbling lotto dreams and grim reaper nightmares in dollar notebooks, words enjambed in the margins.

[29] In his songs, Nas often depicts the corners and boulevards of Queensbridge, while mentioning the names of streets, friends, local crews and drug dealers, and utilizing vernacular slang indigenous to his hometown.

He writes, "[S]ome of the most memorably dark, depressive but flowing lyrics in hip-hop history were written by Nas, Biggie, and members of the Wu-Tang Clan on the death knell of the crack trade.

"[35] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post described Nas' coming-of-age experience as "balancing limitations and possibilities, distinguishing hurdles and springboards, and acknowledging his own growth from roughneck adolescent to a maturing adult who can respect and criticize the culture of violence that surrounds him.

Musicologist and pianist Guthrie Ramsay Jr. describes Illmatic as "an artistic emblem" that "anchors itself in the moment while reminding us that powerful musical statements often select past material and knowledge for use in the present and hope for the future.

Author Adam Mansbach argues, "It's the presence of all these benevolent elders –his father and the cadre of big brother producers steering the album – that empowers Nas to rest comfortably in his identity as an artist and an inheritor of tradition, and thus find the space to innovate.

"[44] The opening skit, 'The Genesis,' contains an audio sample of the 1983 film, Wild Style, which showcased the work of early hip- hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash, Fab Five Freddy, and the Rock Steady Crew.

The sonic vignette comments on the collective memory of the hip hop community and its real, remembered, and even imagined beginning, as well as the pitfalls of assimilation, the importance of history, and the passing of hip-hop's 'age of innocence'.

Building on the pioneering work of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim, tracks like 'Halftime' and the laid back 'One Time 4 Your Mind' demonstrated a [high] level of technical precision and rhetorical dexterity.

[50] Charles Aaron of Spin wrote of the producers' contributions, "nudging him toward Rakim-like-rumination, they offer subdued, slightly downcast beats, which in hip hop today means jazz, primarily of the '70s keyboard-vibe variety".

[51] Q magazine noted that "the musical backdrops are razor sharp; hard beats but with melodic hooks and loops, atmospheric background piano, strings or muted trumpet, and samples ... A potent treat.

"[24] Similarly, journalist Ben Yew comments on the album's nostalgic sounds, "The production, accentuated by infectious organ loop[s], vocal sample[s], and synthesizer-like pads in the background, places your mind in a cheerful, reminiscent, mood.

The train is shorthand for New York; the barely discernible rap is, in fact, his "Live at the Barbeque" verse; and the dialogue comes from Wild Style, one of the earliest movies to focus on hip hop culture.

[23] The nostalgic "Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)" contains a sample of Reuben Wilson's "We're in Love", which comprises the sound of a Hammond organ, guitar, vocals and percussion,[62] and adds to the track's ghostly harmonies.

[61] With a similar vibe as "N.Y. State of Mind", the rhythmic "Represent" has a serious tone, exemplified by Nas' opening lines, "Straight up shit is real and any day could be your last in the jungle/get murdered on the humble, guns will blast and niggas tumble".

[67] Nas discusses his lifestyle in an environment where he "loves committin' sins" and "life ain't shit but stress",[21] while describing himself as "The brutalizer, crew de-sizer, accelerator/The type of nigga who be pissin' in your elevator".

[48] Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly credited Nas for giving his neighborhood "proper respect" while establishing himself, and said that the clever lyrics and harsh beats "draw listeners into the borough's lifestyle with poetic efficiency.

[11] USA Today's James T. Jones IV cited his lyrics as "the most urgent poetry since Public Enemy" and commended Nas for honestly depicting dismal ghetto life without resorting to the sensationalism and misogyny of contemporary gangsta rappers.

[93] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post praised Nas for "balancing limitations and possibilities, distinguishing hurdles and springboards, and acknowledging his own growth from roughneck adolescent to a maturing adult who can respect and criticize the culture of violence that surrounds him".

Heidi Siegmund of the Los Angeles Times found most of Illmatic hampered by "tired attitudes and posturing", and interpreted its acclaim from East Coast critics as "an obvious attempt to wrestle hip-hop away from the West".

[51] In his initial review for Playboy, Robert Christgau called it "New York's typically spare and loquacious entry in the post-gangsta sweepstakes" and recommended it to listeners who "crave full-bore authenticity without brutal posturing".

[2][111][112] Chris Ryan, writing in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called Illmatic "a portrait of an artist as a hood, loner, tortured soul, juvenile delinquent, and fledgling social critic," and wrote that it "still stands as one of rap's crowning achievements".

[113] In a retrospective review for MSN Music, Christgau said the record was "better than I thought at the time for sure—as happens with aesthetes sometimes, the purists heard subtleties principled vulgarians like me were disinclined to enjoy", although he still found it inferior to The Notorious B.I.G.

But in spirit, Illmatic can just as easily be compared to Ready to Die, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, and Enter the Wu-Tang as it can to Rites of Spring, A Hard Day's Night, Innervisions, and Never Mind the Bollocks.

[29] Musicians who have acknowledged Illmatic's influence upon them include conscious rappers Talib Kweli[152] and Lupe Fiasco,[153] the producers Just Blaze[154] and 9th Wonder,[155] and platinum-selling artists Wiz Khalifa,[156] Alicia Keys[157] and The Game.

[159][160] Illmatic has also received attention from scholars: one prominent example is the 2009 book Born to Use Mics, edited by Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai, a compilation of reflections on the album by various academic and artistic professionals.