User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Stillmatic
by
Stillmatic Image
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 192 Ratings

  • Summary: The New York rapper's fifth album attempts to return to the sound of his similar-titled 1994 hit debut, 'Illmatic.' Here, DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Swizz Beatz provide the beats.

Top Track

Ether
[gunshots] [Nas talking] ("Fuck Jay-Z") What's up niggas, ay yo, I know you ain't talkin 'bout me dog You, what? ("Fuck Jay-Z") You been on my dick... See the rest of the song lyrics
See Full Track List »
Powered by

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Stylus Magazine
    91
    Stillmatic features the best rhymes from Nas since his debut, Illmatic, and possibly the best rhymes of the year, rivaled maybe only by Ghostface Killah’s Bulletproof Wallets. Nas rhymes wonderfully on every song, dropping knowledge like.
  2. RapReviews.com
    90
    While no album may ever top his debut's brilliance, this one comes close enough to make even his most passionate haters happy to hear the raw essence of hip-hop revealed in all it's true glory.
  3. Dot Music
    80
    'Stillmatic', as ever, is far from flawless but, at its best, it addresses the hip-hop landscape of 2002 as lucidly as 'Illmatic' did that of '94.
  4. CDNow
    70
    There are moments on Stillmatic where the old fire is rekindled, the power of his emceeing reborn.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    The good news is that lyrically, Nas is pretty much back on form.
  6. AllMusic
    60
    Stillmatic is all the proof anyone needs that Nas isn't as special as he was five years before the album's release.
  7. Uncut
    50
    His music often lags behind in inspiration. [Mar 2002, p.106]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 12 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 56
  3. Negative: 6 out of 56
  1. sosa
    Nov 27, 2010
    10
    This album brought Nas back to the forefront in Hip-Hop. Aside from maybe one track, this entire album brings that intensity that only Nas can bring.
  2. always_melo
    Nov 17, 2017
    10
    CLASSIC, the only word to describe this masterpiece. Nas showed he still had it and always will. Ether will go down as one of the greatestCLASSIC, the only word to describe this masterpiece. Nas showed he still had it and always will. Ether will go down as one of the greatest most vicious diss record of all time.… Expand
  4. BryanO
    Jun 12, 2005
    10
    People now a days don't know good rap if it bit them on the ass. Nas is a real rapper his lyrics are better than all the crap lyrics now People now a days don't know good rap if it bit them on the ass. Nas is a real rapper his lyrics are better than all the crap lyrics now in the present. It is sad how rap has evolved into a buisness were any shity piece of shit rapper can start talking about cars and turn millionare over night it is disgusting, just terrible, rap is on life support its no longer about who can actually rap with good lyrics. Now a good beat and flows that are terrible with no meanings are considered good. Ignorance made T.I. and Paul waul a rapper, it's sad. Nas is the best but these fools can't see because their fucking stupid idiots. "HIGHSCHOOL dropOUTS".… Expand
  5. Steven2
    Mar 3, 2013
    9
    Nas is much like Ice Cube in a sense. They had made fantastic albums from the start, but then they had dropped their talents, and came back inNas is much like Ice Cube in a sense. They had made fantastic albums from the start, but then they had dropped their talents, and came back in a huge way. At first Nas was just a rapper trying to prove that he could be just as good as the legend. He did. Nas' debut album Illmatic is not only one of the greatest hip hop albums of the 90s, but it is also one of the greatest hip hop albums. It was not only acclaimed by fans, but it was also acclaimed by critics as well. Then Nas, like many other acclaimed rappers, had to prove that he could keep his skill. Fortunately he did, with his fantastic sophmore album, It Was Written. Unfortunately, the album was seen as a sophmore slump by both critics and the hip hop community. Later, it would be seen as a classic. In 1999, Nas dropped the album I Am... It was a mediocre album that had a few great songs, but it wasn't the album that Nas should have dropped. It was originally supposed to be a double album, called I Am... The Autobiography. This is what the album should have been, but we were left with an average album. Then Nas was going to put out an album that was supposed to be a compilation album of songs from the original I Am... sessions. But Nas for some reason had decided to scrap this idea (fortunately he had released these songs in the classic compilation The Lost Tapes), and record entirely new songs. It was a big mistake, as the album was panned upon release. Nas had went from "top ten to not mentioned at all" and he was in trouble. Not only was his rival Jay Z getting critical and commercial praise on his album The Blueprint, but his personal life was falling apart. Amidst the chaos, Nas had recorded an album that would widely be known as a comeback. He dropped the instant classic, Stillmatic. It is not a sequel to his original masterpiece, but it is a very similar album in tone. Not only had Nas created an album that was as good as his original classic, but he had created an album that brought him back on top once again.… Expand
  6. fuhgeddaboud
    Aug 14, 2020
    9
    Hands down one of Nas best albums How it got a 69 rating on metacritic Absurd
  7. jellydonutheadman
    Jun 25, 2004
    8
    a great album.
  8. belzebu
    Nov 20, 2022
    0
    How can this **** be rated more than 0? it's disgusting and cringy. Even in 2001, Nas wasn't even close to J-Z

See all 56 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Most Discussed Album of 2001
24
#24 Most Shared Album of 2001

Current Music Releases

Full List »
99 Band on the Run [50th Anniversary Edition] - Paul McCartney & Wings
95 The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow - Charles Lloyd
92 This Could Be Texas - English Teacher
92 COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé
91 The Carnegie Hall Concert - Alice Coltrane
90 1989 (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
90 Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
89 I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy
89 Black Bayou - Robert Finley
89 Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
89 Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend
88 Ozarker - Israel Nash
88 What Now - Brittany Howard
88 Hey Panda - The High Llamas
88 Orquídeas - Kali Uchis
88 The Past Is Still Alive - Hurray for the Riff Raff
87 Filthy Underneath - Nadine Shah
87 i/o - Peter Gabriel
87 Lahai - Sampha
87 Blue Lips - ScHoolboy Q
All Current Music »