In 1994, I was an intern at The Source magazine. My life as a writer, as an editor, as a blogger, as a cog in a wheel, as a contributor to a culture, as a woman with an opinion...all started there and then. And being assigned to review Nas’ debut album Illmatic and give it 5 Mics was one of my proudest moments. As Nas celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album that launched him to stardom, I realize how much I still love it. Illmatic represents the best that hip-hop can be, alongside one of the best judgments I ever had the honor to make, and all the special memories of a wide-eyed, un-jaded time in New York City life. I revisited my first review of Nas’ Illmatic over on MissInfo.TV, and compiled some of my favorite Illmatic moments here.

Written by Minya Oh, aka Miss Info, fka Shortie (@Missinfo)

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