Tracks 8 and 9 may not have met the critical acclaim of other tracks on Illmatic, and they may not be at the top of very many lists when ranking the album’s top or most stand-out tracks. What both One Time 4 Your Mind and Represent are, however, are undeniably solidly put together offerings that help solidify the album as the classic it is almost unanimously held to be in the world of Hip-Hop. It doesn’t hurt that they’re followed up by the last offering on the track listing, the aforementioned (in Pt.1), and widely held classic, It Ain’t Hard To Tell. 
In my opinion, though it may be contrary to popular sentiment, One Time 4 Your Mind is a track that actually features several stand-out elements. For one, it alters the tempo that remains somewhat consistent throughout most of the album. From N.Y. State of Mind through One Love, as a listener you’re more likely to find yourself bobbing your head along with the beats and bass patterns that are all laid at what I’d consider high to mid-tempos.
On One Time, Large Professor lays a low and slower bass-based breakbeat, sampling the 1969 track Walter L by Jimmy Gordon & His Jazznpops Band. Once again, a Jazz and Hip-Hop synergy provide the underlay. Large Pro also utilized elements of a previously unreleased song by Nas titled, Nas Will Prevail; a track that reportedly was a demo for, or the original version of It Ain’t Hard to Tell. In listening to tracks 2 through 7, and even during parts of track 1, you’re likely to find yourself bobbing your head along with the beats at similar tempos. With One Time 4 Your Mind, you may find yourself more so rocking, physically, along with the beat. The physical part I mean literally; once the beat hits you, it really hits you. The physical rocking part might go on for a while before it even occurs to you that it’s happening.
Another way in which One Time stands out from the other tracks on Illmatic is Nas’s slowed-down lyrical delivery. His slowing down of his pace of delivery and utilization of less complex rhyme patterns to match the slow rolling pace of Large Professor’s beat makes this the song on the album most easy to quote or rap along with from beginning to end. It also makes Nas’s quotables, which are too numerous on this track to entirely lay out here, even more memorable. With the lyrics easier to digest for the listener, each word, phrase, and punchline are more pronounced and easier to follow, unlike most tracks on the album that require several listens or playbacks to follow all the words and grasp all their meanings.
Nas’s content topics are also simpler on One Time. He’s basically taking you through a typical day in his life in the first verse. There aren’t many highbrow historical or cultural references, or deeply philosophical statements here to analyze or think about in depth. In the typical, largely braggadocios manner in which a rapper would, Nas is simply narrating you through his daily activities and interactions with friends and associates around Queensbridge.
Verse 2 is Nas speaking directly to the listener about himself; somewhat of a self-introduction, followed by a bit of his coming-of-age and background, accompanied by a proclamation of his greatness in writing and rapping. The topics and concepts are much more typical on One Time than on other Illmatic tracks, but Nas is clever and witty in these lyrics in a way that allows his unique talents and abilities to still be evident.
One way in which One Time is like several other tracks on the album is that it features an infectious hook. It’s a direct and fairly simple hook, but after hearing it a few times, “One time for your mind, one time” can get stuck in your head on a loop. The aftereffects of the beat and hook may even be what bring you back to the track and endear you; that’s what happened for me. I didn’t realize how much I liked the song until I realized I couldn’t get the beat and hook out of my head.
One Time doesn’t sound like it fades out after the song’s finished. It actually fades with Grand Wizard (later a member of Nas’s spin-off group, Bravehearts) asking Nas to kick another verse. Instead, what you get is a fade-out into track 9, Represent. 
Represent picks the tempo of Illmatic back up from the slow-down brought in by One Time 4 Your Mind. It’s DJ Premier again on the beat, which comes in directly, assertively, and hard. It’s another boom-bap headbanger, very reminiscent of N.Y. State of Mind. They’ve had quite a few great ones together in their remarkable careers, and many would consider Represent to be one of Nas and Premier’s banner tracks.
There are no signature DJ Premiere scratches here, but much like on N.Y. State of Mind, Premier sits in a pocket of pure dope-ness in a way in which only he can with his unique ability to loop a sample and perfectly place and time drum patterns. Who knows how DJ Premier became familiar with Lee Erwin’s Thief of Baghdad, but he was somehow and realized that a portion of it was perfect for a great Hip-Hop beat.
Soon after the beat for Represent grabs your ear, in comes another infectious hook to pull you in even further. Much like on One Time 4 Your Mind, the hook is simple and straightforward, but the chant-like refrain of “represent, represent” will stick in your head on repeat for long after listening. It’s another classic, and a reprieve from the approach taken on N.Y. State of Mind, where the hook is practically non-verbal (sans a Nas voice sample) and relies heavily on Premier’s craftsmanship.
Lyrically, Nas, just like the beat, comes in directly, aggressively, and hard. Keeping with that similar vibe from N.Y. State of Mind, this is Nas again bringing lyrics full of street poetics about himself, his lyrical prowess, and the happenings amongst himself and those around him in Queensbridge. Represent is a signature Nas delivery. It’s another track on Illmatic, like many before it on the listing that say to the listener, as well as warn the competition, I have arrived, and my pen and style are potent. 
Song 10, and the final track on Illmatic is the aforementioned (also see Pt. 1) It Ain’t Hard To Tell, another classic. One would be hard-pressed to find a better way to end a debut album that was expected to be great. Illmatic ends with the track that launched its album release; another touch of artistic brilliance, intentional or not.
Large Professor can be credited with establishing Nas’s signature sound, and on this track, you hear why he was entrusted by Nas to do so. You also, via Nas’s talent, hear why Large Pro was inclined to take on that task and accept that responsibility. The duo had dropped nothing but science since Nas’s debut verse on Live at the Barbeque, and It Ain’t Hard To Tell was more of the same. With its superior production featuring the Michael Jackson Human Nature sample and Nas delivering on an other-worldly level, it’s no wonder this was the track chosen to have such prominence in marketing the album.
It’s well known and well documented that Illmatic was not the commercial success that most might feel it should’ve been at the time of its release in 1994. It was a critical success, however, and it was definitely viewed as a success in many Hip-Hop circles; especially on the upper east coast. Illmatic was a product of a legacy of great art in Hip-Hop, and it also left a legacy that spawned a lot of great art and a number of great artists.
Right out of the gate, Illmatic received rave reviews from most music critics, who lauded its production, Nas’s exceptional lyricism, and its vivid portrayal of life in Queensbridge. It was awarded the coveted “5 Mic” rating by The Source magazine, a rating rarely given to an album then. 5 mics from The Source was a solidifier in the culture at the time. For a relatively significant portion of time, it was one of, if not the highest form of recognition a Rap album could receive.
It took until 1996, almost two years from its 1994 release, for Illmatic to become certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It took until 2001 for it sell a million copies and go Platinum. It’s since gone double platinum, but Illmatic is clearly an album that can’t be measured by album sales.
The album is credited with significantly influencing subsequent Hip-Hop artists and playing a significant role in reviving the New York City Rap scene. Its production style, characterized by a blend of soul jazz samples and raw beats delivered by some of Hip-Hop’s most prominent producers, became highly influential. Nas’s complex rhyme schemes and storytelling also set a new standard for lyrical sophistication.
Many publications and critics have declared Illmatic as one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums ever made. Billboard in 2015 stated that it is “widely seen as the best hip-hop album ever.” In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Illmatic at number 44 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” In 2021, Illmatic was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry, recognizing its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
The list of accolades and accomplishments achieved by Illmatic are numerous, and likely still coming. It elevated the stature of all involved with the project, even those who were already prominent, and it thrusted Nas into a stratosphere rarely occupied by an artist in Rap. Without it, it’s tough to say Nas’s legacy would rest in the pantheon of all-time greats, as it does now. The album continues to be celebrated as one of the most important and influential albums in the history of Hip-Hop.
In sum, as stated from the outset, Illmatic is not just an all-time great collection of music, Illmatic is nothing less than a historically great work of art.
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