Doris>Illmatic

[Certain]

Originally Posted by Diode

ny state of mind is the best song on that album.

//biased given where i spent the first 28 years of my life

That's my morning alarm, the part with "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death." I'm also from New York City (Queens, even), but the lyricism level on "It Ain't Hard to Tell" is just insane. "The World is Yours" probably has the best hook and beat on the album. I'd probably rank the songs:

1. "It Ain't Hard to Tell"
2. "The World is Yours"
3. "Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park)"
4. "New York State of Mind"
5. "Represent"
6. "Life's a Bitch"
7. "Halftime"
8. "One Love"
9. "One Time 4 Your Mind"

So yeah, the worst track on Illmatic was Nas in his prime rapping over a Large Professor beat, including these lines:

Go get your crew, Hobbes, I'm prepared to bomb troops
Y'all niggas was born, I shot my way out my mom dukes
When I was ten, I was a hip-hoppin' shorty wop
Known for rocking microphones and twisting off a 40 top

Yeah, Illmatic is the best end-to-end album ever in any genre.