Originally posted by Chris Ryan via Rolling Stone Magazine

A portrait of an artist as a hood, loner, tortured soul, juvenile delinquent, and fledgling social critic, it still stands as one of rap's crowning achievements.

Originally posted by Brett Berliner via Stylus Magazine

...one of the first hip-hop albums to straddle the critical and commercial divide successfully ... It’s a seriously good album with a bit of filler, worth of almost all of the praise Illmatic got. This is Nas’ second classic, and should be considered one of the best albums of all time.

Originally posted by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds via The Village Voice

Stillmatic isn't merely a reunion or rehash of Illmatic themes. The Nas on this record has grown, with the emotional expansion such maturation suggests. For one, he has never before drawn upon his anger, with a burning focus and controlled intensity that underscores nearly every song.

Originally posted by Sam Chennault via Pitchfork

In many ways, God's Son is lyrically superior to Illmatic ... Nas has created an album that is at once mournful and resilient, street-savvy and academic. As an MC, he's technically stunning ... This is the kind of album I'd have hoped that Biggie, Pac or Big L would've written had they survived.

Originally posted by Robert Christgau via The Village Voice

...double-CD sprawl is ambitious not hubristic, imposing not indigestible--squeezes onto a C-90 ... [He] finally seems comfortable with his ... humanity. He's responsible, thoughtful, and compassionate.

Originally posted by Jason Rubin via The A.V. Club

Hip Hop is unsparing in its diagnosis of rap's ills, but ultimately, it's hopeful. It contains a smart, tight, cohesive analysis of where rap went astray, but also the seeds of the genre's rebirth and renewal.

Originally posted by Andy Gill via The Independent

...probably the most politically oriented rap album since the days of Public Enemy and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy".

Originally posted by Jayson Greene via Pitchfork

...what if Nas stopped fretting about blowing people's minds or disappointing them and just, you know, made a record? It's the kind of question Nas devotees have spent years pondering, and Life Is Good, his 10th studio album and strongest in three or four presidential administrations, is basically the answer.