Illmatic was across-the-board acclaimed and didn't receive many awards, chart hits and has sold less than two million albums in the States and has gone on to be one of the most important albums in music. 2014 is nowhere near that, but it doesn't need accolades or awards to prove its quality or for people to like it.
That's like saying F.A.M.E. is a masterpiece because it got all of those awards (after obvious industry propaganda).
