Download Elmatic
Almost 20 years later, Nas’ Illmatic only gains more critical acclaim, and rap artists love to tribute it. Though this isn’t the first time a rapper has laid new lyrics to every beat from this seminal LP, the prospect of hearing Slum Village’s Elzhi give it a go is exciting.

Though this mixtape doesn’t live up to the original, it doesn’t try to. Instead, Elzhi uses the beats from Illmatic as his platform to convey a lot of the same feelings Nas was when Illmatic dropped.

Thanks to Will Sessions, Elmatic is loaded with beefier versions of Pete Rock’s archetype. Pete even makes an appearance.