ill "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
Midnight Marauders is quite possibly my favorite of the first three atc albums so this is actually a close one for me. That said, I still think Illmatic has a slight edge here. It's just not as obvious as you guys are suggesting imo. my new theme song
erikboyd60@hotmail.com
"True poetry can communicate before it is understood"
I've heard plenty of albums where every song is dope all the way through besides Illmatic. That's pretty much what makes an album classic (when a lot of people can listen to it all the way through and it inspires them). And tbh, the only thing that saves the song "Life's a Bitch" in my eyes is AZ's verse. Because honestly, that is a pretty mediocre beat imo. AZ's verse is just so absurdly good that the song becomes good too. I can listen to both of these albums all the way through actually, as well as SRITE, 36 Chambers, Liquid Swords, Infamous, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, 6 Feet Deep, etc. I'm just saying that, if Illmatic has a lead at all here (which, imo, it does), it's not as clear cut as you guys are making it out to be. It has a lot of close competition and, imo, there are a few albums that are actually superior to it. MM is not one of them though. Not quite at least. my new theme song
erikboyd60@hotmail.com
"True poetry can communicate before it is understood"
I can listen to both of these albums all the way through actually, as well as SRITE, 36 Chambers, Liquid Swords, Infamous, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, 6 Feet Deep, etc. I'm just saying that, if Illmatic has a lead at all here (which, imo, it does), it's not as clear cut as you guys are making it out to be. It has a lot of close competition and, imo, there are a few albums that are actually superior to it.
The only albums that i think can compare to illmatic are Moment of Truth, Me Against The World, and The 18th Letter [deleted]
VS 
...Do I hear a....Dark Fantasy calling me?? Lol jk.