In 2011, Elzhi fearlessly took on the biggest challenge of his career: remaking Nas’ GOATed debut album Illmatic in his own name. He enlisted four-piece band Will Sessions to put a live, vibrant spin to sounds originally crafted by producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Large Professor, and demonstrated lyrical wisdom about when to maintain the original spirit of a song and when to switch things up.

He conjures images of the blocks he grew up on with “Detroit State of Mind,” recounts a romance with a woman who had a traumatic childhood on “One Love,” and uses “Memory Lane” to take a nostalgic cruise through childhood connections before the pain from such reflections is too much to bear. The technical proficiency was potent as always, but emotiveness made Elmatic blossom: the wistfulness of his mother’s flowing hair before chemotherapy took it from her, falling in love with a woman he met in the mall, the palpable pride in the peaks and valleys of his city. It was a detailed, refined version of the introspection displayed on Out of Focus. Elmatic proved that Elzhi didn’t just have prodigious talent — he had a city to represent, and he had a story to tell. — William E. Ketchum III

Previously exclusive to VMP, this special edition reissue is now available through our web store. Offered for the first time as a single disc LP, it includes the bonus track remix of “Detroit State of Mind.” The album comes housed in a classic tip-on style jacket, featuring an overhauled layout by Jelle Smid that’s accompanied with a foreword written by renowned music journalist William E. Ketchum III. Vinyl is pressed in a radiant Gold Nugget color configuration.

Tracklist:

Side A:

A1. The Genesis

A2. Detroit State of Mind

A3. Halftime

A4. Memory Lane

A5. The World Is Yours

Side B:

B1. Represent

B2. Life’s a Bitch (feat. Royce Da 5’9”, Stokley Williams)

B3. One Love

B4. It Ain’t Hard To Tell

B5. Detroit State of Mind (Remix)