The best and brightest writers of the hip-hop generation reflect upon the era's landmark album: Nas's Illmatic . From the moment then nineteen-year-old Nasir "Nas" Jones began recording tracks for his debut album the hip-hop world was forever changed. Released in 1994, Illmatic , was hailed as a masterpiece and is one of the most influentialalbums in hip-hop history. In Born to Use Mics , Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have brought together the brightest minds to reflect upon and engage one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down on wax. Contributors include:

Adilifu Nama * Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. * James Peterson * Marc Lamont Hill * Michael Eric Dyson * Mark Anthony Neal * Kyra Gaunt * Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. * Imani Perry * and more