RHH: If Illmatic dropped in the present day, would it have the same effect?

Hip hop would be completely different though. Firstly, you would just be lacking what Illmatic brought to hip hop lyrically. Then you've gotta consider that Nas never would have gotten as big as he did without Illmatic. All those guest features on IWW would have never happened, and he probably would have never gotten big. Lawd knows I Am and Nastradamus wouldn't have done much. His career would have ended really quickly. To take Illmatic out of the equation is also taking away the influence it had and the effects it had on Nas' career.

But if we're being serious here, the answer is no. Production like that would be considered boring for the most part compared to what's out now. Lyrically it still holds up, but some of the slang is outdated AF. The album is talking about an entirely different time period, and I think a lot of people would view it as being a really tryhard attempt at a throwback. It wouldn't be a classic in the slightest, although I'm sure if the right people found it they would take to it the same way people took to Joey Bada$$ (although Joey is definitely putting an old style in a modern context; Illmatic in this era would be an old style in it's original context and therefore wouldn't have the same effect).

"Say all other music was the same"

Would be impossible considering the influence that Illmatic had on a lot of emcees' music, I mean there might not even be guys like AZ, Cormega, Mobb Deep, or even Jay-Z if Nas and Illmatic hadn't come around. To answer the question, I don't think it would have the same effect if it dropped today, Nas always said himself that he was 'blessed to grow up in the era that he did', and I sorta agree.

Great question. I definetely don't think it would have received the praise it did 20 years ago as time changes the present time is more about appeal and profit so first of all it wouldn't have got the exposure it did compared to back in 94 plus more and more people everyday admire this ****** bull **** nowadays with its tinkerbell beats. Basically My point is less people would appreciate it and the fact that it dropped in the golden era of hiphop gives it that Classic,Great,pionerring and iconic title and consideration so no it wouldn't have the same effect.

Only if it was mainstream....Not really

But due to the way the music business is today...NOPE!