MOG Editorial Review

In the hands of anyone else, it'd be hearsay to tackle one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time, but Elzhi somehow manages to pay tribute to Nas's Illmatic on the inspired Elmatic. Pairing up with fellow Detroit native Will Sessions, Elzhi takes some of the same jazzy touches that made Slum Village so great and used them to transform gritty tracks like "NY State of Mind" into the playfully reverent "Detroit State of Mind." Far from a note-for-note remake, Elzhi manages to create the best kind of tribute because it's only apparent in name and spirit only. Illmatic was the kind of album that inspired everyone from gangsters to backpackers, and Elmatic is one of the few hip-hop records to capture the best of both worlds.