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I'd argue that kids who were bumping the likes of Lil Jon and Soulja Boy a decade ago didn't care about Illmatic either.
Illmatic was always for those who appreciate the more intellectual and technical side of rapping, and are into poetry and storytelling, as well as jazzy boom bap production.
Believe it or not, there are just about as many kids who actually respect the legacy of hip hop and delve into the past as those who simply like to "turn up" to a bass heavy banger. Not all of them are braindead druggies who just wanna hear some mindless party music. They do appreciate the album form. Hence why Kendrick and J. Cole albums sell about 3 times more than Future and Travis albums without trying to cater to the radio and the clubs.
Illmatic still serves as the golden standard. 20 years later, every new huge, notable rap release still draws comparsions to it immediately by blogs and fans alike.
Khaled's album was one of the highest selling hip hop releases of the year and it featured a Nas solo track titled "Nas Album Done", enough said.
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