The Classic Illmatic from Nas Turns 30 Years Old

Nas is viewed as one of the greatest rappers of all time. The Queensbridge rapper first hit the scene in 1991. Nas had a guest feature on Live at the Barbeque by Main Source and his verse earned him a record deal. He began recording the Illmatic album in 1992 through 1993. The classic Illmatic from Nas turns 30 years old today. Illmatic earned Nas lofty comparisons to the legendary Rakim. The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week. Initial sales fell below expectations and its five singles failed to achieve significant chart success. Despite the low album sales, Illmatic received a lot of props due to his lyricism. The album has been called a landmark joint for not only the East Coast, but hip hop in general.

Billboard wrote in 2015 that Illmatic is widely seen as the best hip-hop album ever. The first single from the album was Halftime. Halftime was released all the way back in October of 1992. It originally appeared on the Zebrahead Movie Soundtrack thanks to MC Serch of 3^rd Bass. A little over a year later, Nas released his second single and it was It Ain’t Hard to Tell. It Ain’t Hard to Tell made it to the Billboard Hot Rap Songs charts. The track was released in January of 1994, which was closer to Illmatic dropping. Life’s a Bitch was the third single and it featured AZ. AZ would go on to be an intricate part of the rap career of Nas. They featured on several tracks together and were also two members of the Firm group. While the single didn’t chart, it is one of the more appreciated songs.

The World is Yours was the fourth single from the album and it became his most successful single. The World is Yours earned Nas a gold plaque and received praise from a lot of writers. After its release, many critics labeled The World is Yours as one of the greatest rap songs recorded. The fifth and final single was One Love, and it was produced by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Once again, this was another gem from Nas that didn’t get the love it deserved. Illmatic is viewed as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever as mentioned earlier. For me, while I’m a big fan of the album, I’m torn between it and the It Was Written album. Nas first two albums are my favorite albums from him regardless. Below are my top 5 tracks, track listing and stream link for Illmatic.

Top 5 Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, The World is Yours, One Love, Life’s a Bitch, and It Ain’t Hard to Tell