Maps of Music

Illmatic (1994)

Where the lyrics of Illmatic take you, and where it was really made.

Its five singles never broke through on the charts, yet this debut is now counted among the most acclaimed hip-hop albums of all time.

Key places

Recording at D&D Studios (1994)

Recording site D&D Studios — Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at several New York City studios, including D&D Recording. A Discogs note also says tracks on the release were recorded and mixed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Chung King Studios (1994)

Recording site Chung King Studios — Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at several New York City studios, including Chung King Studios. A Discogs note lists this studio among the places where a track was recorded and mixed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Unique Recording Studios (1994)

Recording site MSR Studios — Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at several New York City studios, including Unique Recording Studios. A Discogs note lists this studio among the places where a track was recorded and mixed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Battery Studios (1994)

Recording site Battery Studios — Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at several New York City studios, including Battery Studios. A Discogs note lists this studio as the place where one track was recorded and mixed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Illmatic: debut studio album by the American rapper Nas
• Released April 19, 1994, through Columbia Records
• Signed with the label with the help of MC Serch
• Styled as hardcore hip-hop with multi-syllabic internal rhymes
• Inner-city narratives drawn from Nas's life in the Queensbridge Houses, Queens
• Lyrics written from age 16 onward

Background

• Nas went by "Kid Wave" before adopting the alias "Nasty Nas"
• Friend and DJ Willy "Ill Will" Graham was murdered in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992
• Solo debut single "Halftime" in 1992 for the Zebrahead soundtrack
• Rejected by major rap labels such as Cold Chillin' and Def Jam Recordings
• MC Serch, whose group 3rd Bass had dissolved, became executive producer

Recording

• Recorded in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City
• Producers: DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S. and Nas
• "Life's a Bitch" features a cornet solo by Nas's father, Olu Dara, and a guest verse by AZ

Cover

• Photo of Nas as a child superimposed over a city block backdrop
• Cover designed by Aimee Macauley, photograph by Danny Clinch

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City; raised in the Queensbridge Houses, Queens.
• Son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara; began as "Nasty Nas" in 1989 and recorded demos under Large Professor.
• Made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque"; signed with Columbia Records in 1992.

Career

• Debut album Illmatic (April 19, 1994) is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums; selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
• It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200; single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill brought mainstream success.
• Feud with Jay-Z (2001–2005) via the diss track "Ether"; Stillmatic and God's Son helped restore his critical standing.
• Released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and Distant Relatives (2010) with Damian Marley, whose royalties went to African charities.
• King's Disease (2020) won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
• Released King's Disease II, Magic, King's Disease III, Magic 2 and Magic 3, all produced by Hit-Boy.
• Announced Light-Years with DJ Premier, a 2025 collaborative album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Most music critics gave rave reviews despite low initial sales, praising its production and Nas's lyricism
• Heidi Siegmund of the Los Angeles Times found most of Illmatic hampered by "tired attitudes and posturing"
• Charles Aaron of Spin felt the comparisons to Rakim "will be more deserved" if Nas expands on his ruminative lyrics
• The Source gave Illmatic five mics, its highest rating and a prestigious achievement at the time

Reappraisal

• Music writers view it as one of the quintessential hip-hop recordings of the 1990s
• Jon Pareles of The New York Times cited it as a "milestone in trying to capture the 'street ghetto essence'"
• Chris Ryan wrote in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that it "still stands as one of rap's crowning achievements"

Records

• Debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week
• The album's five radio singles failed to obtain considerable chart success
• Certified gold by the RIAA on January 17, 1996, after shipping 500,000 copies
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on December 11, 2001, after shipments over one million copies
• As of April 20, 2014, sold 1,686,000 copies in the US

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original cover was planned to show Nas holding Jesus Christ in a headlock, reflecting the religious imagery of "Live at the Barbeque"
• Illmatic was the first hip-hop album to feature a child on its cover, and that cover became a template for many later albums
• Nas shot the video for "It Ain't Hard to Tell" on the same stage as the final scene of the film Wild Style
• Vinyl and cassette pressings replace side A and side B with "40th Side North" and "41st Side South"
• Serch claimed he found a garage holding 60,000 bootlegged copies before the release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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