Illmatic

Illmatic is the debut album of American hip hop rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D; Recording, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. It features production from several renowned hip hop artists, including Main Source-member Large Professor, DJ Pete Rock, rapper Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, ... more

Illmatic is the debut album of American hip hop rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D; Recording, Battery Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. It features production from several renowned hip hop artists, including Main Source-member Large Professor, DJ Pete Rock, rapper Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr-member DJ Premier and producer L.E.S., as well as a guest appearance by East New York emcee AZ. Illmatic has been noted by music writers for its hardcore rap-style, production quality, Nas's lyricism, which is characterized by multi-syllabic internal rhyme patterns, and inner city-themes based on his experiences in his native Queensbridge, New York. Upon its release, Illmatic exhibited some commercial success, as it debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 12 and sold 59,000 copies in its first week of release. However, the... less