Illmatic  by NAS

The New Yorker Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, or more simply NAS, began writing lyrics for the songs that would constitute his debut in 1994 at the age of sixteen, songs that would capture scenes from the streets of America's metropolis. So, at the age of twenty-one, NAS released Illmatic and immediately became one of the rising stars of the New York hip hop scene, offering it renewal and a new perspective.

The recordings for the album took place during the years 1992 and 1993. NAS was fortunate as he was supported by many strong names in the New York hip hop scene, such as MC Serch from 3rd Bass, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Q-Tip who had collaborated with A Tribe Called Quest. The great success of Illmatic was his single The World Is Yours.

Illmatic went straight to No. 12 on the Billboard in its first week of release as it sold 59,000 copies. The total sales of the album are now estimated at over 2,000,000 copies in the U.S.