| Illmatic |
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| 1994 albums | |
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| nas albums | |
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''Illmatic'' is the debut album by Rapper Nas , released on April 19 1994 through Columbia Records . Featuring production from Large Professor (of Main Source ), Pete Rock (of Pete Rock & CL Smooth ), Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest ) and DJ Premier (of Gang Starr ), as well as a guest appearance from AZ , ''Illmatic'' was immediately hailed as a Masterpiece by several critics,1 and is today one of the most celebrated and Influential albums in Hip Hop History .2 The release of ''Illmatic'' redefined the musical milieu of East Coast Hip Hop in the mid-1990s, resulting in a renewed focus on Lyricism and in the revival of the Queensbridge rap scene, which had been latent after a period of prominence during the 1980s. In spite of this, the initial record sales of ''Illmatic'' fell below expectations. 3 On December 11 2001 , ''Illmatic'' was certified Platinum by the RIAA , and as of that month it was selling 3,000 copies a week in the U.S. 4 A remastered commemorative edition of ''Illmatic'' was issued by Columbia for the album's tenth anniversary in 2004, with a bonus disc of four Remix es and two previously unreleased tracks. BACKGROUND Conception The origins of ''Illmatic'' lie in Nas' ties with Large Professor . At fifteen, Nas met the seventeen-year old producer from Flushing, Queens , and was introduced to Main Source , a hip hop group of which Large Professor was a member. Nas made his recorded debut with Main Source, recording a verse on "Live at the Barbeque," from Main Source's 1991 LP '' Breaking Atoms ''. Nas would later make his solo debut in 1992 on the single " Halftime " from MC Serch's soundtrack for the film '' Zebrahead ''. The single added to the buzz surrounding Nas, earning him comparisons to Rakim , an influential trendsetter during The Golden Age Of Hip Hop . Despite the substantial buzz this collaboration generated for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper struggled to gain a record contract, and was rejected by major rap labels such as Cold Chillin' Records and Def Jam Recordings . Meanwhile, the group 3rd Bass had dissolved, and MC Serch , a former member of the group, began working on a solo project. In mid-1992, Nas was approached by Serch. At the suggestion of producer T-Ray, Serch collaborated with Nas for "Back to the Grill," the lead single for Serch's solo album, '' Return Of The Product ''. At the recording session of this song, Serch discovered that Nas did not have a recording contract and, as a result, he contacted Faith Newman, an A&R executive at Sony Music Entertainment . As Serch later recounted,
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| {{cquoteAwarding Records 5 Mics – Classic Status – Has Always Been, On Some Levels, Troubling To Me I Mean, We Are Not Only Saying That A Particular Piece Of Music Is Superior To Everything That Is Out Now, But It Will Be Better Than Most Things Released In The Future As WellI Only Gave One 5 Under My Watch And It Went To Nas’s ''Illmatic'' It Was The Only Time I Ever Broke The 'no 5' Rule Jon Shecter | "co-founder" class="copylinks" target="_blank">of ''The Source'' had gotten his hands on the album like eight months before it was scheduled to dropJon didn’t let the tape out of his sight Not only that, but he constantly raved about it Everyday He played it in the office about a million times and very early on began to lobby for this record to receive 5 micsI told Jon that we'd work all of that stuff out when it was time to review the album But everyday, Jon was like, "yo, this album is 5 mics — seriously, Reg, 5 mics!"{{cite web last = first = url = http://hiphopdxcom/index/features/id406 title = The Greatest Story Never Told |
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