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I took it to Russell first, Russell said it sounded like G Rap, he wasn’t wit’ it.

As Serch recounted, “Nas was in a position where his demo had been sittin’ around, ‘Live at the Barbeque’ was already a classic, and he was just tryin’ to find a decent deal … So when he gave me his demo, I shopped it around. At the recording session for the song, Serch discovered that Nas did not have a recording contract and subsequently contacted Faith Newman, an A&R executive at Sony Music Entertainment. At the suggestion of producer T-Ray, Serch collaborated with Nas for “Back to the Grill”, the lead single for Serch’s 1992 solo debut album Return of the Product. In mid-1992, MC Serch, whose group 3rd Bass had dissolved, began working on a solo project and approached Nas. Nas has cited that moment as a “wake-up call” for him. Nas and Ill Will continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was murdered by a gunman in Queensbridge on Nas’s brother was also shot that night but survived. Despite his buzz in the underground scene, Nas did not receive an offer for a recording contract, being rejected by major rap labels such as Cold Chillin’ and Def Jam Recordings. The single added to the buzz surrounding Nas, earning him comparisons to influential golden age rapper Rakim. Nas subsequently made his solo debut on his 1992 single “ Halftime” for the soundtrack to the film Zebrahead. Nas made his recorded debut with them, performing the opening verse on “ Live at the Barbeque” from their 1991 album Breaking Atoms. At the age of fifteen, he met producer Large Professor from Flushing, Queens, and was introduced to his group Main Source. Nas initially went by the nickname “Kid Wave” before adopting the alias “Nasty Nas”. In 2021, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”Īs a teenager, Nas wanted to pursue a career as a rapper and enlisted his best friend and neighbor, Willy “Ill Will” Graham, as his DJ. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Hip Hop albums of all time, appearing on numerous best album lists by critics and publications. It also contributed to the revival of the New York City rap scene, introducing a number of stylistic trends to the region. Its influence on subsequent Hip Hop artists has been attributed to the album’s production and Nas’ lyricism. Since its initial reception, Illmatic has been recognized by writers and music critics as a landmark album in East Coast Hip Hop. The album has sold 2 million copies in the United States as of February 6, 2019.

On January 17, 1996, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, and on December 11, 2001, it earned a platinum certification after shipping 1,000,000 copies in the United States. Despite the album’s low initial sales, Illmatic received rave reviews from most music critics, who praised its production and Nas’ lyricism. However, its initial sales fell below expectations and its five singles failed to achieve significant chart success. The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week.

Styled as a hardcore Hip Hop album, Illmatic features multi-syllabic internal rhymes and inner-city narratives based on Nas’s experiences in Queensbridge, New York. The album’s production was handled by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and Nas himself. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 19 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. Illmatic is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas.