Photo by Andrea Ripamonti
He arrived in Italy Nas with a single appointment yesterday Wednesday 30 October 2024 al Fabrique Of Milan. The legendary artist who changed the history of hip-hop music with his epochal album Illmatic. Published 30 years ago exactly on April 19, 1994 by a then twenty-year-old Nas, Illmatic is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all time. To celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, the Queensbridge legend will tour Europe and the UK during October and November 2024. The fourteen-date tour will see Nas perform his iconic debut LP Illmatic in its entirety.
Nas also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Illmatic with the release of a new song, “Define My Name,” produced by DJ Premier – who produced a number of tracks from the timeless classic (“NY State of Mind,” “Represent”, “Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)”). “Define My Name” is out now via Mass Appeal – give it a listen.
Illmatic is not only one of the best albums in hip hop, but one of the greatest records of any genre. Nas's every line is personal, focused, and charged, painting a vivid picture of what it meant to grow up in New York in the '90s. Each sample-laden beat is distinctive and particular. Each sample-laden beat is distinctive and sharp in execution, thanks to a dream team of production talent consisting of DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock and LES
The album certified platinum in the US contains modern classics such as “NY State of Mind”, “Halftime”, “The World Is Yours” and “It Ain't Hard to Tell”. 30 years later, Illmatic remains the benchmark for how great hip hop can be.
Some access on Nas
Nas (Nasir Jones) first reached an international audience when his song “Halftime” was chosen by producer MC Serch as the opener on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Zebrahead. Signed to Columbia Records, the first full-length album poet and master rhymer Nas arrives in 1994's Illmatic. The hip-hop milestone, which went RIAA platinum, features “It Ain't Hard To Tell,” “The World Is Yours” and “One.” In 1996 came the double platinum It Was Written (#1 R&B for 7 weeks, #1 pop for 4 weeks), with its first big crossover singles “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” . Success continued with the double platinum I Am in 1999 (again #1 pop and #1 R&B), with the singles “Nas Is Like,” “Hate Me Now” (featuring Puff Daddy) and “You Won' t See Me Tonight” (with Aaliyah).
Nas' subsequent albums include: RIAA platinum Nastradamus (1999, #2 R&B, #7 pop, featuring “Nastradamus” and “You Owe Me,” featuring Ginuwine); the platinum Stillmatic (2001, #1 R&B, #5 pop, with “Got Ur Self A…. One Mic” and “Rule”); the platinum God's Son (2002, #1 R&B, featuring the R&B/pop crossover hits “Made You Look” and “I Can”); and the double-platinum CD Street's Disciple (2004, #2 R&B, #5 pop, featuring “Bridging the Gap” and “Just a Moment”). His 2012 album, Life Is Good, earned him 4 Grammy nominations, including rap album of the year, and was certified gold by the RIAA.
Over the years, Nas has also been a guest on numerous other artists' hits, including: Allure (“Head Over Heels,” 1997); Missy Elliott (“Hot Boyz,” 1999); Queensbridge rapper Mobb Deep (“It's Mine,” 1999); Jagged Edge (“I Got It 2”, 2002); J-Lo (“I'm Gonna Be Alright,” 2002); Kanye West (“Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been),” 2006); DJ Khaled (“Nas Album Done,” 2016); Swizz Beats (“Echo,” 2018); Jhene Aiko (“10K Hours,” 2020) and others.
In August 2020 Nas released King's Disease. King's Disease marked Nas' first new album in 2 years. The album was entirely produced by Hit-Boy, while Gabriel “G Code” Zardes serves as the album's executive producer. The album won “Best Rap Album” at the 2021 GRAMMYs, marking Nas' first GRAMMY win.
In August 2021, Nas released King's Disease II, the follow-up to the GRAMMY Award-winning album. King's Disease II was produced by Nas and Hit-Boy and features collaborations with Eminem, EPMD, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, YG, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Hit-Boy and more. The album earned a nomination for “Best Rap Album” at the upcoming 64th GRAMMY Awards. Recently, Nas surprisingly released an album titled Magic featuring A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier.
In addition to his successful musical career, Nas has embarked on a film career that began with his co-starring role (along with DMX) in the cult film Belly, a 1998 film by director Hype Williams (with whom Nas made several music videos) . Most recently, he served as executive producer on the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down.
Nas is also the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records.
Click here to see photos of the NAS in Milan (or browse the gallery below).
NAS: the Milan lineup
The Genesis
(Instrumental)
NY State of Mind
Life's a Bitch
The World Is Yours
Halftime
Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)
One Love
One Time 4 Your Mind
Represent
It Ain't Hard to Tell
The Message
Made You Look
I Can
40-16 Building
I'm on Fire
Nas Is Like
If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
One Mic
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
