Illmatic

Illmatic is the first studio album of American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994 by Columbia Records. Nas recorded the album during 1992 and 1993 in New York City. The producers were Nas, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and DJ Premier.

Illmatic
Studio album by Nas
Released	April 19, 1994
Recorded	1992–93
Studio	Battery Studios, Unique Studios, Chung King Studios and D&D Recording in New York
Genre	East Coast hip hop hardcore hip hop jazz rap
Length	39:51
Label	Columbia
Producer	Faith N. (also exec.) MC Serch (exec.) DJ Premier L.E.S. Pete Rock Large Professor Q-Tip
Nas chronology
Illmatic (1994) It Was Written (1996)
Singles from Illmatic
"Halftime" Released: October 13, 1992 "It Ain't Hard to Tell" Released: January 18, 1994 "Life's a Bitch" Released: April 19, 1994 "The World Is Yours" Released: May 31, 1994 "One Love" Released: October 25, 1994

Nas raps about his life in Queensbridge, New York. Nas's lyricism features multi-syllabic internal rhyme patterns.

Illmatic received very good reviews from most music critics upon its release. It earnt praise for its lyrical content, production, and Nas's lyricism. Over time, music critics have recognized it as one of the greatest hip hop albums.^[1][2]

Illmatic did not sell very well at the beginning. On January 17, 1996, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2001, it earned platinum certification after shipments of one million copies in the United States.

Songs

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Genesis"	1:45
2.	"N.Y. State of Mind"	4:54
3.	"Life's a Bitch" (feat. AZ)	3:30
4.	"The World Is Yours"	4:50
5.	"Halftime"	4:20
6.	"Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)"	4:08
7.	"One Love"	5:25
8.	"One Time 4 Your Mind"	3:18
9.	"Represent"	4:12
10.	"It Ain't Hard to Tell"	3:22