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NAS - [CLEAR] ILLMATIC
- NEW RELEASEARTIST:
TITLE:
[Clear] Illmatic
LABEL:
CATNO:
19439843111
STYLE:
Hip Hop /
FORMAT:
Vinyl record
DESCRIPTION:
1994 Classic Hip Hop Represed on Ltd Edition Clear Vinyl - Since NWA’s and Ice-T’s ascent in the late 80s, the rap game was no longer owned by the East Coast. After the worldwide popularity of Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ in 1992, things were looking even worse for hip-hop’s hometown. The East Coast / West Coast feud that would later indirectly claim the lives of Biggie and 2Pac was still in its infancy, but New York needed a shot in the arm. The hype behind young Queensbridge native Nasir “Nas” Jones had been in full swing months before his smash debut album ‘Illmatic’, thanks to Columbia Records’ promo machine. From his earliest appearance on Main Source’s ‘Live At The BBQ’, to his own accomplished debut ‘Half Time’ (as Nasty Nas, in late 1992), it was clear that this kid was something special. In fact, the pressure on him must have been overwhelming at times. April 19, 1994 couldn’t have come soon enough. And as soon as the first lines of ‘NY State Of Mind’ kick in, bolstered by perhaps DJ Premier’s darkest beat of all time, the entire East Coast breathed a collective sigh of relief. God’s Son had arrived.
Backed by an absolute all-star cast of New York’s top-shelf producers - Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip and a youngster named LES - the album never lets up. Serious to a fault, and lyrically dense to an extent that has possibly never been matched, the 20-year old Nas stood on the shoulders of his predecessors and proudly proclaimed, “Don’t f*** with the East… we are BACK”. ‘Illmatic’ was actually a slow-burn, which might surprise fans that have come to its genius more recently. Despite an unheard-of “5 Mics” rating in The Source – breaking an unwritten rule of never awarding classic status to debuts - it didn’t go gold until early 1996, and didn’t hit platinum status until late 2001. But when you dive deeper that shouldn’t be a shock: like Black Moon and Wu-Tang’s debuts, it was a dark, hard record, made for heads in New York, not teeny-boppers in Des Moines. There were no dance beats, no crossover love songs. Just boom-bap and rhymes, skills and heart.
Backed by an absolute all-star cast of New York’s top-shelf producers - Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip and a youngster named LES - the album never lets up. Serious to a fault, and lyrically dense to an extent that has possibly never been matched, the 20-year old Nas stood on the shoulders of his predecessors and proudly proclaimed, “Don’t f*** with the East… we are BACK”. ‘Illmatic’ was actually a slow-burn, which might surprise fans that have come to its genius more recently. Despite an unheard-of “5 Mics” rating in The Source – breaking an unwritten rule of never awarding classic status to debuts - it didn’t go gold until early 1996, and didn’t hit platinum status until late 2001. But when you dive deeper that shouldn’t be a shock: like Black Moon and Wu-Tang’s debuts, it was a dark, hard record, made for heads in New York, not teeny-boppers in Des Moines. There were no dance beats, no crossover love songs. Just boom-bap and rhymes, skills and heart.
PRICE:
£24.99
RELEASED YEAR:
SLEEVE:
New
MEDIA:
New
BUY:
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Last FM Information on Nas
Please note the information is done on a artist keyword match and data is provided by LastFM.
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (/nɑːˈsɪər/ nah-SEER; born September 14, 1973), known professionally as Nas (/nɑːz/ NAHZ), is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and record producer. He is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara and began his musical career in 1989 under the name "Nasty Nas", recording demos with the assistance of East Coast rapper Large Professor. Nas made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque".
Nas signed with Columbia Records in 1992 and released his debut studio album, "Illmatic", on April 19, 1994. The album has been included in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry and is frequently cited as an influential hip-hop release. His second album, "It Was Written" (1996), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill. His third and fourth albums, "I Am" and "Nastradamus" (both 1999), received mixed reviews for their commercial orientation and perceived inconsistency.
From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a publicized feud with Jay-Z, highlighted by Nas's diss track "Ether". During this period, he released "Stillmatic" (2001), "God's Son" (2002), and the double album "Street's Disciple" (2004). He later reconciled with Jay-Z and signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2006, releasing "Hip Hop Is Dead" (2006) and an untitled ninth studio album (2008), which incorporated more politically oriented themes. In 2010, Nas released "Distant Relatives", a collaborative album with Damian Marley, with its royalties donated to African charities. His tenth album, "Life Is Good" (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2020, his thirteenth studio album, "King's Disease", won the Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Subsequent albums—"King's Disease II", "Magic" (2021), "King's Disease III" (2022), "Magic 2", and "Magic 3" (2023)—were produced entirely by Hit-Boy and received positive critical reception. In 2025, Nas released a collaborative album with DJ Premier.
Nas has been recognized in various industry rankings, including second on The Source's "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time" (2012), fourth on MTV's Annual Hottest MCs in the Game list (2013), and named "Greatest MC of All Time" by About.com (2014). He was also included in Billboard's "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list in 2015. Outside of music, Nas serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and co-founded Mass Appeal Records, a label that has signed artists such as Dave East, N.O.R.E., Run the Jewels, and Swizz Beatz. As of 2025, Nas has released seventeen studio albums, ten of which have received gold, platinum, or multi-platinum certification in the United States.
Studio albums
Illmatic (1994)
It Was Written (1996)
I Am... (1999)
Nastradamus (1999)
Stillmatic (2001)
God's Son (2002)
Street's Disciple (2004)
Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)
Untitled (2008)
Life Is Good (2012)
Nasir (2018)
King's Disease (2020)
King's Disease II (2021)
Magic (2021)
King's Disease III (2022)
Magic 2 (2023)
Magic 3 (2023)
Collaborative albums
The Album (with The Firm) (1997)
Distant Relatives (with Damian Marley) (2010)
Light-Years (with DJ Premier) (2025) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
