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In the 1990s there were a handful of producers who ran the East Coast. However, one of the most acclaimed was Pete Rock. In the early years of the decade, alongside DJ Premier and Large Professor, Pete Rock was called upon by one of the up-and-coming stars of New York City who, unbeknownst to him, would soon take over the city — Nas.

Nas is an East Coast legend who has produced some of the most culturally significant albums ever. The release of his 1994 debut project, Illmatic, was a seminal moment for hip-hop culture and is still widely considered a classic.

The Queensbridge native released Illmatic aged 21 and the body of work is so exceptional it was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2021 due to its cultural impact. However, it would have been nothing without the producers who carefully crafted it.

With the help of powerhouses such as DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and L.E.S, Jones carefully crafted an album which, to this day, still holds weight. With lyrics illustrating the run-down inner city, the rapper managed to romanticise very sombre themes and found beauty in what most would consider squalor.

Still, it really wouldn’t have been possible without Pete Rock, who made some of the album’s most seminal hits. Although all tracks on Illmatic are masterpieces in their own way, it is fair to say that the single, ‘The World is Yours’ is a standout.

This Pete Rock-produced song samples a beautiful jazzy piano riff from Ahmad Jamal’s 1970 track ‘I Love Music’ and tells the story of Nas’ unlikely rise in hip-hop and details the struggles of Black New Yorkers. With lines such as, “Dwellin’ in the Rotten Apple, you get tackled / Or caught by the devil’s lasso, shit is a hassle” and “There’s no days for broke days when sellin’ smoke pays / While all the old folks pray to Jesús, soakin’ they sins in trays,” the track is a metaphorical tale of strife.

Still, the track’s backbeat emphasises the emotional sentiments of the lyrics. During one interview, Pete Rock explained how he and Nas made magic and looked back on the creation of ‘The World Is Yours’.

Opening up about why the track still holds weight in the modern day despite the obvious evolution of hip-hop’s sound, Pete Rock explained, “It’s endured as it captures the feel of New York City so perfectly. It is about the world being your oyster.”

The producer then went on to detail how he was making such raw instrumentals at the time and spoke about his creative space, recalling, “I had a spacious basement studio that generated a lot of excitement in the neighbourhood as kids were always rapping down there, and celebrities kept popping by to get beats [from me].”

Unsurprisingly, the Queensbridge basement was had a lot of creative energy passing through and musicians from all parts of New York were using it at different times, but Pete Rock knew that the jazzy sound of Ahmad Jamal could be transformed into something a little more raw if used in a certain way.

Speaking about how he created the beat, Pete Rock told Okay Player, “I kept repeating this loop with my hand on the SB-1200 over and over. Then I looped it up real quick, just to see what it might sound like without drums. I was in love with it.”

He continued, Ahmad Jamal is one of my favorite pianists so being able to make something that sampled his music was very special for me. That loop just sparked so much nostalgia, and making the rest of ‘The World Is Yours’ beat wasn’t too hard after that.”

While speaking about the incredible single, the East Coast icon revealed that Nas actually recorded his raps separately over a different beat. However, upon hearing his heartfelt rhymes, Rock knew Ahmad Jamal’s music with a New York twist would work perfectly. He revealed that after he made the beat, he went to Manhattan’s Battery Studios to add the scratches heard in the chorus. Furthermore, he unveiled that Q-Tip, Large Professor, and DJ Premier were present in the session.

Pete Rock insisted that he made magic with Nas because there was a sense of hip-hop community in and out of the studio, concluding, “I didn’t gear up [for Preemo] or put on a show. I just did what I’m supposed to do and knocked those scratches out of the park! There was something special in the air as everyone was inspired by one another. There were a lot of producers in the same room working and pushing each other for Illmatic.”