Co-founder of Murder Inc. Records, Irv Gotti, has revealed that he thinks Nas has the “best hip-hop album and the best hip-hop single” of all time. Of course, the album in question is the New York rapper’s 1994 debut, Illmatic, but it was the title of the record that slightly surprised fans.
Appearing on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, Gotti slightly confused fans when he distinguished between a record and an album. He suggested that Illmatic is the best album ever made in the realm of hip-hop and that the best record ever made in the genre is Nas’ 2002 single ‘Made You Look’.
Interestingly, Gotti’s claims come after an interview with HipHopDX last year, wherein he declared that his affiliation with Nas is one of his greatest career regrets. “I’m not really a regretful person, although I do have two regrets in my life,” he said. “I got love for Nas, but I should’ve never fucked with him because me and JAY-Z was brothers.”
Despite this regret, he claimed he is now “cool” with Nas and Jay-Z. “‘Made You Look’ may be the best hip-hop record. He has the best hip-hop album and the best hip-hop single. The best hip-hop record might be ‘Made You Look,” Gotti expressed on Earn Your Leisure.
Then, one of the podcast’s co-hosts asked if ‘Made You Look’ tops Nas and Lauryn Hill’s 1996 hit ‘If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)’. He replied: “‘If I Ruled the World’ isn’t even in the fucking sentence! [It’s a] great record, immortal, iconic; it ain’t on the fucking list as the greatest hip-hop record!”
‘Made You Look’ was released in September 2002 as the lead single for Nas’ sixth studio album, God’s Son. Revered for its lyrical substance and the quality of its production, in addition to this, the beat remains one of the most influential moments in his back catalogue.
