The album Nas called “the greatest moment of my life”
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.
Nas (real name Nasir Jones), released Illmatic aged 21. The body of work was so exceptional it was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2021 due to its cultural impact and has stood the test of time.
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.
Queensbdrige, the home of Mobb Deep and Juice Crew, was home to many legends in the 1980s and ’90s and, akin to the South Bronx has a rich history. However, it wouldn’t have been easy growing up there.
As a youngster, Jones grew up with his mother and was influenced by her musically. The lyricist was raised by various genres, including jazz, soul, hip-hop and gospel. That said, in a 2012 interview, Nas revealed which albums he loves and the one that changed his life.
Speaking about his love of 1950s jazz, Jones unveiled that he has a deep appreciation for the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, stating, “Miles and Coltrane made the ultimate jazz albums; there’s a lot of others too. Miles also got commercial success from a jazz album, and if you play it, it sounds like it was supposed to be made.”
He continued, “That album was supposed to be made. This world wouldn’t be the same without that album.” Miles Davis is widely hailed as one of the most excellent African-American musicians of the 1950s and ’60s and is a renowned instrumentalist.
As he continued exploring some of his early influences, Jones unveiled his love for Marvin Gaye. More specifically, his 1978 album, Here, My Dear. Opening up about how he felt about it upon listening to it for the first time, Jones to Complex, “When I first heard it, no one I knew ever heard it. It’s funny that so many people love Marvin Gaye but never knew about this album that was so personal.”
He added, It’s crazy how my new record has a little bit of that. Motown only put out limited copies and it was a risky record. I think the music industry wanted a more hitting album, but that record he did was his expression. I’m sure he caught a lot of slack from it.”
However, one of the biggest shifts in Nas’ life was when Run-D.M.C’s King of Rock album was released in 1985. Speaking about the seismic impact it had on his life, the It Was Written… creator stated, “That’s one of the first rap albums. The commercial success with a different sound—it had rock, they were of a next phase, next plateau from the Furious Five and the Treacherous Three.”
He concluded, “They were the next thing so they personified the next thing. And then Raising Hell showed how they evolved as hip-hop superstars. The greatest moment of my life being a rap fan was probably when King of Rock came out.”