April 19, 1994 · Nas released a debut that made Queensbridge legible one block at a time.
1994 – Nas releases Illmatic
“N.Y. State of Mind” opens the album proper with a DJ Premier piano loop and the sound of a narrator thinking on his feet. “Life’s a Bitch,” with AZ and a closing cornet solo from Nas’ father, Olu Dara, briefly lets daylight into the record.
A short running time gives those turns room to register. Nas could zoom from a corner to an entire neighborhood without losing sight of the people on it, a standard that later New York debuts would have to reckon with.
DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Large Professor gave the debut distinct settings, and Nas’ voice made them feel like parts of the same neighborhood. That cohesion is striking on a record whose production credits look, on paper, like a summit meeting.
Release date and album details · Listen to the album on Apple Music.
2010 – Guru, the voice of Gang Starr, dies
Guru died on April 19, 2010. Over DJ Premier’s cuts and loops, his famously measured delivery made room for hard-earned observations about work, money and loyalty. The Jazzmatazz records put him in sessions with working jazz musicians and extended a conversation that Illmatic, released on the same date in 1994, also carried into a new generation.
Read next · Browse Today in Rap History or explore Raptology documentaries.
Natalia is a Rap and Hip Hop enthusiast. After graduating from The New School of New York’s Public Relations Program and taking a course in Journalism at Michigan State University, she decided to dedicate her life to the music publishing business and to the discovery of new talent. She helps new artists gain exposure to the masses via online marketing and publications.
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