THIS DAY IN HIP-HOP... NAS - ILLMATIC

On this day in Hip-Hop history, Nas released his classic debut album Illmatic.

On this day in 1994, Nas released his landmark debut album Illmatic on Columbia.  The classic debut was produced by Large Professor, Pete Rock, L.E.S., Q-Tip, and DJ Premier.  Guest artists featured on the set included AZ, Olu Dara, and Q-Tip.

Illmatic spawned the singles "Halftime," which was Nas' debut single; "It Ain't Hard to Tell," which reached #91 on the Billboard Hot 100; "The World Is Yours," which was certified gold; "Life's A Bitch" and "One Love."  The album debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200.  It peaked at #2 on the R&B chart.  It was certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, January 2019.

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Also on this day...

1994 - Shyheim released his debut album AKA The Rugged Child on Virgin.

2005 - Mike Jones released the album Who Is Mike Jones? on Jive.

2010 - American rapper, producer, and actor Guru, passed away after battling cancer.