Nas News

Exclusive: Nino Bless says Nas' work on "Illmatic" was "the start of the [New York] revival that led to [The Notorious B.I.G.], Jay [Z], [and Big] Pun" Nino Bless, a New York emcee who was influenced by Nas' Illmatic , was recently asked to select the three best verses on Nas' debut album, which celebrates its 20-year anniversary today .

As "Illmatic" celebrates its 20-year anniversary, HipHopDX reports on Nas' sales figures for the artist's seven solo studio albums.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Nas' "Illmatic." Here's a throwback of Pete Rock and DJ Premier discussing the classic album and their hand in it.

It's stunning to think that Nas ' debut album, Illmatic, was released 20 years ago.

Music and movies played together even before sound revolutionized film during its infancy, and so it is at the Tribeca Film Festival where the documentary lineup is heavy on musical subjects, from hip hop star Nas to shock rocker Alice Cooper.

Illmatic wasn't the only great rap album to drop in 1994 . But Nas' classic album was most closely matched by his friend Biggie Small's debut Ready To Die , which was released five months later and quickly dwarfed Illmatic 's modest sales with platinum-plus numbers.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of Nas ' debut album, Illmatic , journalist/radio personality Minya "Miss Info" Oh spoke with Complex about giving the album five mics in The Source.

Known for his theatrical stage show, Kung Fu Vampire says that seeing Nas perform Illmatic in its entirety at Rock The Bells gave him an additional appreciation for the Queensbridge rapper's debut album.

While attending "Time Is Illmatic's" screening, Michael Rapaport says "Nas to Hip Hop is like [Vincent] van Gogh to painting or Thelonious Monk to Jazz."

Exclusive: From their initial 10-year tribute to "Illmatic," to talking to Nas' grade school teachers, Erik Parker and One9 detail their work on "Time Is Illmatic."

Nas' Illmatic has influenced many rappers to pay homage. Fashawn paid tribute to the 1994 album in 2010, for example, with Ode To Illmatic , the California rapper's reinterpretation of the New York emcee's heralded debut album.

The classic rap battle between Nas and Jay Z is still one of the most talked about subjects in Hip Hop, and when the individuals that were directly involved in the situation give their thoughts about the topic it still becomes news.

Cedric the Entertainer arrives at the LA Premiere Of "A Haunted House 2" on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, in Los Angeles.

Screenwriter Erik Parker, Rapper Nas, Actor Nate Parker, and Filmmaker One9 attend the 'Time Is Illmatic' Premiere after party during the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival sponsored By Hennessy VS and Beats Music at Providence on April 16, 2014 in New York City Screenwriter Erik Parker, Rapper Nas, Actor Nate Parker, and Filmmaker One9 attend the 'Time Is ... (more)

Exclusive: Large Professor looks back on meeting Nas outside of John Brown High School, cutting his demo tape and details from the "Illmatic" recording sessions.

Former couple, Nas and Kelis , are both promoting their respective music projects, but it seems the rapper's ex-wife is not interested in his new material.

In the midst of celebrating 20 years of his debut album Illmatic , Nas has made yet another move to stamp his legacy.

With the recent release of Illmatic XX, Wednesday's premiere of his "Time Is Illmatic" documentary , and the impending 20-year anniversary of his debut album, Nas has been celebrating the past a lot of late.

Wrekonize was a Rap fan growing up, but due to a variety of circumstances, the Miami-based artist heard Nas' second album, 1996's It Was Written , before he listened to 1994's Illmatic .

Increasing diversity in tech has been a persistently difficult puzzle for the industry to solve, but now Microsoft, Google and a rap icon are funding an effort to put the pieces together.