'Illmatic' at 20: Nas Reflects on His Landmark Debut
On April 19, Nas' landmark debut Illmatic turns 20 and to celebrate, Fuse is looking back on the album with a three-part retrospective special. Featuring all-new interviews from key figures like producers Pete Rock, DJ Premier and Large Professor, plus Nas himself, music fans get an inside look at what’s become a benchmark for New York hip-hop.
“When I first heard Nas rhyme it was like everything was out of ordinary,” Large Professor recalls. “It was uplifting. It was painful. It was all of that put together. The impact was crazy in New York.”
Illmatic holds a special place in hip-hop fans’ hearts and there’s a reason people keep coming back to it. “It talked about every element of young life in the streets,” Nas says. “You can relate to that in Compton, you can relate to that in Chicago, you can relate to that in Oakland. Same hood stuff is going on. We’re all coming from that same thing.”
Watch the full 3-part Illmatic at 20 special, featuring exclusive photos from legendary New York City photographer Sue Kwon, exclusive interviews, and text by Jeff "Chairman" Mao on Illmatic’s impact right here.
1h 14m
3m
45m
6m
2m
45m
43m
9m
4m
7m
10m
5m
1m
4m
1m
1m
2m
2m
1m
7m
20m
12m
2m
14m
1m
8m
2m
2m
2m
46m
55s
3m
6m
8m
1h 38m
10m
20m
24m
1m
42m
24m
56s
1m
1m
20m
1h 13m
43m
44m
21m
20m
44m
44m
3644s
5m
1m
4m
5m
2m
3m
3m
4m
7m
20m
22m
20m
46m
23m
22m
22m
2m
20m
45m
44m
21m
41m
8m
6m
4m
21m
1m
2m
2m
12m
5m
3m
7m
11m
2m
1m
3m
3m
1m
1m
3m
14m
10m
13m
3m
1m