Nas’s 1994 debut studio album “Illmatic” included “N.Y. State of Mind” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.”
Columbia Records released the album on April 19, 1994. Its nine-track structure was unusually concise, and its production came from several prominent figures, including DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and MC Serch.
The album is closely associated with Queensbridge, New York, where Nas grew up. Its detailed writing about urban life, street pressure, ambition, and identity helped establish him as one of the leading lyricists of his generation.
“Illmatic” was not an immediate blockbuster on the scale of some later rap albums, but its critical reputation grew rapidly. It is now widely regarded as a landmark of 1990s East Coast hip-hop and is frequently cited in discussions of classic debut albums.