Which Nas album was released in 1994 as his debut studio album?

Nas’s 1994 debut studio album was Illmatic.

Columbia Records released Illmatic on April 19, 1994, when Nas was known professionally as Nasty Nas. The album contains nine tracks and presents tightly written observations about life in Queensbridge, New York.

Its production was shared by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and DJ LES. Key songs include “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The World Is Yours,” “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” and “One Love.” The album’s concise structure and layered writing helped make it a landmark of 1990s East Coast hip hop.

Illmatic debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. It is often confused with It Was Written, Nas’s second studio album, which followed in 1996.