Nas‘ classic debut Illmatic is about to turn 30, and the Queensbridge icon recently celebrated the momentous occasion by paying tribute to all who helped him along the way.
Taking to his Instagram on Tuesday (April 16), Nas noted that the well-worn nature of his throwback photos was a sign of the times.
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“Grainy pictures for grainy times. I had a dream I could get my favorite producers to produce on my debut album,” he wrote in the caption. “I knew exactly what I wanted and how it should be. But I didn’t know anyone except for Paul, so I asked him would he connect me to them all.”
He continued: “The cool soul brother that he is helped me line it up. On April 19th we smashed shit. Even tho the album leaked months before the release date we still are apart of music history. Thank you Large Professor (Paul) and Dj Premier who drove into the projects to pick me up a time or two. Qtip , Pete Rock , and my man from The Bridge DJ LES, and my guy AZ who was just coming up himself. And thank you to everyone involved. Friday is the albums 30th. 2 The Listeners- ONE LOVE”
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Check out the post below.
Last week, Nasty Nas returned to the place where it all began to prepare for the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking album.
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On April 7, the rap legend posted a picture on Instagram of himself on a bench outside the housing projects along with the caption: “Humble origins. 30 yrs. Grateful.”
The photo appears to be taken in the same location as the images seen in the Illmatic booklet.
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Nas’ trip down memory lane was well received by some of his rap peers, with DJ Premier — who contributed to the classic album — commenting: “QB’s Finest!”
Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, De La Soul‘s Posdnuos and Esco’s current production partner Hit-Boy also left celebratory emojis.
Nas and his landmark album were also recently honored by the New York State Senate.
Senator Jamaal T. Bailey said: “What were you doing when you were 20 years old? Many of us were in college. We were finding who we were. Nasir Jones, poetically known as Nas, was making the greatest Hip Hop album of all time, Illmatic.
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“Nas has been a Hip Hop griot — the rapid response system for the streets, for lack of a better term. And if you have a top five without Nas in it, you shouldn’t listen to rap music.”
Senator James Sanders Jr. also said: “I would just finish by saying to everyone that there are seven established wonders of the modern world. Let me introduce you to Queens’ eighth.”
