The album had originally been planned as a double-disc concept album comprised of autobiographical material, but when some of the tracks were leaked, I Am was scaled down and released as a single disc, with the DJ Premier-produced 'Nas Is Like' chosen as the lead single. This same crossover success undermined some of his hip-hop credibility, however, and a minor backlash by purists resulted.Nas addressed his critics on 'Hate Me Now,' the second single from his next album, I Am (1999). The ambitious rapper, who had begun working closely with industry heavyweight Steve Stoute, responded with a significantly different approach than he had taken with Illmatic: where that album had been a straightforward hip-hop album with few pop concessions, the largely Trackmaster-produced It Was Written made numerous concessions to the pop-crossover market, most notably on the two hit singles, 'Street Dreams' and 'If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).' These singles - both of which drew from well-known songs, Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' and Kurtis Blow's 'If I Ruled the World,' respectively - broadened Nas' appeal greatly and awarded him MTV-sanctioned crossover success. The two years leading up to Nas' follow-up, It Was Written (1996), brought another wave of enormous anticipation. It sold very well, spawned multiple hits, and earned unanimous acclaim, followed soon after by classic status.

When Columbia finally released the album in April 1994, it faced high expectations Illmatic regardless proved just as astounding as it had been billed.

DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock entered the studio with the young rapper and began work on Illmatic. Serch was the soundtrack's executive producer and had been impressed by 'Live at the Barbeque.' Nas submitted 'Halftime,' and the song so stunned Serch that he made it the soundtrack's leadoff track.Columbia Records meanwhile signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. Not long afterward, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached Nas about contributing a track to the Zebrahead soundtrack. His synthesis of well-crafted rhetoric and street-glamorous imagery blossomed in 1991 when he connected with Main Source and laid down a fiery verse on 'Live at the Barbeque' that earned him up-and-coming notice among the East Coast rap scene. At the same time, though, he delved into street culture and flirted with danger, such experiences similarly characterizing his rhymes. Born Nasir Jones, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the streets of the rough Queensbridge projects, long fabled as the former stomping ground of Marley Marl and his Juice Crew as immortalized in 'The Bridge.' Despite dropping out of school, Nas developed a high degree of literacy that would later characterize his rhymes. Such growth made every album release an event and prolonged his increasingly storied career to epic proportions. Throughout all the ups (the acclaim, popularity, and success) and downs (the expectations, adversaries, and over-reaching), Nas continually matured as an artist, evolving from a young street disciple to a vain all-knowing sage to a humbled godly teacher. Nas likewise collaborated with some of the industry's leading video directors, including Hype Williams and Chris Robinson, presenting singles like 'Hate Me Now,' 'One Mic,' and 'I Can' with dramatic flair.

Such headline-worthy drama informed Nas' provocative rhymes, which he delivered with both a masterful flow and a wise perspective over beats by a range of producers: legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock hitmakers like Trackmasters, Timbaland, and will.i.am street favorites like Swizz Beatz, Megahertz, and the Alchemist and personal favorites of his own like L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Chucky Thompson. Whether proclaiming himself 'Nasty Nas' or 'Nas Escobar' or 'Nastradamus' or 'God's Son,' the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the epicenter of East Coast rap, none more challenging than Jay-Z, who vied with Nas for the vacated throne left in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 assassination.

Beginning with his classic debut, Illmatic (1994), Nas stood tall for years as one of New York City's leading rap voices, outspokenly expressing a righteous, self-empowered swagger that endeared him to critics and hip-hop purists.

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