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Stillmatic
''Stillmatic'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. In contrast to his previous work's gangsta rap themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical themes similar to that of his 1994 debut ''Illmatic''. Nas' lyrics address topics such as ghetto life, American politics, and his feud with rapper Jay-Z. ''Stillmatic'' was a commercial and critical success and helped re-establish Nas' career, following a period of critical disappointment with his previous album ''Nastradamus'' (released in 1999).Ryan et al. Hoard (2004), p. 568. It debuted at number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and sold over 342,600 in its first week of sales, eventually going on to sell over 2,026,000 copies in the United States."More Than Words" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One Mic
"One Mic" is a song by American rapper Nas, released April 16, 2002 on Columbia Records and distributed through Ill Will Records in the United States. It was issued as the third single from his fifth studio album, ''Stillmatic'' (2001). The song samples a portion of Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight". The single peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Nas's third top-fifty hit on the chart. Music and production Production for "One Mic" was handled by Nas and hip hop producer Chucky Thompson.Juon, Steve 'Flash'RapReview of the Week: Stillmatic RapReviews. Retrieved on 2009-03-16. The song samples English musician Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" (1981). On selecting the sample for "One Mic", Nas stated "I'm a huge fan of Phil Collins and I just wanted to take the vibe from 'In the Air Tonight'."Serpick, EvanNas' "Greatest Hits": A Track-By-Track Journey With the Pride of Queens ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on 2009-03-16. Steve Juon of RapReviews wrote that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lost Tapes (Nas Album)
''The Lost Tapes'' is a compilation album by American rapper Nas. It was released on September 23, 2002, by Ill Will Records and Columbia Records, who wanted to capitalize on what was seen in hip hop music as Nas' artistic comeback the year before, and compiles previously unreleased tracks that were discarded from recording sessions for the rapper's previous studio albums ''I Am... (Nas album), I Am...'' (1999) and ''Stillmatic'' (2001). It features production by L.E.S. (producer), L.E.S., The Alchemist (musician), The Alchemist, Trackmasters, Poke and Tone, and D-Dot, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, among others. With low-key, sparse sounds and observational lyrics about urban life, the songs are largely autobiographical and nostalgic, departing from the thug rap, thug persona of Nas' previous records. Released with little promotion, ''The Lost Tapes'' debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 70,000 copies in its first week. It received widespread accl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ether (song)
"Ether" is a diss song by American rapper Nas, from his 2001 album ''Stillmatic''. The song was a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover", a diss track directed towards Nas and Prodigy. Nas named the song "Ether" stating, "Ether" has been called a "classic" diss track and the "wildest" in hip hop history by music publications. Song Jay-Z dismissed Nas as a has-been on the diss track "Takeover". Nas responds to Jay's claims by rapping, "I got this, locked since Nine-One (1991), I am the truest/ Name a rapper that I ain't influenced." The song contains numerous slurs, many of the homophobic, directed at Jay-Z: * "When these streets keep calling, heard it when I was asleep/ That this Gay-Z and Cock-A-Fella Records wanted beef" * "Then you got the nerve to say that you're better than Big/ Dick-suckin' lips, why don't you let the late great veteran live" * "You a dick-ridin' faggot, you love the attention/ Queens niggas run you niggas, ask Russell Simmons" * "Put it together/ I rock ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rule (Nas Song)
"Rule" is the first single from American rapper Nas' 2001 album ''Stillmatic''. It features a chorus sung by Amerie and production provided by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment. The song is known for both sampling and interpolating "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. Overview The song's lyrics are political, inspiration and reminiscent of those on Nas' 1996 single " If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)." It references this song in the beginning when Nas says: "Life, they wonder, can they take me under? Naw, never that." This references the intro to "If I ruled the World (Imagine That)" which is: "Life, I wonder, will it take me under? I don't know." As a single, "Rule" was not heavily promoted, but still reached #67 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. " Got Ur Self A..." is mistakenly thought to be the first single on ''Stillmatic'' because "Rule" was not heavily promoted, did not receive music video treatment and was never released ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ill Will Records
Ill Will Records was an American vanity record label founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones. The label was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992, when both were teenagers. Nas founded the label in 1999 following the release of "Nastradamus" with the help of Steve Stoute who was the manager of Nas. After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched Ill Will by the name The Jones Experience as an imprint under Def Jam Recordings. Early life of Willie Graham Willie "Ill Will" Graham was born 1972 in Queensbridge Houses, New York City. Willie Graham, Nas' best friend and upstairs neighbor, influenced Nas' interest in hip hop by playing him records. As a teenager, Nas enlisted Graham as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Former artists *Nas *Bravehearts *Nature Former producers *Trackmasters * L.E.S. *Salaam Remi *Arkatech Beatz Arkatech Bea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as "broken-bottle") approach to production. Biography Early life and career beginnings The son of studio musician Van Gibbs, Remi first appeared on record as the keyboard player on Kurtis Blow's 1986 release ''Kingdom Blow''. In the late 1980s, Remi began mixing records. His first full production was in 1992, for the hip-hop group Zhigge. He worked with the Fugees and Black Sheep. Salaam Remi has been associated with releases like Lil' Flip's "I Need Mine", Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper", The Fugees' multi-platinum '' The Score'' LP, and Toni Braxton's "You're Makin' Me High". He produced 10 tracks on the 2002 UK sensation Ms. Dynamite's album titled ''A Little Deeper'', including the hugely successful lead single "Dy-Na-Mi-Te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Illmatic
''Illmatic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. The album's production was handled by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and Nas himself. Styled as a hardcore hip hop album, ''Illmatic'' features multi-syllabic internal rhymes and inner-city narratives based on Nas' experiences growing up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York City. The album debuted at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week. However, its initial sales fell below expectations and its five singles failed to achieve significant chart success. Despite the album's low initial sales, ''Illmatic'' received rave reviews from most music critics, who praised its produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nastradamus
''Nastradamus'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on November 23, 1999 by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Originally scheduled to be released on October 26, 1999 as a follow-up composed of material from sessions for his previous album '' I Am...'', also released in 1999.Birchmeier, Jason. Biography: Nas Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-21. Due to bootlegging of the material, Nas recorded separate songs for ''Nastradamus'' to meet its November release date. The album debuted at number 7 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 232,000 copies in its first week. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, and has been regarded by some as Nas's weakest effort.Hoard (2004), p. 568. However, it achieved considerable commercial success and spawned two charting singles. On December 22, 1999, the album was certified Platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In retrospect, Nas said: “On that album, there’s a couple of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It Was Written
''It Was Written'' is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, released on July 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. After the modest commercial success of his debut album ''Illmatic'' (1994), Nas pursued a more polished, mainstream sound for ''It Was Written''. Produced largely by Trackmasters, it departed from the debut's raw, underground aesthetic and embraced mafioso and gangsta themes. The recording also marked the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, featuring the rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega. The album was a commercial success, selling 270,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, while receiving mostly positive reviews. It also heralded Nas's mainstream popularity as well as that of mafioso rap, joining similarly successful albums like Raekwon's ''Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…'' (1995) and Jay-Z's ''Reasonable Doubt'' (1996). However, Nas's more commercial sound fostered accusations of sellin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Large Professor
William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground hip hop group Main Source and as mentor and frequent collaborator of Nas. About.com ranked Large Professor at No. 13 on its Top 25 Hip-Hop Producers list. Early life and education William Paul Mitchell was born in Harlem, New York City, and raised in Flushing, Queens, New York City, where he attended John Bowne High School. Large Professor Biographyat Allmusic.com Career Large Professor started making his earliest beats with two turntables, a Casio SK-1 sampler, and pause-tape cassettes before his mentor Paul C taught him how to use an E-mu SP-1200. During his pause tape phase he noted that some of his techniques were different than those of other producers. "I was trying to catch it from a different part of the record. I would catc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chucky Thompson
Carl Edward "Chucky" Thompson Jr. (July 12, 1968 – August 9, 2021) was an American hip hop and R&B record producer. Biography Thompson was born in Washington, D.C., in 1968. He was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers during the 1990s, and worked with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs on material for artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans. His productions included Mary J. Blige's ''My Life'', The Notorious B.I.G.'s ''Ready to Die'' and Faith Evans's ''Faith''. Thompson also produced for Nas ("One Mic"). He died of complications from COVID-19 at a hospital in Los Angeles, California, on August 9, 2021. Production credits * 1994: Usher: "Think of You" from '' Usher'' * 1994: Born Jamericans: '' Kids From Foreign'' * 1994: The Notorious B.I.G.: "Big Poppa" and "Me & My Bitch" from ''Ready To Die'' * 1994: Mary J. Blige: ''My Life'' (Nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album) * 1995: Total: " No One Else (R&B Mix)" * 1995: Fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Da Beatminerz
Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 1968) and DJ Evil Dee (born May 24, 1971), formed in 1992, making their production debut with Evil Dee's group Black Moon, on its debut single, "Who Got Da Props?" The duo produced the entirety of Black Moon's acclaimed debut album, ''Enta Da Stage'', in 1993, then continued production work with Black Moon's Buckshot and his crew Boot Camp Clik. In 1995, along with its third official member, Baby Paul, the group produced the entirety of Smif-N-Wessun's debut album, ''Dah Shinin'''. It continued work with fellow Boot Camp members Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. in 1996, contributing multiple beats for their respective debuts, ''Nocturnal'' and ''Da Storm''. In the late 1990s, da Beatminerz expanded its client list, producing popular hip hop artists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
