''Stillmatic'' is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. In contrast to his previous work's

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical themes similar to that of his 1994 debut ''

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 Re ...

''. Nas' lyrics address topics such as ghetto life, American politics, and his

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

with rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. ''Stillmatic'' was a commercial and critical success and helped re-establish Nas' career, following a period of critical disappointment with his previous album ''

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 hi ...

'' (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"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' (

Nielsen Business Media Nielsen Holdings plc is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and use ...

) 120 (27): 33. Retrieved 2011-08-12. It has been certified Platinum by

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Background

Though he had gained critical acclaim with his classic debut album ''

'' in 1994, Nas' image had been quickly deteriorating in the hip-hop community with his change of theme, from the philosophical topics of ''Illmatic'' to the

and commercialized sound that became the focus of his later albums.Birchmeier, Jason. Biography: Nas Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-21. While his second album, ''

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 ...

'' received positive reviews and introduced him to a greater audience, the follow-ups '' I Am...'' and ''

'' were considered mediocre in comparison by critics. The release of ''Stillmatic'' was an attempt by Nas to reestablish his credibility in the hip-hop community, with the title signifying his intentions to continue where ''Illmatic'' left off.

Feud with Jay-Z

Jay-Z had previously dissed Nas in his single "

Takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...

", taken from his September 2001 release, ''

The Blueprint ''The Blueprint'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. ...

.'' On ''Stillmatic'', Nas retaliated with the anticipated song, "

Ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

," a response to "Takeover" which insinuated that

had stolen lyrics from

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

several times, that he had sold out, and that he was a

misogynist Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...

, among other things. Several hip-hop aficionados believe Nas won the feud based on this track, which many felt was much more vicious and ruthless than "Takeover", although this is still a subject of debate within hip-hop circles. Jay-Z would respond with "People Talkin", "Don't You Know" and the radio freestyle "Supa Ugly."Hinds, Selwyn Seyfu
Review: ''Stillmatic''
''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-21.

Singles

The first single from ''Stillmatic'' was "

Rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule perta ...

" featuring R&B singer

Amerie Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson ( Rogers; born January 12, 1980) is an American singer. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and ...

. It was not heavily promoted but still managed to reach number 67 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. Billboard Singles: ''Stillmatic'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-22. It did not receive a video and was issued on compact disc, so many are unaware that it was a single. " Got Ur Self A..." was believed to have been the first single from ''Stillmatic''. "Got Ur Self A...", produced by

Megahertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or Cycle per second, cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, me ...

, contains a sample from the theme song to the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

''. The third single was "

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 ...

", which received acclaim for its content and video.

Critical reception

''Stillmatic'' was met with generally positive reviews. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 69, based on 12 reviews.''Stillmatic'' (2001): Reviews

. Retrieved on 2010-10-16. ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' awarded the album a perfect " five-mic" rating, and ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

''s Alex Pappademas praised it as "a surprising return to form". Reviewing for ''

'', Selwyn Seyfu Hinds said: "''Stillmatic'' isn't merely a reunion or rehash of ''

'' themes. The Nas on this record has grown, with the emotional expansion such maturation suggests. For one, he has never before drawn upon his anger, with a burning focus and controlled intensity that underscores nearly every song. Some of it can surely be ascribed to the Jay-Z battle, but more seems due to the deeper, internal struggle Nas has waged against the fallout from his early, precocious success". Steve Jones of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' stated, "diss songs aside, Nas' strength has always been his incisive lyrical analyses of current events."Jones, Steve.
Review: ''Stillmatic''
. ''

'': D.06. December 18, 2001. John Bush from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said: "Dropping many of the mainstream hooks and featured performers in order to focus his rapping, Nas proves he's still a world-class rhymer, but he does sound out of touch in the process of defending his honor. Despite the many highlights, a few of the tracks just end up weighing him down". Elizabeth Mendez Berry of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' called it "infuriatingly inconsistent" but also "an exercise in lyrical courage and musical might".Berry, Elizabeth Mendez.
Review: ''Stillmatic''
. ''

'': 120. February 2002. Some reviewers were more critical. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's Kathryn McGuire said: "Striving to maintain street cred while reaching for pop success has left Nas vacillating clumsily on past projects, and this record is riddled with similar inconsistencies. One moment he casts himself as a gritty cat who feels most at home on a project bench, calling out neighborhood snakes ('Destroy and Rebuild') and ducking gunshots ('One Mic'). The next, he's delivering dumbed-down verses over the Track Masters' rinky-dink rendition of Tears for Fears' 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.'"McGuire, Kathryn
Review: ''Stillmatic''
''

''. Retrieved on 2012-02-14. In ''The Village Voice''s "Consumer Guide",

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

found the release unworthy of a review and instead relegated it to a listing of ungraded "duds" in the column. Retrospective appraisals have been relatively positive. In ''

The New Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' (2004), Chris Ryan wrote that ''Stillmatic'' "finds Nas sticking with what works, creative storyraps and trenchant social commentary. He still errs when he makes attempts at club tracks, but the album is largely a success."''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' (2004), p. 569. Writing in the ''

Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...

'',

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

commended Nas for "rebuilding his creative and commercial standing" in the early 2000s with ''Stillmatic''. In 2005,

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

compiled a list of his Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all time, to which he ranked ''Stillmatic'' at number 20, commenting "It's like ''

Mama Said Knock You Out ''Mama Said Knock You Out'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was produced mostly by Marley Marl and recorded at his "House of Hits" home studio in Chestnut Ridge and at Chung King House of Metal in New York City. Afte ...

'' eleven years earlier, where a guy just reclaimed his spot with some great records".Chris Rock's Top 25
/ref>

Track listing

;Notes * "Got Ur Self a Gun" was later retitled "Got Ur Self A..." on the clean version of the album. * The track "Braveheart Party", written by Nasir Jones and

Jean-Claude Olivier Jean-Claude Olivier (28 February 1945 – 12 January 2013), often referred to simply as "JCO", was a French motorcycle racer and president of Yamaha Motor France S.A. from 1992 to 2010. He helped launch the careers of many famous French riders i ...

and produced by

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

, was removed from later pressings of ''Stillmatic'' at Mary J. Blige's request.Reid, Shaheem
"Mary J. Blige Track On Nas' Stillmatic To Be Cut For 'Personal Reasons'"

MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. January 25, 2002. Retrieved August 11, 2008. * The Japanese release of ''Stillmatic'' features three additional tracks: "No Idea's Original," "Everybody's Crazy" and "Black Zombies." Each can also be found on '' The Lost Tapes'', a compilation album that was released in 2002. * A limited edition version of ''Stillmatic'' contains a bonus disc with snippets from five songs on '' The Lost Tapes''. ;Samples * "Stillmatic (The Intro)" contains a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

from "Let Me Be Your Angel" by

Stacy Lattisaw Stacy Lattisaw Jackson (née Lattisaw; born November 25, 1966) is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C., United States. Career The 1979 song "Ring My Bell" was originally written for then twelve-year-old Lattisaw, as a teenybopper song ...

. * "

" contains dialogue from "Fuck Friendz" by

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, and gunshot samples from "Knuckleheadz" by

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

and "

Who Shot Ya? "Who Shot Ya"Bad Boy Entertainment, advertisement, ''Vibe'', 2004 Aug;12(875 or often "Who Shot Ya?"Sound recording"The Notorious B.I.G.—Who Shot Ya? (official audio)" ''The Notorious B.I.G.'' "Official Artist Channel" @ YouTube, 20 Sep 2019. (Th ...

" by

* " Got Ur Self A..." contains a sample from "

Woke Up This Morning "Woke Up This Morning" is a song by British band Alabama 3 from their 1997 album ''Exile on Coldharbour Lane.'' The song is best known as the opening theme music for the American television series ''The Sopranos'', which used a shortened version ...

" by

Alabama 3 Alabama 3 are a British/English musical group founded in Brixton, London in 1995. They are best known for their track " Woke Up This Morning", which was used for the opening credits of the TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the United States, the ...

. * "You're Da Man" contains a sample from "

Sugar Man Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...

" by Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (sometimes misattributed to DJ David Holmes), "Am Fenster" by the German band City, and "Theme from Exodus" by

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

& Ernest Gold. * "Rewind" contains a sample from "It's Yours" by

T La Rock Terrence "Terry" Ronnie Keaton known by the stage name T La Rock, (born September 16, 1961) is an American old-school emcee best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single "It's Yours." Bio ...

, "Monkey Island" by

The J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

, and "I'm Not Rough" by The J. Geils Band. * "

" contains a sample from "

In the Air Tonight "In the Air Tonight" is the debut solo single by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released as the lead single from Collins's debut solo album, ''Face Value'', in January 1981. Collins co-produced "In the Air Tonight" w ...

" by

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

, and "

I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (po ...

" by

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

. * "2nd Childhood" contains a sample from "Born to Love" by

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

, "Da Bridge 2001" by

Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest ''Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest'', commonly known as simply ''QB's Finest'', is a compilation album released on November 21, 2000 and the second release from rapper Nas' new Ill Will Records imprint, distributed by Columbia Reco ...

, and "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II" by Nas. * "Destroy & Rebuild" contains an interpolation from " The Bridge is Over" by

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

. * "The Flyest" contains a sample from "Night Moves" by Frank McDonald and Chris Rae, and "Child of Tomorrow" by Badder Than Evil. * "

" contains an interpolation from "

Everybody Wants to Rule the World "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. The song was first released on 22 March 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, ...

" by

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...

. * "Every Ghetto" contains a sample from "Main Title" (''The Eiger Sanction'') by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

Personnel

Credits for ''Stillmatic'' adapted from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Credits: ''Stillmatic'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-22. * Pablo Arraya – assistant engineer * AZ – performer *

Baby Paul 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, 19 ...

– producer, instrumentation *

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

– performer * Osie Bowe – engineer *

Ron Browz Rondell Edwin Turner (born December 6, 1982), better known by his stage name Ron Browz (), is an American recording artist and record producer from Harlem, New York. He initially gained major recognition after producing the Jay-Z diss track, "E ...

– producer * Keon Bryce – vocals (background) * Kevin Crouse – engineer, mixing * Alex Dixon – assistant engineer *

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo ...

– producer, mixing * Chris Feldman – art direction, design * Steve Fisher – assistant engineer *

Tameka Foster Tameka Foster (born January 1, 1971) is an American fashion stylist. She has worked as a personal stylist for Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Toni Braxton, Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Nas, and her ex-husband Usher. Career Her professional career started with her ...

– stylist * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Malcolm Gold – A&R assistance * Bryan Golder – engineer * Jason Goldstein – mixing * Paul Gregory – assistant engineer * Destiny Jones – executive producer * Will Kennedy – imaging * Large Professor – producer *

– performer, producer * Alex Ndione – assistant engineer * Lenny "Linen" Nicholson – A&R * David A. Belgrave – Marketing * Jake Ninan – assistant engineer * James Porte – engineer * Ismel Ramos – assistant engineer *

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 ...

– organ, bass, guitar, percussion, drums, producer, Fender rhodes * Mike "Wrekka" Risko – producer, musician * Eddie Sancho – mixing *

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-ho ...

– producer * Sacha Waldman – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Notes

External links

*
Stillmatic
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

*
Background on 5 mic rating
— Straight from the Source {{Authority control 2001 albums Albums produced by Da Beatminerz Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by L.E.S. (record producer) Albums produced by Large Professor Albums produced by Ron Browz Albums produced by Salaam Remi Albums produced by Trackmasters Columbia Records albums Nas albums Sequel albums