Includes The Entire Illmatic Album Plus Two Remixes - Presented Across Six Big Hole 45s The 7-inches are housed in a custom hardbound casebook that includes a 64-page book of extended liner notes by Sacha Jenkins with full lyrics, photos, and 12-inch singles discography. The casebook is housed in a premium outer slipcase, featuring the iconic album art printed in gold.
Thirty years ago Nasir "Nas" Jones dropped Illmatic which is regarded by many as the greatest hip-hop album of all time. Before 1994, Nas (under the name "Nasty Nas") was rapping and making demo tapes with Large Professor, and in 1991 performed an unforgettable verse on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque." The next year Nas released "Halftime" for the Zebrahead soundtrack, another Large Pro cut, and signed a deal to record an album for Columbia Records. Nas was being compared to one of the lyrical greats, Rakim, and the pressure was on to drop a debut album to top all rappers. A dream team of hip-hop producers including DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and L.E.S. was assembled to work on what would become the 5 Mic classic Illmatic. Not only did it establish Nas as the Best Rapper Alive in 1994, but it also raised the stakes for hip-hop production, lyrical technique, content, and overall artistic ambition.
| A | The Genesis |
| B | N.Y. State of Mind |
| C | Life’s a Bitch feat AZ |
| D | The World Is Yours |
| E | Halftime |
| F | Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park) |
| G | One Love feat Q-Tip |
| H | One Time For Your Mind |
| I | Represent |
| J | It Ain’t Hard To Tell |
| K | Bonus: Life’s A Bitch (Arsenal Mix) |
| L | Bonus: It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Large Professor Remix) |
