Episode notes

The Album: Nas Illmatic (1994)

In our first episode from our four-part Art of Sampling series, we focused on one of the classic sources of samples from the mid-80s: the James Brown anthology, In the Jungle Groove. For #2, we wanted to turn our attention to an album whose use of samples helped influences sampling culture and for that, we went with a giant celebrating its 25th anniversary this year: Nas’s debut album, Illmatic.

So much has been said about this LP over the years, we shouldn’t need to make a case for it but here’s the short version: it’s not simply considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time but it’s universally lauded as one of the greatest debut albums in any genre, least of all given the intense hype around Nas leading up to it. Befitting that anticipation, Illmatic drew, really for the first time, a Dream Team-esque assemblage of some of New York’s finest producers including Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor and L.E.S. Their production decisions, including the samples that powered their now iconic tracks, marked one peak in hip-hop’s golden era of sample-based production.

To help us break all this down, we invited one of Los Angeles’s finest: Thes One, half of People Under the Stairs (and composer of our theme song!) While Thes generally doesn’t like talking about other producers’ work, as a 16 year old hip-hop head hyped for Illmatic when it dropped in ’94, Thes brought his insights as both a producer and fan, and we touched on everything from the use of nostalgia in sample choices, how Nas’s flow worked with different beats, and why DJ Premier’s “bubba chip” drum programming was a game changer.

More on Thes One

More on Illmatic

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Illmatic unless indicated otherwise):

The Genesis

N.Y. State of Mind

Michael Jackson: Human Nature

It Ain’t Hard to Tell

It Ain’t Hard to Tell (Demo)

DJ Day: It Ain’t Hard to Tell (Remix)

Large Professor: It Ain’t Hard to Tell (Remix)

Common: Resurrection

Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)

Parliament: Come in Out of the Rain

One Love

One Time 4 Your Mind

The Gap Band: Yearning for Your Love

Life’s a Bitch

A Tribe Called Quest: Lyrics to Go

Represent

Lee Erwin: Thief of Bagdad

Represent

Cameo: Hanging Downtown

Group Home: Supa Star

The Heath Brothers: Smilin’ Billy Suite Pt. II

One Love

The World Is Yours

Ahmad Jamal: I Love Music

The World Is Yours

Monty Alexander: Love and Happiness

Apache: Gangsta Bitch

The Beatnuts: Let Off A Couple

Reuben Wilson: We’re In Love

Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)

N.Y. State of Mind

Halftime

Milly and Silly: Gettin’ Down for Xmas

Long Red: Mountain (Live)

Pete Rock and CL Smooth: Good Life

Represent

Jay-Z: Feelin’ It

Main Source: Looking at the Front Door

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

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