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GRAMMY-Award winning rap legend Nas, celebrates the 30th anniversary of his revolutionary album, Illmatic, while on tour in London. Known as a pivotal release in hip-hop history, Illmatic is more than an album; it’s a cultural milestone, reflecting the grit, soul, and resilience of New York City. To commemorate this major milestone, Nas has joined forces with UK- based brands Umbro and Nicholas Daley on a limited-edition soccer jersey celebrating Nas’ impact on music and style over the three decades.
The limited-edition design combines Umbro’s deep-rooted connection to sport culture with Daley’s distinctive approach to heritage-inspired fashion. Paying homage to the spirit of Nas’ NYC upbringing and the influence of Illmatic, the design is imposed with Nas iconography resulting in a truly unique piece. Together this design blends British craftsmanship with streetwear sensibilities celebrating Nas’s multi-decade influence and seamlessly bridges sport, music, and fashion.
“Nas and Illmatic represent a transformative moment not only for music but for culture as a whole. Collaborating with Nicholas Daley to capture that essence in an Umbro shirt allows us to celebrate Nas’ legacy with a piece of sportswear that speaks to fans worldwide,” states Umbro.
The Nas x Umbro x Nicholas Daley football Jersey is more than a fashion piece; it’s a wearable homage to an artist who has redefined storytelling in hip-hop and a testament to the lasting impact of Illmatic on global culture.
“Curating this exclusive NAS 30th anniversary Illmatic style in collaboration with Umbro has been a true honour for one of Hip Hop’s legendary icons. Illmatic is one my favourite albums off all time and the impact it has had both musically and culturally is so evident today. The collaboration is celebration of hip-hop and the legacy of Illmatic, whilst incorporating the heritage of Umbro in a collection which I wanted to feel both classic and forward-looking,” states Nicholas Daley, designer and founder of Nicholas Daley.
Matt Young, President of Bravado, states, “This unique collaboration has been a true melding between Umbro and Nicholas Daley shining light on one of the most revolutionary hip-hop albums, Illmatic, and Nas’ impact musically and globally. We’re excited for this limited-edition design to reach music, fashion and sport enthusiasts alike.”
This limited-edition piece is now available on nicholasdaley.net, making it a coveted addition to the wardrobes of music, fashion, and sports enthusiasts alike.
On this day in Hip-Hop History, New York-based supergroup The Firm released the sole studio album, The Album. As a collaborative effort made by Nas, Aftermath label-head Dr. Dre and marketing genius Steve Stoute, The Album was designed to boost the commercial and mainstream appeal of four of New York’s most prolific emcees: Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega (unfortunately Cormega and the rest of those involved never saw eye-to-eye and he was swiftly replaced by Queensbridge Nature prior to finishing The Album).
Around the time of the group’s formation, its future members were at a pivotal moment in their careers. Nas, who had recently released his prolific debut Illmatic, was not receiving his due respect as one of the greatest active rappers of the time. Of course, he was in great standing with the actual rap community (he was the first non-Wu Tang member to appear on a Wu-Tang track), his fame among the public was disproportional. This disparity forced Nas to hire Stoute as his manager in an attempt to change his commercial approach.
Ironically, this was the second collaborative project of East Coast and West Coast artists involved in the coastal beef of that era. The first being the late Tupac Shakur and the Boot Camp Clik’s 1996 One Nation project.
Simultaneously, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega were all experience a momentous rise in success. Foxy Brown’s work from 1995 with Jay-Z’s hit “Ain’t No Nig*a” in 1996 lead to her becoming one of the most coveted female emcees in New York. Her popularity in the industry led to a bidding war for her contract, won by Def Jam Recordings. AZ was coming off the success of his 1995 debut LP Doe or Die and Cormega was just released from serving a bid in prison. It would seem that the stars had aligned so that this project could take place.
This first time the quartet appeared on a single was Nas’ “Affirmative Action” on his sophomore LP It Was Written. The group’s chemistry and the single’s critical and commercial success made coming together as a supergroup a no-brainer for all involved.
Both the group’s name and the title of the album are an illustration of the 1991 John Grisham legal-thriller novel The Firm.
Commercially, the endeavor as a whole was a mass success. The Album debuted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 chart and Top R&B/Hip Hop chart. It sold 147,000 copies in its first week and went on to sell 925,000 in the United States. The record also had international success charting in Canada (where it sold 50,000 units), France, and the Netherlands.
On this date in 1992, “Nasty” Nas dropped his first single for an otherwise unknown movie soundtrack.
Not even Nasir Jones himself knew the magnitude of what his career would be when the “Halftime” single dropped on October 13, 1992. Appearing on Nas’ monumental Illmatic album as well as the the radar silver screen flick Zebrahead, Halftime was the smash single that put Nasty Nas in the position to be considered the “Second Coming” of lyrical pioneer Rakim by none other than The Source Magazine, who gave Nasty the coveted Five Mic rating for the landmark album.
Produced by Large Professor, who found his way onto Nas’ album through the LP’s other incomparable single, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” this song was the catalyst that launched the Illmatic project and Nas’ illustrious career.
On this date in 2014, a One9, Erik Parker and Anthony Saleh-produced documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival celebrating the illustrious career of Queensbridge rap legend Nasir Jones titled Nas: Time Is Illmatic.
Dropping two decades to the date of the release of Nas’ incomparable debut album Illmatic, the doc dives into Nas entire childhood before the industry, including witnessing the death of his best friend and first DJ Willie “Ill Will” Graham, who Nas honored by naming his production company Ill Will Productions. Time Is Illmatic also explicitly explains the impact of Nas in Hip Hop culture coming from his peers such as Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip(who produced “One Love”) and superproducer Pharrell Williams.
Time Is Illmatic was considered by Variety magazine to be a likely contender to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, but did not receive a nomination. Nevertheless, Time Is Illmatic is a very informative and insightful look into one of the greatest minds Hip Hop culture has ever seen.
Today marks the 51st birthday of one of hip-hop’s most treasured lyricists, Nas.
By many, Nasir Jones is number one on their top, 10, 5, and 3 lists of the greatest emcees to ever touch the mic in Hip-Hop history. Marbled as the prodigal, deep, and lyrically intellectual spitter, Nas’ coming into Hip-Hop owned multidimensional potency. Not only was he a dexterous battle rapper, but the Queensbridge emcee was also gifted with a melodic touch for wax.
His 1991 debut on Main Source’s “Live At the BBQ” was an impressive display of the young Nas’ lyrical dexterity on a collective track with ridiculous blows.
“Verbal assassin, my architect pleases/When I was twelve, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus,” Nas easily launched the most compelling debut of a Hip-Hop emcee.
The mesmerizing drop eventually leads to a deal with Columbia Records, where he cements a legacy.
Over the course of two years, Nas huddled some of the culture’s best producers of the time, Large Professor, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, and Pete Rock to mold the echo of his debut album, Illmatic. The 1994 gem gained the likes of Hip-Hop purists and the young black youth. Drawing up the panoramic narrative as the young black boy from Queensbridge on the quest for survival, the 10-track piece is considered to be the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time.
The lyrical finesse of Escobar season continued to sizzle throughout Hip-Hop’s most prominent eras with profiled classics such as his certified sophomore debut, 1996’s It Was Written, followed by I Am…(1999), Nastradamus (1999), Stillmatic (2001), God’s Son (2002), up to 2018’s NASIR.
Nas has truly made his way into the prestigious lines of Hip-Hop heights. As of 2018, Nasty Nas is respectfully heralded as rap royalty. His influential reach stands beyond his lyrical supremacy, but his unmatched spirit which is true to the art form of rap.
Happy Birthday to one of the greatest lyricists in Hip-Hop history, Nas.