| From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | July 2, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 24:53 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Nas chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| HipHopDX | 4.0/5 [2] |
| RapReviews | 6/10 [3] |
From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes is an extended play by Nas. It includes six remixed versions of songs from the earlier Nas LPs Illmatic , It Was Written , and Stillmatic . It was released by Columbia Records on July 2, 2002. It features AZ, R. Kelly and Foxy Brown.
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life's a Bitch" (Arsenal Mix) | N. Jones, A. Cruz, O. Dara, O. Scott, R. Wilson | Def Jef, Meach Wells | AZ, Nas |
| 2 | "One Love" (LG Main Mix) | N. Jones, J. Davis, J. Heath | The LG Experience | Nas |
| 3 | "It Ain't Hard to Tell" (Remix) | N. Jones, W.P. Mitchell, L. Crizoe | Large Professor | Nas |
| 4 | "Street Dreams" (Remix) | N. Jones, S. Barnes, J. Olivier, A. Lennox, D. Stewart | Poke and Tone | Nas, R. Kelly |
| 5 | "Affirmative Action" (Remix Edited Version) | N. Jones, I. Marchand, A. Cruz, D. Atkinson, C. McKay, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier, M. Williams, C. Curry, D. Clear, Wilson | Dave Atkinson | AZ, Foxy Brown, Nas |
| 6 | "One Mic" (Remix) | N. Jones, T. Fyffe, J. Mtume | Ty Fyffe | Nas |
Notes
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [4] | 123 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [5] | 32 |
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Rooted in the New York hip hop scene, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. Nas has released fourteen studio albums since 1994, seven of which are certified platinum and multi-platinum in the U.S.
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.
Anthony Cruz, better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time", and made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever."
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 13, 2002, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Production took place during 2001 to 2002, and was handled by several producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist. Partly inspired by Nas' feud with Jay-Z and the death of his mother in early 2002, God's Son covers lyrical themes such as religion, violence, and his own emotional experiences. It has been recognised by critics as some of Nas' most personal work.
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... (1999) and Stillmatic (2001). It features production by L.E.S., The Alchemist, Poke and Tone, and 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 persona of Nas' previous records.
"I'm Gonna Be Alright" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez from her second studio album, J.Lo (2001). It was written by Lopez, Lorraine Cheryl Cook, Ronald LaPread and producers Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" was remixed by Poke & Tone of Trackmasters for Lopez's first remix album, J to tha L-O! The Remixes (2002). It was released on April 1, 2002, by Epic Records as the album's second single. The remix features rapper Nas and is a double A-side along with "Alive". It achieved moderate success on the music charts worldwide, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lopez's sixth U.S. top ten single.
Doe or Die is the debut studio album by rapper AZ, released October 10, 1995 on EMI Records. The album features guest appearances by artists such as Nas and Miss Jones, and production from N.O. Joe, Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among others. The album spawned the single "Sugar Hill" - which was certified gold by the RIAA in 1995.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of fifteen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school during ninth grade and began his music career in 1991 with a guest performance on the song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source. In 1992, Nas featured on the MC Serch posse cut, “Back to the Grill”, alongside Chubb Rock and Red Hot Lover Tone, and later contributed the track, "Halftime" to the soundtrack to the film, Zebrahead. Soon Nas ignited enough hype and signed to Columbia Records, where he released his debut album Illmatic in 1994. Including Nas's solo debut track "Halftime", Illmatic was certified platinum in the US, spawned several singles including "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "The World Is Yours", and earned much critical acclaim. With a more mainstream-oriented sound, Nas's second album It Was Written was released in 1996 and included the Lauryn Hill collaboration "If I Ruled the World " and "Street Dreams", the latter of which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. It Was Written was certified double platinum. In 1999, Nas released two albums: I Am... and Nastradamus. While I Am reached double platinum status like its preceding album It Was Written and spawned two singles that reached the top ten spots of the Hot Rap Singles chart, "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like", Nastradamus signaled a decrease in quality and critical reception and sold only half as many units. Still, Nastradamus featured two charting singles, "You Owe Me", "Nastradamus" and was certified platinum.
"One Love" is a song by American rapper Nas, released October 25, 1994 on Columbia Records. It was issued as the fifth and final radio single in promotion of his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song was produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, who also contributed vocals for the chorus line. According to Nas, the title of the song originates from Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician Bob Marley's song of the same name.
"Got Ur Self a Gun" also known by "Got Ur Self A..." for the clean versions of the album and single respectively, is the second single from the 2001 album Stillmatic by the American rapper Nas. The song is produced by Megahertz and samples The Sopranos theme song "Woke Up This Morning", performed by Alabama 3. It reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"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.
"Made You Look" is the first single from Nas' 2002 album, God's Son. Built around several samples lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache", the single was important in establishing Nas' direction following his battle with Jay-Z and the Stillmatic album in its reliance on intricate lyricism and an old-school aesthetic. The song reached much commercial success, on the level of "I Can", and it was a sizeable hit among urban audiences and remains one of the more popular tracks on the God's Son album. It is his third highest charting single to date.
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop group The Firm. It was released on October 21, 1997 by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The project was created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters, who came up with the idea of forming a hip hop supergroup. The original line-up included Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega who were all featured on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' album It Was Written (1996). However, Cormega later left the group due to artistic differences between him and Nas, as well as contract disagreements with Stoute. He was replaced by Nature prior to recording of the album. The Album is a concept album that revolves around the themes of mafia and "gangsta" lifestyle. The songs on the album were mainly produced by Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Trackmasters, and feature guest vocals from Pretty Boy, Wizard, Canibus, Dawn Robinson, Noreaga and Half-a-Mill.
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 in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York City.
Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas and grew up with Nas in the Queensbridge housing project. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die. In the next two years, he produced more songs for Nas as well as songs for Fat Joe, Shyheim, LL Cool J, Royal Flush and The Firm. In 1998, he started working with Poke & Tone and collaboratively produced Will Smith's #1 hit single "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It". From 1998 to 2005, he produced more songs for Nas, Big Punisher, N.O.R.E., Nature, Flipmode Squad, Kool Savas, Azad and others.
The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke and Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joined forces with the duo to complete the success of "Trackmasters". Throughout their career, they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including Destiny's Child, Nas, R. Kelly, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith, Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, The Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent.
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.
I Am... is the third studio album by American rapper Nas, released on April 6, 1999, by Columbia Records. Following the commercial and critical success of 1996's It Was Written, Nas put to work on a double album that merged the styles of his first two albums and detailed entire aspects of his life. Although he was able to use most songs, other songs that would have made I Am… a double album leaked onto the internet in MP3 format, forcing him to record new material for two separate single-disc releases.
Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released as a double album on November 30, 2004 by Columbia Records. Named after one of his lyrics from "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, the album's cover art was digitally created using photos of Nas to create an adaptation of The Last Supper. The album marked the end of Nas' tenure with Columbia Records after ten years.
The Lost Tapes 2 is a compilation album by American rapper Nas, released on July 19, 2019 by Mass Appeal Records and Def Jam Recordings. It is the sequel to the compilation album The Lost Tapes, released in 2002. The Lost Tapes 2 features unreleased tracks from Nas’ last four studio albums: Hip Hop Is Dead (2006), Untitled (2008), Life Is Good (2012) and the album scrapped in favor of Nasir (2018). It includes production from producers such as RZA, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, No I.D., Pete Rock and The Alchemist, among others.