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.
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" is a song by American rapper Nas featuring American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released as the lead single from Nas' second studio album It Was Written on June 4, 1996, by Columbia Records. Produced by Trackmasters, with some uncredited input by Rashad Smith, it is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by American rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. Lauryn Hill's verse interpolates the song "Walk Right Up To The Sun" by The Delfonics. The single marked Hill's first musical appearance outside of the Fugees.
"Work It" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Missy Elliott and her producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Elliott's fourth studio album Under Construction (2002). The song's musical style, and production by Timbaland, were heavily inspired by old school hip hop from the early 1980s. It samples Run-D.M.C.'s "Peter Piper" and Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three's "Request Line".
"Dirt off Your Shoulder" is the second single released from Jay-Z's 2003 album The Black Album.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of seventeen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. Nas has sold over 20 million records in the United States alone, and 35 million albums worldwide.
"The World Is Yours" is a 1994 song by American rapper Nas, for his debut album, Illmatic. The song was released one month after the released as the album's fourth single. The song was written by Nas and Peter Phillips. The song is considered by music critics as one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever recorded; About.com ranked it seventh greatest rap song of all time. It reached number 13 on the Hot Rap Singles chart in 1994. The song, produced by Pete Rock, samples Ahmad Jamal's I Love Music.
"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 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.
"I Can" is a single by American rapper Nas from his sixth album, God's Son. It was released internationally February 11, 2003. Unlike the rest of the album, this does not have the Parental Advisory (or Explicit and other labeling on digital stores) label on the song, as it is aimed at children. The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Get Ur Freak On" is a song by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. It was written and produced by Elliott and Timbaland for her third studio album Miss E... So Addictive (2001). Based on heavy bhangra elements, a popular music and dance form from the region of Punjab in India, the song features a six-note base that is a Punjabi melody played on a tumbi and rhythm and bassline played on tabla.
"Hot Boyz" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Missy Elliott featuring American rapper and singer-songwriter Lil' Mo. The remix version of the song was an urban hit featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip. The remix broke the record for most weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart on the issue dated January 15, 2000; as well as spending 18 weeks at number one on the Hot Rap Singles from December 4, 1999, to March 25, 2000, a record not broken until "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X in 2019. The song also reached number 5 on the US Hot 100 on January 15, 2000. In the UK, the song became the biggest hit from the Da Real World album; it peaked at #18, being Missy's sixth top 40 and fourth top 20 solo success. On February 4, 2000 the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Hip Hop Is Dead" is the first and title single taken from Nas' 2006 album of the same name. It is produced by and features will.i.am. It peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. On December 31, 2007, the music video for "Hip Hop Is Dead" appeared at number 93 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007 countdown, even though the video was released in December 2006.
"Big Shit Poppin' (Do It)" (edited for radio as "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)") is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., released on May 29, 2007, as the lead single from his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007). The song was produced by Mannie Fresh. The song was listed as No. 66 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" list.
"Rule" is the first single from American rapper Nas' 2001 album Stillmatic. It features a chorus sung by Amerie and production provided by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment. The song is known for both sampling and interpolating "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears.
"I've Got to Have It" is a song written by American rappers Jermaine Dupri and Nas featuring American singer Monica for the soundtrack of the comedy film Big Momma's House. The song heavily samples Peter Gabriel's 1986 hit single "Sledgehammer". The song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack in June 2000. In the US, it peaked at number 67 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. It never charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne. The song was released April 23, 2008, as the second official single from his sixth album Tha Carter III.
"I'm on One" is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Khaled, released as the second single from his fifth studio album, We the Best Forever. The hip hop song features Canadian rapper Drake and American rappers Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and features production from Canadian producers T-Minus, Nikhil S. and Noah "40" Shebib. It was released for digital download in the United States on May 20, 2011. Remixes and freestyles were released from rappers such as Tyga, Meek Mill, Jamie Drastik, including other rappers.
"I" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song uses music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. It won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Montero Lamar Hill, better known by his stage name Lil Nas X, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2019 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running number-one song since the U.S. Billboard Hot 100's 1958 inception. Simultaneously, he came out as gay, the only artist to do so while having a number-one record.
Horace Bernard Walls III, known professionally as Nardo Wick, is an American rapper. He signed with RCA Records in 2021 and gained mainstream recognition following the commercial release of his single "Who Want Smoke?" in January of that year. The song spawned a remix featuring rappers G Herbo, Lil Durk, and 21 Savage, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His debut studio album, Who Is Nardo Wick? (2021) was released in December of that same year and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200.
