# Nas — Every Record We Rank

Nas appears 3 times in our Golden Age Hip-Hop, 1994, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred lists, placing as high as No. 2. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.

- **Ranked entries:** 3
- **Appears on:** Golden Age Hip-Hop, 1994, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred
- **Year:** 1994
- **Highest placing:** No. 2 in Golden Age Hip-Hop
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/nas/

## Appears on

### [N.Y. State of Mind](https://waxonia.com/track/nas--n-y-state-of-mind/)

*1994 · Columbia · No. 2 in [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/)*

A twenty-year-old writing with the density of a novelist over a DJ Premier loop. The bar for lyrical technique moved here and arguably has not moved since.

Also on: [1994](https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-ninety-four/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Nas%20N.Y.%20State%20of%20Mind) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8A14Qcv68)

### [N.Y. State of Mind](https://waxonia.com/track/nas--n-y-state-of-mind/)

*1994 · Columbia · Picked by [1994](https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-ninety-four/)*

Illmatic reset what a rap album was allowed to be, and this is the track people quote when they explain why. Every East Coast record for five years afterwards is measured against it, usually by its own maker.

Also on: [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Nas%20N.Y.%20State%20of%20Mind) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8A14Qcv68)

### [N.Y. State of Mind](https://waxonia.com/track/nas--n-y-state-of-mind/)

*1994 · Columbia · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/)*

A twenty-year-old writing at a level most novelists never reach, over a piano loop that never resolves. The best-written record in this list.

Also on: [Golden Age Hip-Hop](https://waxonia.com/genre/golden-age-hip-hop/), [1994](https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-ninety-four/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Nas%20N.Y.%20State%20of%20Mind) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8A14Qcv68)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.