Artist
Nas
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
Appears on
N.Y. State of Mind
1994 · Columbia
Ranked No. 2 in 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, The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred
N.Y. State of Mind
1994 · Columbia
Picked by 1994
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.
N.Y. State of Mind
1994 · Columbia
Picked by The Waxonia 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, 1994