Title: Nas – Illmatic
Year/Genre/City: 1994, Hip-Hop, Queensbridge, Queens, NY
Matrix #: N/A
Condition: VG+

Cultural Facts:

[Cover Photo]: The cover centers a childhood photo of Nas over Queensbridge Houses imagery, turning his literal upbringing into the album’s public identity.

[Family Line]: Nas grew up around working musicians—his father Olu Dara was a jazz player—and that “music as a day job” reality shaped how he talked about craft and survival.

[Early Break]: “Halftime” surfaced on the Zebrahead film soundtrack before the album dropped, and that early placement helped push him from local buzz into a major-label lane.