Nas On "Illmatic" Anniversaries: "I'm Tired Of Celebrating It"

BYAron A.6.0K Views
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Nas performs at the 2019 Governors Ball Festival at Randall's Island on June 02, 2019 in New York City.
Nas's catalog is so deep that he doesn't want to continue celebrating one album.

Nas career goes back to 1991 but it wasn't until the release of Illmatic that he made his imprint in the rap game. The album shifted hip-hop for the better and in the past 25 years since it's release, it's been regarded as the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. This year, Nas celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album's release with another performance with the National Symphony Orchestra. However, it doesn't look like Nas will actually be partaking in any more anniversary celebrations of the album moving forward.

In an interview with Haute Living, Nas actually expressed his true feelings on the legacy of Illmatic. Now, it's not that Nas doesn't like the album but he explained that he's done so much other work that he feels has been overshadowed and outweighed by the success of Illmatic. 

“I’m tired of celebrating it,” he said. “I’m grateful, but it has started to take on a life of its own. I just did the 20th anniversary with the National Symphony Orchestra five years ago and, the next thing you know, five years go by and it’s a calendar that I didn’t ask for showing me how fast time moves.”

Adding, “Twenty-five years is a lifetime. So I did another Symphony Orchestra show for Illmatic this year; I got another plaque for it. I’m very grateful—it’s so crazy—but to celebrate one album when I’ve made over 10, all the things I’ve worked on—and I’ve been working for so long—to celebrate one album over all else is corny to me. I don’t want to celebrate another Illmatic anything. I’m done. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for appreciating that record, but it’s over.”


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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