Nas is over celebrating his debut album.
This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Queenbridge rapper’s album, Illmatic, and during an interview with Haute Living he expressed that he is tired of celebrating it. In fact, Nas said that it is “corny” to continue to praise something that happened over 20 years ago.
“Twenty-five years is a lifetime. So I did another Symphony Orchestra show for Illmatic this year; I got another plaque for it,” Nas said. “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.”
Nas said that he would rather put the spotlight on other aspects of his life, like the investments he has made and other projects that have given him fulfillment. He continued, “Maybe [I’ll open] a new level bookstore, maybe [I’ll do] Broadway,” Nas said. “I do three things at a time; that’s how I live. The next three things I do, I hope they’re more exciting than anything that I’ve ever done.”
Nas dropped Illmatic on April 19, 1994 under Columbia Records, according to Billboard. The album debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 94,000 units in its first week. Illmatic was certified gold by the RIAA on Jan. 17, 1996 and achieved platinum status on Dec. 11, 2001. The album officially went double platinum on Feb. 6, 2019. Following his debut, Nas released It Was Written, I Am…, Nastradamus, Stillmatic, God’s Son, Street’s Disciple, Hip Hop Is Dead, an untitled album which was commonly referred to as Nas, Life is Good and his most recent, Nasir.