Grammy Award winning artist Nas is on a roll this year by winning a Grammy for best rap album King’s Disease produced by Hit-Boy and now his classic debut album Illmatic to be inducted into the Library of Congress.
Nas’ Illmatic was released On April 19, 1994 it sold over 2 million copies since it has been released and reached No.12 on the Billboard charts. Carla Hayden of the Library of Congress named the LP as one of the “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
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Hayden also stated “The National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years,” Hayden said. “We received about 900 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry, and we welcome the public’s input as the Library of Congress and its partners preserve the diverse sounds of history and culture.”
Illmatic will be in good company by joining other Hip Hop classic albums such as JAY-Z’s The Blueprint, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton, Run-DMC’s Raising Hell, De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet
Also joining Nas in the Library of Congress class of 2020 entries are Kool & The Gang’s 1980 single “Celebration,” Janet Jackson’s 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814 and Labelle’s 1974 single “Lady Marmalade,” among others.