Nas - The World Is Yours - Illmatic

[I would like to dedicate this video post to my great-grandmother me-ma Jenny, who would have surely loathed this song, but inspired me to play the piano with her amazing ability to play beautifully by ear. She was never afraid to offer encouragement and praise, peppered with some good old constructive criticism.]

To this day, listening to Nas' album Illmatic still delivers an immediate emotional impact. It is amongst the best hip-hop albums ever produced. There is minimal fat: no skits, only a few guest appearances, and a mere ten tracks clocking in at under forty-five minutes, produced by four terrific artists with great ears and the uncanny ability to source and arrange beautiful samples.

'The World is Yours' was the song that introduced me to one of the most gifted MCs to ever grab a mic. The dark, sparse Pete Rock production features a jazz piano sample from Ahmad Jamal and rugged drums which resemble the instrument's sound in a band's practice room. During the chorus the music is punctuated by life support beeps and crisp record scratching. The music provides an ideal inspiration for Nas to provide his incomparable braggadocio laced narrative, replete with an amazingly worldly view and impeccable timing.

The wide screen parabolic, black and white video is beautifully shot and a real treat to watch.