Illmatic's Dope Sports Reference

The Shaq Fu line from this record, produced by Large Professor.

or the remix:

(Also, this features one of the most bugged chorus-samples ever—from "Nobody Beats the Biz")

[Image via: Complex]

Lots of deserved attention being paid to Nas' debut record Illmatic which turns 20 this year. A documentary, mix tape tributes, you name it.

Here's one of my favorites so far–an in-depth interview with Large Professor:

DX: Yeah, Nas always said Illmatic was like his application to the Rap gods membership club. Sort of like a "Hear me out..this is what I'm doing…I belong here," thing.

Large Professor: Definitely, definitely. Yeah, that was it, and with that album, I always say that was a more lyrical-driven album, if anything. Like, the beats were cool. They were good backdrops, but just the lyrics and the experience that he was putting down over those beats just it is why that album is heralded the way it is today.

DX: You're being really modest, man. Those beats were not just okay.

Large Professor: Nah, I mean, they were bangin'. "One Love," you know what I mean? "The World Is Yours," and everything… But you could have had some clown get those beats and put some bullshit down, and them shits, it wouldn't have been nothing. Nas put something down that was like, "Yo, this is… It's not the icing on the cake. This is part of the cake." It was like, "This ain't the icing on the cake; this is the cake almost," and the beat was almost like the icing. Nas's rhymes were like the cake because, you could have gotten any old body to rhyme on them beats, and you would have been like, "That's cool." But [with] the stuff like "The World Is Yours," he was tapping into the spirit of the beats and everything. It was like, "Yo, what is this? This is like world is yours type shit, man," and that's serious business.

DX: Absolutely. He's said in interviews that he begged you to executive produce the album, but you were like, "No. It's your vision."

Large Professor: Yeah, nah, like I was on some… We were cool. We would be in the crib, and we'd be recording, and then we'd take a break, sit out on the terrace and just chill. We would be talking about the world like, "Yo, if this planet…" We would just be wandering in thought and just all kind of stuff like that. So, to have that kind of relationship, and then just one day come and say, "Just sign this contract." Nah, I couldn't. That's not who I am. I'm not a sign this contract kind of guy.