Illmatic : Where Are They Now?

Nas's debut was backed by an all-star lineup.

Nas - “The Genesis,” Illmatic (1994) - Illmatic introduces us to one of hip hop’s most cinematic rappers with an intro that contains audio clips from Wild Style, a movie that inaugurated hip hop into film.(Photo: Columbia Records)

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Illmatic: Where Are They Now? - Twenty years ago, on April 19, 1994, a 20-year-old Queens rapper named Nas unleashed his debut album, Illmatic. From front to back, song to song, it's arguably the best hip hop album of all time, and immediately established Nas as a Hall of Fame great. But Illmatic wasn't a one-man show. Unlike most hip hop albums at the time, Nas worked with an all-star lineup of super producers and collaborators. Many rappers followed suit in the years to follow, but few, if any, have ever matched the near flawless results that Nas's dream team achieved. Read on to see where these legends are now. —Alex Gale(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

"Life's a B---h" - Nas and AZ traded rhymes brilliantly on Illmatic's third cut, and The Visualiza also cemented himself in history with arguably one of the best 16s of all time. Unfortunately, the gritty survival tale was never supplied with a visual canvas.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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AZ - AZ is the only guest MC on Illmatic, and his machine-gun delivery on "Life's a B---h" almost steals the show. Nas and AZ have maintained their productive partnership (which included the supergroup The Firm) through the years, frequently appearing on each other's projects. AZ is currently working on a sequel to his criminally slept-on 1995 debut, Doe or Die.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images)

Conducting the Berklee Symphony Orchestra (2011) - For the music video series Re-Generation, Preem steps out of his hip hop DJ comfort zone. Not only does he conduct the renown Berklee Symphony Orchestra, but mixes down the recorded performance into a beat, which iconic rapper Nas blesses with a rhyme. 

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DJ Premier - DJ Premier's three stellar contributions to Illmatic — "NY State of Mind," "Memory Lane (Sittin' in Da Park)" and "Represent" — were among his earliest work outside of Gang Starr, his acclaimed partnership with Guru, who died on April 19, 2010. Things took off even more for Premo from there, as he went on to produce classics for the Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, KRS-One, D'Angelo and others (including more tracks for Nas). Now recognized as one of the best beatmakers ever, Preem continues to make waves as a producer, DJ and radio personality. (Photo: WENN.com)

Olu Dara - Nas's father is a renowned free-jazz trumpeter and coronet player who'd already recorded and toured the world with Art Blakely, Jack McDuff and Cassandra Wilson by the time he recorded the gorgeous, understated solo that closes out "Life's a B---h." The song introduced Olu Dara to a new generation of fans, and he released his first albums as band leader in 1998 and 2001. Dara continues to perform and record today, and has been featured on several subsequent Nas tracks, including 2004's "Bridging the Gap." (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Olu Dara - Nas's father is a renowned free-jazz trumpeter and coronet player who'd already recorded and toured the world with Art Blakely, Jack McDuff and Cassandra Wilson by the time he recorded the gorgeous, understated solo that closes out "Life's a B---h." The song introduced Olu Dara to a new generation of fans, and he released his first albums as band leader in 1998 and 2001. Dara continues to perform and record today, and has been featured on several subsequent Nas tracks, including 2004's "Bridging the Gap." (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

L.E.S. - Nas's Queensbridge homie L.E.S. produced the gorgeous backdrop for "Life's a B---h," and he's continued to be one of Esco's go-to beatmakers throughout their careers. In between crafting later Nas standouts like "Moment in Time" and "Black Republicans," which features Jay Z, L.E.S. has produced for 50 Cent, Fat Joe and even Will Smith. (Photo: Courtesy MySpace)

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L.E.S. - Nas's Queensbridge homie L.E.S. produced the gorgeous backdrop for "Life's a B---h," and he's continued to be one of Esco's go-to beatmakers throughout their careers. In between crafting later Nas standouts like "Moment in Time" and "Black Republicans," which features Jay Z, L.E.S. has produced for 50 Cent, Fat Joe and even Will Smith. (Photo: Courtesy MySpace)

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MC Serch - As a member of 3rd Bass and an essential figure in Nas’ early career, MC Serch has cemented himself a place in hip-hop history. And if his latest venture is successful, he may have a place in television history, too. This week, his new daytime talk show, Serch, debuted via CBS. While it's not his first foray in TV (The White Rapper Show and Miss Rap Supreme), it is a surprising new venue for the veteran rapper. Read on for more interesting twists in rappers' careers.(Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic)

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MC Serch - When 3rd Bass rapper MC Serch recruited an unsigned Nas to rhyme on his solo single "Back to the Grill Again" in 1992, he was shocked to learn that the then 18-year-old MC, who was already making waves for his epic debut verse on Main Source's "Live at the BBQ," was unsigned. Serch shopped Nas's demo, inked him to Sony, and then executive-produced Illmatic, assembling a stellar roster of beatmakers. Serch went on to become a prominent radio and TV personality, hosting VH1's The (White) Rapper Show and various radio shows in the Detroit area.(Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

On Location: Q-Tip's Album Release Party - Q-Tip pays respect to hip hop's lyrical legend, Nasir Jones, during his album release party at The Bowery Hotel.

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Q-Tip - "One Love," one of the most touching and imaginative songs on Illmatic, was the first song Q-Tip produced outside of A Tribe Called Quest — another sign of just how hyped Nas was before his debut. Tip later produced classics for Mobb Deep, the Crooklyn Dodgers and Janet Jackson before leaving Tribe and launching his sporadic solo career. Though he's long toured the world as a DJ, his acclaimed 2008 album, The Renaissance, launched him back into the spotlight as an artist. He worked with Kanye West on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne before signing a deal with the superstar's imprint. He's currently working on The Last Zulu, his G.O.O.D. Music debut, which he hopes will include an ATCQ reunion.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com/Getty Images)

Large Professor - Large Pro's production work on Nas's Illmatic made him a legend, but before that he was probably better known on the mic as frontman and beatmaker for Main Source. Their 1991 debut, Breaking Atoms, is a slept-on classic.    (Photo: WENN)

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Large Professor - Legendary Main Source rapper/producer Large Professor discovered Nas, recruiting him to drop his jaw-dropping opening verse on "Live at the BBQ" in 1991. So it's only right that he produced three dusty tracks on Illmatic, "Halftime," "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "One Time 4 Your Mind," which anchor the LP. Large Pro launched an under appreciated solo career afterward, but he's stayed busy by producing for MCs including Slaugherhouse's Joell Ortiz, Action Bronson, AZ, Boot Camp Clik and others. In 2001, P reconnected with his protégé on "You're Da Man" and "Rewind," two highlights from Nas's Stillmatic.  More recently, he's been producing for and rapping alongside fellow Queens native N.O.R.E.(Photo: WENN.com)

Aimee Macauley - The original, unreleased Illmatic artwork reportedly featured Nas holding Jesus Christ in a headlock. Thankfully, instead of that needlessly provocative image, art director Aimee Macauley crafted the iconic, unforgettable album cover featuring a photo of a young Nas superimposed over a picture of his native Queensbridge housing project. The image perfectly encapsulated the vivid, first-person street narratives of the album. Macauley has continued to work as an acclaimed designer, with Will Smith, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and more.(Photo: Courtesy Commodi-t.com)

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Aimee Macauley - The original, unreleased Illmatic artwork reportedly featured Nas holding Jesus Christ in a headlock. Thankfully, instead of that needlessly provocative image, art director Aimee Macauley crafted the iconic, unforgettable album cover featuring a photo of a young Nas superimposed over a picture of his native Queensbridge housing project. The image perfectly encapsulated the vivid, first-person street narratives of the album. Macauley has continued to work as an acclaimed designer, with Will Smith, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and more.(Photo: Courtesy Commodi-t.com)

Pete Rock - Iconic beatmaker and MC, Pete Rock had already produced classics for Heavy D, Public Enemy and his go-to MC CL Smooth when he collab'ed with Nas. But the result, "The World Is Yours," is undoubtedly one of his greatest works, and arguably one of Nas's best songs as well. PR has recorded, DJ'ed and toured extensively since then, dropping several solo albums and producing for various rappers and singers. He recently thrust his name back in the spotlight by producing "The Joy" from Jay Z's and Kanye West's Watch the Throne.   (Photo: Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup)

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Pete Rock - Iconic beatmaker and MC, Pete Rock had already produced classics for Heavy D, Public Enemy and his go-to MC CL Smooth when he collab'ed with Nas. But the result, "The World Is Yours," is undoubtedly one of his greatest works, and arguably one of Nas's best songs as well. PR has recorded, DJ'ed and toured extensively since then, dropping several solo albums and producing for various rappers and singers. He recently thrust his name back in the spotlight by producing "The Joy" from Jay Z's and Kanye West's Watch the Throne.   (Photo: Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup)

Nas - Despite this amazing list of collaborators, Illmatic is primarily about Nas: his perspective, his raspy delivery, and above all, his virtuous mic skills. We don't need to tell you that he's become one of hip hop's greats in the years since Illmatic, dropping several acclaimed albums including his eleventh studio album, Life Is Good, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2012, and was widely praised as one of his best full-lengths in years. This year, to celebrate 20 years since his seminal debut, God's Son released Illmatic XX complete with remixes of all the originals, plus a bonus track; and he opened his first documentary, Time Is Illmatic, at the Tribeca Film Festival.(Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

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Nas - Despite this amazing list of collaborators, Illmatic is primarily about Nas: his perspective, his raspy delivery, and above all, his virtuous mic skills. We don't need to tell you that he's become one of hip hop's greats in the years since Illmatic, dropping several acclaimed albums including his eleventh studio album, Life Is Good, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2012, and was widely praised as one of his best full-lengths in years. This year, to celebrate 20 years since his seminal debut, God's Son released Illmatic XX complete with remixes of all the originals, plus a bonus track; and he opened his first documentary, Time Is Illmatic, at the Tribeca Film Festival.(Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)