How Nas Redefined the “NY State of Mind“

Nas’ debut album, 1994’s “Illmatic” is a masterpiece, and the song “N.Y. State of Mind” has become iconic. And, in typical DJ Premier fashion, the music matches the lyrics perfectly, so much so that we HAVE to talk about it. Today we’re going to break this song all the way down, get into the samples, that iconic bassline, and see how this song is a complete re-definition of the term “New York State of Mind” After initially recording this video, I had a few other things to add, but had already left for NY, so don’t mind the hand held shots. Also, watch to the end to see why I went to NY in the first place. ► STREAM THE SPOTIFY LISTENING GUIDE: Thank you to Markay Fairley adding the info about the chord - check him out here: __________________________________ ► JOIN THE DISCORD - ► Follow me on Instagram: ► Follow me on TikTok: ► BONUS CONTENT AVAILABLE AT __________________________________ SOURCES DJ Premier Discussing How The Song was made: Another Good Premier interview: Nas in conversation with Harvard Professor Elisa New: Awesome interactive map of the history of hip hop labels: __________________________________ TOPICS COVERED Nas DJ Premier New York State of Mind NY State of Mind Illmatic Hip Hop History Production Lyrics Frank Sinatra Billy Joel Bass line Music History Madison Square Garden King’s Disease