Beat Breakdowns Vol 3: Illmatic Special

5. "Halftime" – Produced by Large ProfessorThe first of two Large Professor instrumentals we explore is an up-tempo vibe created by trumpets, bass and tambourine that Nas rhymes over. Containing three samples:

Vocals and instrumentals from "School Boy Crush" by Average White BandBass from "Dead End" by Japanese Hair CastWhile the trumpets are from "Soul "Travelin' Pt. I (The G.B.E.)" by Gary Byrd

This was actually Nas first single. Fun fact: Busta Rhymes was offered the beat but passed on even though he love it, he didn't know what to write to it!4. "Onelove" – Produced by Q-TipThe track is in fact the early version of "Memory Lane" produced by DJ Premier. Q-Tip talks about the process, his inspiration for "One Love" and sheds light on their conversation about the production of the song:

I told him, ‘Yo, I’m going to give you some spooky sounding shit for your album.’ And Nas was like, ‘Yeah, I need that to capture the feel of what I’m saying. I need that crazy, mysterious shit.’ So that was the vibe of ‘One Love.’ I knew that it was going to be a classic track. I just knew it. It’s one of those special songs that when you work on it you know what it’s going to be."One Love" samples the piano and double bass from "Smilin' Billy Suite Part II" (1975) by the Heath Brothers. Additionally it contains a drum break from Parliament's "Come In Out the Rain" (1970), to add to the song's mystical and hypnotic soundscape!

3. "The World Is Yours" – Produced by Pete RockPete Rock draws from blues and some avant-garde jazz compositions. The track features scratches from Rock, mellow piano and drums. The song also contains one sample an one interpolation. The piano is sampled from "I Love Music" by Ahmad Jamal Trio & parts of the hook is an interpolation of "Its Yours" by T La Rock

Rock breaks down the process of the record and describes Nas as "the most incredible lyricist he's ever worked with"

2. "It Ain´t Hard To Tell" – Produced by Large ProfessorThis song was produced by long-time collaborator and mentor of Nas, Large Professor. Large Professor, also known as Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential underground hip hop group Main Source

The track contains 4 samples:

Multiple elements from Human Nature by Michael JacksonRiff from "N.T" by Kool and The GangDrums from "Slow Dance" by Stanley ClarkVocals from "Long Red" by Mountain

It opens with guitars and synths of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature"; the song's vocals are sampled for the intro and chorus sections, creating a swirling mix of horns and tweaked-out voices. Large Professor looped in drum samples from Stanley Clarke's "Slow Dance" and saxophone from Kool & the Gang's "N.T." While you can hear background vocals shouting yeah from "Long Red". The production has an up-beat vibe and lighten mood with braggadocio rhymes!1. "NY State Of Mind" – Produced by DJ PremierPossibly Nas' most iconic record, "NY State Of Mind" is hip hop in it's purest form. The beat samples Joe Chambers' instrumental jazz composition, "Mind Rain". DJ Premier emphasized the lower tones of this sample, while complimenting with an alternate higher toned melody. The drums are consistent to Primo's classic boom-bap sound, and the inclusion off bass throughout provides a strong structure for Nas to flow on smoothly

At the beginning of this song, there is a portion without the sampled piano and a synthed high-pitch sound, higher than any piano note. This sound came from another jazz track, Donald Byrd's "Flight Time." Premier has said that this whole song was originally one verse, but he added the hook in the middle to give the audience a chance to digest the first verse and not be overwhelmed by one extremely long/complex verse!