The hip-hop fairies seem to have leaned over his cradle, so much does the artist breathe this music and the culture that goes with it. Nas was spotted very young by the godfathers of New York rap, and the impression they leave him with the keys seems almost obvious. On Illmatic, the productions of magicians like DJ Premier, Pete Rock or even Large Professor strongly support the flow of the rhyme virtuoso. The track “New York State of Mind” is one of the anthems of the golden generation of New York hip-hop. - (“excerpt from the Fnac Ideal Record Collection guide”)