[youtube id=”3hOZaTGnHU4″]Nas’s “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was one of the songs to appear on his 1994 debut album Illmatic. The Large Professor’s production included an instantly recognizable sample of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.” In his lyrics, Nas promised therapeutic effects on his listeners and explained how rapping was as essential to him as taking the next breath. His poetic delivery mesmerized rap fans, colleagues and the music industry. He was initially thought of as the next Rakim until it became clear that his voice was its own force. The video was a tribute to the film Wild Style and parts of it was shot on the same stage used for the last scene from the movie. “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” has been copiously sampled and Illmatic is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever released. Nas saw the release of The Lost Tapes 2 in 2019.Â
