"N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Nas, taken from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Premier additionally scratches vocals from Eric B. & Rakim's "Mahogany" for the song's chorus. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences (Kool G Rap would later sample this song, plus give Nas a guest spot on his album 4,5,6). A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am.... An early version of the song can be found on Nas' demo tape under the name "I'm a Villain." It was rumored that a track entitled "N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. III" was scheueled to be released in an Nas's upcoming album "The Lost Tapes 2", but it is unknown if this is true.
Read more about N.Y. State Of Mind: Critical Acclaim, Sampling
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