Nas recently won his first Grammy, and now his crowning achievement will be housed in the Library of Congress.
Nas’s debut album, Illmatic, was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress on Wednesday.
The album Illmatic was a true “cultural reset.” The album, released in 1994, was one of the first times a rapper enlisted many top producers for a single project. Nas was also able to mix aware lyrics with bars relatable to his Queensbridge Houses surroundings at the age of 20. Artists have continued to imitate this duality and approach to making a project.
Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, selected Illmatic as one of 25 audio recordings worthy of preservation. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints Go Marching In,” Kool & The Gang’s Celebrate!, Kermit the Frog’s “The Rainbow Link,” and other classic recordings were selected from nearly 1,000 submissions.
Hayden said when announcing the new inductees, “The National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years.” Adding that, “We received about 900 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry, and we welcome the public’s input as the Library of Congress and its partners preserve the diverse sounds of history and culture.”
With the addition of these new recordings, the total number of audio parts inducted into the National Recording Registry now stands at 575. This is just a small sample of the library’s recorded sound archive, which contains nearly 3 million objects.
