Rank SinatraStart voting
▶ Listen and vote
Song tier list
N.Y. State of Mind
Nas
?No votes yet. Be the first to rank it.
Vote on this song
- Album
- Illmatic
- Released
- 1994
- Genres
- east coast hip hop, old school hip hop, hip hop
- Length
- 4:54
- Tempo
- 84 BPM
- Label
- Columbia
▶ Listen and vote
About this song
The track is built on a DJ Premier beat, and its chorus samples a Rakim line from Gang Starr's "Mahogany." DJ Premier said the beat was his second for Illmatic, with the melody taken from Joe Chambers' "Mind Rain," and Nas wrote the verse as the track played. Premier later produced a sequel for Nas' third album, I Am..., and Alicia Keys used the beat for her 2003 track "Streets of New York." Complex ranked it ninth on its list of the 100 greatest hip-hop beats of all time.
What it's about
Nas describes the feeling and sound of New York at that time, with the song capturing what was on people's minds. He has said it still feels timeless because the city's struggles and energy have stayed much the same.
Fun facts
- Samples “Mahogany by Eric B. & Rakim” and “Mind Rain by Joe Chambers”.
- Sampled in 81 other songs.
- Covered 2 times, including “Remy Ma & Papoose | Funk Flex | #Freestyle027 by Remy Ma (Ft. Papoose)”.
- Written by Nas and DJ Premier.
- Produced by DJ Premier.