The ‘Illmatic’ Influence Infographic

[mortuus est]

This is the Illmatic Influence Infographic, a color-coded chart that shows (probably) all of the songs that currently use a sample from Illmatic.

Illustrations by @SheaSerrano

full image here for those that cant see

http://espngrantland.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/illmatic-infographic-final-red.jpg

Nas’s Illmatic, which turns 20 tomorrow, has been sampled (at least) 312 times since he ripped it from a poisonous, deadly, extra-dense chunk of Queensbridge, New York, concrete and turned it into a consumable part of rap history. This is remarkable when you consider that the album is only 10 tracks long; more still given that one of those 10 is an intro that’s less than two minutes in duration.

If you don’t count the aforementioned intro, that means Illmatic has been sampled an average of 35.4 times for every song on the album. I can’t see your face right now, so I’m not sure if you’ve interpreted 35.4 as a large number or not, so here: To place this stat in narrow, genre-specific context, Biggie’s Ready to Die, also released in 1994, also accepted as a classic, and also featuring a child on the cover, has been sampled an average of 20.8 times per song. And really, even this number is swollen; “Juicy” alone has been nabbed 108 times. No other song on the album gets even half that.

Another: Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt (1996), also accepted as classic, earned a meager 5.0 average for per-song samples. (I am left to assume that his low, low average is, at least in part, due to his album cover having zero kids on it.)

Biggie was deified after his tragic death and Hova married Beyoncé, but Nas crushes them both here.

So, duh, Nas is impressive. Illmatic is impressive. This samples-per-song stat is impressive. And now it’s quantified.

This is the Illmatic Influence Infographic, a color-coded chart that shows (probably) all of the songs that currently use a sample from Illmatic.

I can’t think of one single reason someone would need to know any of this other than to know it. But sometimes that’s the point.

 

[Street Knowledge]

Illmatic classic shoulda went triple

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

I didn't even need that infographic to know that. I've collected Nas sample thought the years (and stopped at one point so a lot were add since) but it aint hard to tell is probably the song where the lyrics were the most sampled in rap history

check this worked I have done

Spoiler

"I'm out for presidents to represent me"
"I'm out for dead fukkin' presidents to represent me"

"The world is yours (Q-tip remix)" ------------> Jay Z "Dead presidents pt I and II"

"Somehow the rap game reminds me of the crack game"

"Represent" -------------> Jay Z "Rap game / crack game"
-------------> Shabazz The Disciple "Organized Rime Pt 2" (Lyrical Key)

"Who's the best" "Ain't no best"

"Ether" ------------> Jin "Top 5 (dead or alive)"

"I had to hustle hard, never give up"

"Hate me now" ----------------> Masta Ace "Da grind"

"I was destined to come"
"What you expected"
"That's a clever nikka, nothin to play with"
"Blame God, he blew breath in my lungs"

"Hate me now" --------------> Az "I don't give a fukk"

"Pay homage, respect"
"Acknowledge the rep"

"John Blaze" --------------> Masta Ace "Acknoledge"

"nikkaz is this and that, I'm just the best"

"John Blaze" ----------------> 50 Cent "fukk you"

"My poetry's deep"

"It ain't hard to tell" --------------> Tragedy Khadafi "The truth"

"Speak with criminal slang"
"Vocabulary spills, I'm ill"

"It ain't hard to tell" ---------------> Big L "Ebonics"

"When I was twelve, I went to hell for snuffin Jesus"

"Live at the BBQ" ------------------> Big L "Devil's son"

"I'm waving automatic guns at nuns"

"Back to the grill" ------------------> Big L "Devil's son"

"Bettin' grants with the celo champs"

"N.Y state of mind" -----------------> Kool G Rap "4,5,6"

"I excel, then prevail"

"It ain't hard to tell" -----------------> Group Home "Inna city life"

"Mentally and sexual"
"Can't forget how I met you"

"You won't see me tonight" -----------------> Masta Ace "Bklyn masala"

"I'll leave your brain stimulated, nikkaz is frozen"

"It ain't hard to tell" ------------------> Buckshot "Food for thought"

"New York, New York"

"N.Y state of mind pt II" -----------------> Beastie Boys "Open letter to N.Y.C"

"Half man, half amazin"

"It ain't hard to tell" ------------------> Method Man "Half man, half amazin"
------------------> Cunninlynguists "Half animal"

"I need a new nikka"

"The world is yours" ---------------> Eminem "Jealousy woes"

"This ain't rappin, this is street hop, now get up off your ass like your seats hot"

"Made you look" -----------------> Erick Sermon "Street hop"

"I leave 'em froze like heroin in your nose"

"It ain't hard to tell" -------------------> Real Live "Real Live shyt"

"Ghetto celebrities"

"Escobar '97" ----------------> DJ Cam " Ghetto supastar"

"Even the most greatest nation in the world has it comin back to 'em"

"What goes around" -----------------> Mr R " Depuis le 11/09"

"If I, ever make a record
I take a check and put something away for a rainy day to make my exit
but look at me now"

"You're da man" ------------------> Killa Sha "Look at me now"
------------------> KRS One "Nas tribute"

"You know it's like that" "It's like that"
"You never get the mic back" "I got it hemmed"
"When I attack, there ain't an army that could strike back"

"Halftime" ------------------> Ali Vegas "It's like that"

"Philosophical gangsta"

"Thief's theme" ------------------> Apathy "Philosophical gangsta"

"Understandable smooth shyt that murderers move with"

"The world is yours" --------------------> Ras Kass "Understandable smooth"
Freddie Gibbs "Thug psalms"

"Survival of the fittest"

"Rule" -----------------------> Gangstarr "In this life..."

"You know you got the mad fat fluid when you rhyme"

"Halftime" ---------------------> Pete Rock/Deda "Press rewind"

"I'm like extasy for ladies"

"Nas is like" ---------------------> DJ Cam "X-tasy 4 ladies"

"I rap for listeners, blunt head, fly ladies and prisoners"

"Memory lane (Sittin' in da park)" ---------------------> Pete Rock/Deda "Nothing more"

"The smooth criminal on beat breaks
Never put my in your box if your shyt eats tapes"

"N.Y state of mind" --------------------------> Blueprint "Boombox"

"Left the nine at home" "Like my style" "?"
"Blow the herb smoke through my nose" "Words of wisdom"

"One love" --------------------------> Prefuse 73 "Nuno"

"The hot spot full of mad criminals"

"Represent" ------------------------> Scientifik "Criminal"

"I heard Craig Mack back to the studio"

"Where are they now ?" ------------------------> Craig Mack "I heard"

"Invasion"

"It ain't hard to tell" ------------------------> Jeru The Damaja "Invasion"

"I'ma addict for sneakers"

"N.Y state of mind" ------------------------> Raekwon "Sneakers"

"I melt mics till the soundwaves over"

"Live at the BBQ" ------------------------> Jedi Mind Tricks "Kublai khan"

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

I didn't even need that infographic to know that. I've collected Nas sample thought the years (and stopped at one point point so a lot were add) but it aint hard to tell is probably the song where the lyrics were the most sampled rap song of history

check this worked I have done

suite

Spoiler

"Braveheart"

"?" ------------------------> Jedi Mind Tricks "Kublai khan"

"Too dark to see tomorrow"

"The world is yours" ------------------------> ATK "20 ans"

"It's like that, you know it's like that......there ain't an army that could strike back"

"Halftime" --------------------------> Army of pharaohs "Strike back"

"The table turn"

"John Blaze" --------------------------> Gangstarr "Piece maker"

"Beyond the walls of intelligence"

"N.Y state of mind" --------------------------> O.C "Beyond"

"Rae told me out in Shaolin"

"Last real nikka alive" --------------------------> AC "Rae told me"

"Hellfire can't scorch me"

"Affirmative action" --------------------------> Cunninlynguists "Hellfire"

"This is war" "This is life and I am the hardest"

"The general" --------------------------> Wisemen "Mixture of Muhammad"

"Professional level"

"Got ur self a gun" --------------------------> O.C "The professional"

"Here's another classic"

"Stillmatic (intro)" --------------------------> O.C "The professional"

"What up with Cormega, did you see him, are y'all together ?"

"One love" --------------------------> Cormega "One love"

"Born alone, die alone" "Bust the problems of the world today"

"The world is yours" --------------------------> Termanology "Born alone, die alone"

"It's a dirty game, is any men worthy of fame ?"

"Nas is like" --------------------------> Termanology "Born alone, die alone"

"I'm the N the A to the S-I-R"

"You're da man" --------------------------> KRS One "Nas tribute"

"Peeps that's into drug money, market into rap"

"Memory lane (Sittin' in da park)" ---------------------> Az "Animal"

"There's a long list of high-profile celebrities" "Street legends"

"Get down" ---------------------> Blaq Poet "Legendary"

"Keepin' it gangsta wit' ya"

"Got ur self a gun" ---------------------> Kurupt "Yes sir"

"Wild golden child"

"The world is yours" ---------------------> Ras Kass "Golden chyld"

"Know a brother stay mad hungry"

"Hey Nas" ---------------------> Pitch Black "Get it locked"

"What defines my name"

"Nas is like" ---------------------> Braille "The IV edition"

"And best friends become strangers"

"The message" ---------------------> Oktober Zero "Name in vain"

"Out in New York the same shyt is going on"

"One love" ---------------------> Double AB "New York"

"To my man" "God bless your life"

"The world is yours" ---------------------> K-Hill "A letter to Sick L"

"Here come his crazy soldier"

"Small world" ---------------------> Doap Nixon "The wait is over"

"Overstand the mental poison"

"What goes around" ---------------------> Madlib "Black Mozart (Opus II)"

"Jam like a tech with correct techniques"

"It ain't hard to tell" ---------------------> Jean Grae "Ahead of the game"

"It's like that, you know it's like that"
"I got it hemmed now you never get the mic back"

"Halftime" ---------------------> Bahamadia "Rugged Ruff"

"Here I am" "Yep" "I'm the man"

"Virgo" -----------> Ludacris "MVP"

"Yeah, shorty don't care she's a snake too,
fukking with them nikkas from that fake crew that hate you"

"One love" ----------> Ras Kass "Medusa"

"Street legends"

"Get down" -------------> Blue Sky Black Death "Street legends"

"Another verse and you might be dead"

"Halftime" --------> East Coast Avengers "Vengeance"

"I excel"

"It ain't hard to tell" ----------> MC Solaar "Leve toi et rappe"

"It's like that yo"

"Memory lane (Sittin in da park)" ---------> Ni2G-Phy "L'âme d'un gangster"

"Life is parallel to hell but I must maintain"

"N.Y state of mind" --------> Different Teep "Vies"

"The projects"

"?" --------> Joell Ortiz "Project boy"

"Wisdom be leakin out my grapefruit troop"
"End like Leviathan, it's deep well let me try again"

"It ain't hard to tell" -------> Rakim "Shades of black (remix)"

"Pharaohs"

"Nas is like" --------> Army of pharaohs "Strike back"

"It's logic, as long as that's nobody that's in my clique"

"Affirmative action" -------> Canibus "It's logic"

"My intellect prevails, from a hangin cross with nails"
"I reinforce the frail, with lyrics that's real"

"Memory lane (Sittin' in da park)" ------> Laster "Searching for meaning"

"Thug poet"

"Nas is like" ------> Kobe Bryant "Thug poet"

"Born alone, die alone"

"The world is yours" ------> Az "Mo money, mo murder"

"Love changes" "Friends become strangers"

"The message" -----> Jaz O & The Immobilarie "Love is gone"

"No time for looking back, it's done"

"One love" -------> Reks "25th hour"

"Slammin' mc's on cemment"

"Live at the BBQ" ------> The Beatnuts "Slam pit"

"This is exercise til the microphone dies"

"Halftime" ------> Munk Wit Da Funk "Exersize"

"Not bisexual, I'm an intellectual
Of rap, I'm a professional and that's no question, yo"

"Halftime" ------> The Concept of Alps "No question"

"Check me out, yo"

"Halftime" --------> Miilkbone "Check me out"

"Back in '83, I was an ** sparking
But I was too scared to grab the ** in the park and

"Halftime" ---------> Peanut Butter Wolf "The Chronicles (I Will Always Love H.E.R.)"

 

[the cac mamba]

Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt (1996), also accepted as classic, earned a meager 5.0 average for per-song samples..

 

[Poitier]

Nasir Bin Olu-Dara Jones

 

[Danie84]

...name a rapper that I ain't influenced

 

[JuvenileHell]

That's my goat