On this date in 1999, Queensbridge icon Nas launched his fourth full size studio album Nastradamus on the Unwell Will and Columbia imprint. Initially supposed because the second half of the deliberate double launch that started with I Am, the mission was reworked after widespread bootlegging pressured Nas to report new materials particularly for this album. The end result grew to become one of the crucial talked about releases of his profession on the finish of the millennium.

Powered by singles corresponding to “Challenge Home windows” that includes the legendary soul vocalist Ron Isley and the crossover hit “You Owe Me” that includes Ginuwine, Nastradamus shortly made its impression on each radio and the streets. The album was licensed platinum by the RIAA lower than a month after its launch, including one other business victory to Nas’ already historic run.

Manufacturing got here from a number of of the most important names of the period, together with Timbaland, Havoc of Mobb Deep, DJ Premier, and Dame Grease. The sound ranged from polished, futuristic membership vitality to uncooked New York grit, reflecting the twin worlds Nas was navigating on the time.

Nastradamus could usually be mentioned within the shadow of his earlier classics, however the album stays an vital chapter in his catalog and within the story of Queensbridge music on the flip of a brand new century. Singles from the mission nonetheless resonate, and the album stands as a part of the muse that carried Nas ahead into the following many years of his profession.

Salute to Nas for delivering one other useful piece of hip hop historical past.