Nas burst right out of the box with a classic: his 1994 Columbia debut, which teamed him with Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Large Professor and Pete Rock. The absolutely killer beats they contributed back Nas's swaggering, street-tough rhymes; this album was the epicenter of NYC rap in '94 and it sounds every bit as raw and powerful today: "N.Y. State of Mind," "Halftime," "It Ain't Hard to Tell," "Represent," "One Time 4 Your Mind," "One Love," "Life's a Bitch" and more.

1 The Genesis
2 N.Y. State of Mind
3 Life S a Bitch
4 The World Is Yours
5 Halftime
6 Memory Lane (Sittin in Da Park)
7 One Love
8 One Time 4 Your Mind
9 Represent
10 It Ain't Hard to Tell