Nas: Stillmatic (2LP) [COLUMBIA/LEGACY]

Why you'll love it

Stillmatic is back on vinyl as a 2LP set from Columbia/Legacy. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, went platinum, and gave the world "One Mic" and "Ether," his famous reply to Jay-Z's "Takeover."

This edition

• 2LP set
• Columbia/Legacy reissue (cat# 19958414521)

About the album

By 2001 Nas had a reputation to win back. Illmatic had made him a legend in 1994, the records since had chased a bigger, glossier sound, and the title Stillmatic told everybody exactly where he planned to pick up. He went back to street-level storytelling and big ideas: "One Mic" builds from a whisper to a roar and back again, "Rewind" tells its story in reverse, and "My Country" and "What Goes Around" take on politics and life in the projects.

Then there's "Ether," his answer to Jay-Z's "Takeover," which turned a rap feud into a spectator sport. The album sold more than 342,000 copies in its first week and over two million in the US, and it put Nas back at the top table for good. Twenty-five years on the debate about who won still hasn't settled, and we've been asked politely not to take sides at the till.

Tracklist

Listen

Out November 20, 2026 on Columbia/Legacy (cat# 19958414521), a reissue of the 2001 album.