Nasir Jones's 1994 debut Illmatic announced him as the heir to Rakim's lyrical crown. Dropping effortless rap poetics over production by an east coast dream team of Q-Tip, Large Professor, Pete Rock, L.E.S. and DJ Premier, the album was acclaimed as a classic upon its release. '96's It Was Written saw Nas giving off commercial glances, and his projects since have balanced rugged street anthems with moves towards the charts and clubs. At heart though, it ain't hard to tell that Nas is simply his generation's finest lyricist.