"The World Is Yours" is a 1994 song by American rapper Nas, for his debut album, Illmatic. The song was released one month after the released as the album's fourth single. The song was written by Nas and Peter Phillips. The song is considered by music critics as one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever recorded; About.com ranked it seventh greatest rap song of all time.[1] It reached number 13 on the Hot Rap Singles chart in 1994. The song, produced by Pete Rock, samples Ahmad Jamal's I Love Music.
| "The World Is Yours" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Nas | ||||
| from the album Illmatic | ||||
| B-side | "The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)" | |||
| Released | May 31, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Battery Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Pete Rock | |||
| Nas singles chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
| "The World Is Yours" on YouTube | ||||
| "The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)" on YouTube | ||||
The song (including the title) and its accompanying video pay homage to the film Scarface. The song also references drug dealer/crime boss Howard "Pappy" Mason. The song also mentions the serial killer of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, which went, and still are, unsolved.
A remix of the song was produced by Q-Tip featuring similar but new lyrics; both it and the original were released by Columbia Records as singles, and promoted with music videos.
Sprite has put the title of this song on its cans and bottles in summer 2015 in part of their "Obey Your Verse" summer campaign which had rap lyrics on their cans. On January 28, 2019 it was certified gold by the RIAA.
Soundtrack appearances
editThe song was featured in the video games Tony Hawk's Underground and NBA 2K13. It can also be heard in a scene in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, and appears on the soundtrack for the 2008 film The Wackness. The song is also played in the 2015 film Dope.
Other cultural references
edit"The World Is Yours" was mentioned by Nas in his later songs "Got Ur Self A..." and "Firm Biz".
Single track listing
editA-Side
edit- "The World Is Yours" (4:51)
- "The World Is Yours" (Instrumental) (4:51)
B-Side
edit- "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix) (4:29)
- "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix Instrumental) (4:30)
Charts and certifications
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Certificationsedit
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References
edit- ^ Top 100 Rap Songs (1-10) at About.com Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – Nas – The World Is Yours". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Nas – The World Is Yours". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 12, 2019.