April 19

6 hip-hop anniversaries on April 19

1. 1965

   Suge Knight is born

   Suge Knight is born in Compton.

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   Today in hip-hop history — 1965: Suge Knight is born. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/suge-knight-born

2. 1994

   Illmatic is released

   Illmatic is released.

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   Today in hip-hop history — 1994: Illmatic is released. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/illmatic-released

3. 1994

   Nas releases 'Illmatic'

   Columbia issues the debut LP by 20-year-old Nasir Jones of Queensbridge. Across ten tracks, Nas works with a small bench of producers — DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Large Professor, L.E.S. — and writes himself into the …

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   Today in hip-hop history — 1994: Nas releases 'Illmatic'. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/illmatic-released-1994

4. 1994

   "N.Y. State of Mind" is released

   "N.Y. State of Mind" is released.

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   Today in hip-hop history — 1994: "N.Y. State of Mind" is released. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/n-y-state-of-mind-song-released

5. 1994

   Nas releases 'N.Y. State of Mind' on 'Illmatic'

   Columbia issues 'N.Y. State of Mind' as the second track on Nas's debut LP Illmatic. Produced by DJ Premier and built on samples of Joe Chambers's 'Mind Rain' and Donald Byrd's 'Flight Time,' the track's nine-minute synt…

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   Today in hip-hop history — 1994: Nas releases 'N.Y. State of Mind' on 'Illmatic'. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/ny-state-of-mind-released-1994

6. 2010

   Guru (Gang Starr) dies of cancer

   Keith Edward Elam — half of Gang Starr with DJ Premier and the architect of the Jazzmatazz solo series (which made hip-hop's collaboration with live jazz musicians a sustained commercial proposition) — dies at 48 of mult…

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   Today in hip-hop history — 2010: Guru (Gang Starr) dies of cancer. https://hiphopstorian.com/timeline/moment/guru-died-2010