I Was There When Nas First Got on a Record

Every hip hop fan alive knows Illmatic. It drops in 1994 and the world shifts on its axis. Nas becomes Nas. But here's what people don't talk about — that wasn't the first time Nasir Jones was on a record. That happened two years earlier, in 1992, on MC Serch's "Back to the Grill." And I was right there on that same track.

Serch was coming off his run with 3rd Bass and was putting together his solo work. He had an ear for talent that was genuinely extraordinary — the man could walk into a room and identify a generational artist before anyone else had a clue. When he brought in this kid from Queensbridge, quiet, focused, absolutely locked in — I paid attention immediately.

"Nas didn't come in the room talking. He came in the room listening. Then he opened his mouth and everybody went silent. That's how you know. That's always how you know."

What struck me wasn't just the lyrics — it was the maturity. He was a teenager and he rapped like a man who'd already lived three lifetimes. The imagery, the cadence, the way he held the pocket — you don't learn that. You either have it or you don't. Nas had it in a way I hadn't heard since Rakim.

That record came out and the underground felt it immediately. By the time Illmatic arrived, the people who'd been paying attention already knew what was coming. I was one of those people. I was on the track that announced him to the world.

I don't say this to steal any shine from one of the greatest MCs to ever do it. I say it because history deserves to be complete. "Back to the Grill" was a landmark moment — and the Chubbster was standing right in the middle of it.

— Chubb Rock  |  The Chubbster