It Ain't Hard to Tell by Nas (prod. Large Professor)

It's hard to find anything new to say about the most prolific album in Hip Hop. At the age of 19 the Queensbridge MC began recording his debut classic Illmatic. Despite it's historical significance in Hip Hop, it was in reality a commercial flop. Nas was in fact rejected by Russel Simmons for a contract with Def Jam, claiming that he sounded "Too much like G Rap." Illmatic is in fact a landmark in Hip Hop, bridging the gap between the mid-90s east coast gangster rap and Native Tongues style jazz hop that preceded it. With the aid of such super producers as DJ Premier, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, LES and Large Professor, Nas was provided jazzy soundscapes that were perfect for his effortless flow and intricate vocabulary. Really what makes Illmatic the classic it is today is  Nas' sophisticated street poetry paired with the alliance of some of the greatest producers of the 1990s (or perhaps ever).

But one producer in particular shared a relationship with Nas prior to the release of his acclaimed debut. Sometime in the late 1980s Nasty Nas had met producer and rapper Large Professor of the Hip Hop group Main Source. Nas would soon go to the same studio that legendary MCs Rakim and Kool G Rap were recording and would record his own material when the booth wasn't being used. In 1991, Extra P would put Nas onto Main Source's 1991 classic release Breaking Atoms. On the song "Live at the Barbeque" Nasir would display his lyrical prowess with the line,

Verbal assassin, my architect pleases / When I was twelve, I went to hell for snuffin Jesus

In, 1992 Nas would then be managed by 3rd Bass member MC Serch. Serch would go on shopping for a record deal, eventually putting his demo in the hands of Faith Newman, an A&R at Sony Music Entertainment. Faith wouldn't let Serch leave the office until a deal was on the table with Columbia Records. Recording for Illmatic would begin immediately at D&D Studios as Serch assumed the role of executive producer.

 

Around the time Nas had earned this deal he had previously asked Large Pro to be his executive producer. But Extra P was unable to commit to the project due to a messy break up he was going through with Main Source. 

“I wanted him to executive-produce that record, but he told me that I had to do it on my own. I was like, ‘Please! Executive produce my album.’ And he said, ‘Yo, my shit isn’t even straight.’”

However his involvement with the album was still substantial, acting as a mentor even down to the writing process. Large Professor would edit Nas' rhymes, making sure what was being rhymed was top notch.

“He helped me because I only knew half of what was going on, I knew about the pen touching the paper. Paul knew that too, but he also knew to tell me, ‘Don’t say this. Take that out. Why would you say this? That makes you look crazy! This word don’t make no sense.’” He taught me everything.”

Considering their history of work together, it would only make sense that the first two singles released on Illmatic were both produced by Large Professor. Both of these singles would be on the demo tape the A&R execs at Sony. The second single, "It Ain't Hard to Tell" exhibits the Large Professor's talents.




  

LP's masterful blend of 4 different samples is what is so impressive here. To start off, the most recognizable sample is by far Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" from his legendary album Thriller. Large Pro utilizes Quincy Jones' synthesizer and gives it a high end filter.




Sample appears at 0:05 and 3:33

The track is then filled out with a drum break that drives the beat. This is sampled from Stanley Clarke's Modern Man. Clarke is a Jazz bassist who is known for his compositions on double bass. This particular album was recorded at Electric Lady studios, known to be where Jimi Hendrix recorded his best work. The drum break sampled here is the work of Jeff Porcaro, the most recorded drummer in music as well as a founding member of the Grammy award winning band Toto. Coincidentally Jeff's brother and fellow bandmate Steve Porcaro wrote "Human Nature" for Michael Jackson.




Sample appears at 0:00

While the melody is provided by Quincy Jones and the drums provided by Porcaro, the skeleton of the beat is established. LP takes the extra step to further layer his composition. In the background of the mix shouting can be heard echoing over the blaring bassline. This is sampled from "Long Red" by  Long Island, NY rock band, Mountain. The voice that is sampled is the vocalist Leslie West. The recording comes from a 1972 live album called Live: The Road Goes Ever On, and was issued after the band had broken up due to the lead singer's drug addiction and weariness of touring the road.

Sample appears at 0:22

Finally the sax sounding in the distance at 0:06 of the beat come from Kool & the Gang's live version of "N.T.". This is song has been a popular source of sampling for a number of acts such as Boogie Down Productions, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and N.W.A. Large Professor would be sampling this song for a second time in fact, having once used the same tenor sax riffs for Main Source's "Scratch & Kut". However this time LP reworks the sax into a filtered loop adding an additional layer to the melody.




Sample appears at 3:12 

In addition to the genius craftsmanship of this beat, Nas laces the track with intelligent lyricism that reminds you that you are listening to a teenager with wisdom beyond his years. Illmatic is said to be one of the greatest albums of all time for a reason, and while I do think that there could never be an absolute greatest album in Hip Hop (because there are so many), I do think it holds a well deserved place as being a classic among classics. However, if there is one figure in Hip Hop that does not get enough credit, it would be the Large Professor. As a guide to Nas, LP had truly showed one of the greatest to grab the mic, what it takes to be the greatest.