April 1994

Nas released his debut album Illmatic on April 19, 1994, at age 20. Widely considered the greatest hip-hop album ever made, it revitalized New York rap with its densely poetic lyrics and cinematic street portraits. It earned a perfect five-mic rating from The Source and has been in continuous critical conversation ever since.

OutKast (André 3000 and Big Boi) released Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik on April 26, 1994, introducing Atlanta's sound to a national audience. The album challenged the East Coast/West Coast binary that dominated rap and established the South as a major creative force in hip-hop.

André 3000 and Big Boi's debut album put Atlanta on the hip-hop map, went gold, and introduced a Southern, psychedelic alternative to the coastal rap dominance.