The World Is Yours (Nas song)

"The World Is Yours"
Single by Nas
from the album Illmatic
B-side	"The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)"
Released	May 31, 1994 (1994-05-31)
Recorded	1992
Studio	Battery Studios (New York City)
Genre	East Coast hip hop jazz rap boom bap
Length	4:51
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Nasir Jones Peter Phillips
Producer(s)	Pete Rock
Nas singles chronology
"Life's a Bitch" (1994) "The World Is Yours" (1994) "One Love" (1994)
Music videos
"The World Is Yours" on YouTube
"The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)" on YouTube

"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 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

The 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

"The World Is Yours" was mentioned by Nas in his later songs "Got Ur Self A..." and "Firm Biz".

Single track listing

A-Side

1. "The World Is Yours" (4:51)
2. "The World Is Yours" (Instrumental) (4:51)

B-Side

1. "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix) (4:29)
2. "The World Is Yours" (Tip Mix Instrumental) (4:30)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[2] 14 US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[3] 6 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 67 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[5] 27

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 200,000^‡ United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^‡ ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Top 100 Rap Songs (1-10) at About.com Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
2. "Nas Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
3. "Nas Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
4. "Nas Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
5. "Nas Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
6. "British single certifications – Nas – The World Is Yours". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
7. "American single certifications – Nas – The World Is Yours". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 12, 2019.