Pete Rock

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Lore & Background

Pete Rock's role in the Nas universe centers on his production and co-writing of "The World Is Yours" from Illmatic (1994). The track samples Ahmad Jamal's "I Love Music" and T La Rock and Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours," and Rock himself sings the chorus. The song pays homage to the film Scarface and references drug dealer Howard "Pappy" Mason and the unknown serial killer of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. A remix of the song, produced by Q-Tip, was also released as a single by Columbia Records, alongside the original. Both versions were promoted with music videos. In summer 2015, Sprite put the song's title on its cans and bottles as part of their "Obey Your Verse" campaign. The song has appeared in video games Tony Hawk's Underground, NBA 2K13, and NBA 2K26, as well as in the films Antwone Fisher (2002), The Wackness (2008), and Dope (2015). Nas later mentioned the song in his tracks "Got Ur Self a Gun" and "Firm Biz." The Tip Mix of "The World Is Yours" has been sampled in many rap songs, including tracks by Logic, Joey Bada$$, and Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents," which itself has been reinterpreted by Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller.

In Their Own Story

In the studio, Pete Rock laid down the beat for "The World Is Yours," sampling Ahmad Jamal's "I Love Music" and T La Rock and Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours." He sang the chorus himself, while Nas wrote lyrics that referenced the film Scarface, drug dealer Howard "Pappy" Mason, and the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. The single was released in May 1994 by Columbia Records and reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. On January 28, 2019, it was certified Gold by the RIAA. Years later, the song's title appeared on Sprite cans in summer 2015 as part of their "Obey Your Verse" campaign.

Reader's Guide

To understand Pete Rock's contribution to Nas's catalog, focus on "The World Is Yours" from Illmatic (1994). He produced the track, co-wrote it with Nas, and sang the chorus. The song samples Ahmad Jamal's "I Love Music" and T La Rock and Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours." It was released as a single in May 1994 by Columbia Records, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. A remix by Q-Tip was also released as a single. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 28, 2019. It has appeared in video games Tony Hawk's Underground, NBA 2K13, and NBA 2K26, and in the films Antwone Fisher (2002), The Wackness (2008), and Dope (2015). Nas referenced the song in his later tracks "Got Ur Self a Gun" and "Firm Biz." The Tip Mix has been sampled by Logic, Joey Bada$$, and Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents," which was later reinterpreted by Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller.

Did You Know?

• Pete Rock sang the chorus on "The World Is Yours."
• The song samples Ahmad Jamal's "I Love Music" from The Awakening and T La Rock and Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours."
• "The World Is Yours" was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 28, 2019.
• The song's title was printed on Sprite cans in summer 2015 as part of their "Obey Your Verse" campaign.
• The Tip Mix of the song has been sampled in Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents," which was later reinterpreted by Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller.