“If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” is a 1996 hit hip hop single by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. It is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of “Friends” by Whodini. The single was Nas’s first Top 20R&B hit, and was also nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Lauryn Hill’s verse interpolates the song “Walk Right Up To The Sun” by The Delfonics. The song’s lyrics feature Nas discussing the various things he would do if he “ruled the world and everything in it”.
Posted By:Â @djmikesessions
(Check Out Video After Jump)
“If I Ruled the World”, bolstered by a high-budget music video directed by Hype Williams, became Nas’s first single to gain mainstream notice. The single became a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (number 6), Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (number 17) chart, and the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart (number 15).
