Nas - If I Ruled The World (imagine That) (official Hd Video) Ft. Lauryn Hill Apr 2026

: The video begins with a 30-second snippet of "The Message," another track from the album, intended to reassure fans that Nas hadn't lost his harder lyrical edge despite the more melodic lead single. Commercial Success & Legacy

: The track reworks the 1985 classic "If I Ruled the World" by Kurtis Blow and samples the beat from Whodini’s 1984 hit "Friends" .

Directed by , the high-budget official HD video became a staple on MTV. : The video begins with a 30-second snippet

: Moments like Nas rapping on top of a limousine symbolized his newfound fame while asserting that he remained a "man of his people".

: Williams juxtaposed scenes of Nas and Hill on a flatbed truck in Times Square with gritty footage of Nas among friends in the childhood Queensbridge Projects . : Moments like Nas rapping on top of

Nas uses the song to envision a world free from the hardships he witnessed in his community.

Produced by the (Poke and Tone), the song was a calculated move to expand Nas’s audience after the underground success of Illmatic . Produced by the (Poke and Tone), the song

: The song features a soulful chorus by Lauryn Hill , marking her first major musical appearance outside of The Fugees. Her interpolation of The Delfonics' "Walk Right Up to the Sun" added a melodic grace that balanced Nas’s gritty lyricism. Lyrical Themes: A Hood Utopia