Made You Look

Nas has had a career of generally consistent excellence, punctuated with a few lulls. He's an incredibly skilled rapper sometimes accused of having a tin ear when it comes to choosing beats – especially on albums (and the entirety of 'Illmatic' aside, obviously). Made You Look was a shot in the arm for Nas at a time when he'd shed some of his core, street fanbase. After the unfocussed Nastradamus and I Am… albums he'd had a return to some kind of form with Stillmatic, but many felt he came off second best in the ensuing battle with Jay Z.

This single, a club and street classic almost from the moment it dropped, is exactly what he needed to reconnect with his fans and to show he could still throw down.