This section of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” was sampled by Large Professor in Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard To Tell.”

Large Professor is one of hip-hop’s most distinguished producers, not only producing 3 tracks on “Illmatic,” but being the first in hip-hop to bring various producers together to work on one project.

Born in Harlem and raised in Queens, Large Professor has worked with several of New York’s hip-hop legends, including Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Large Professor also produced “Halftime” and “One Time 4 Your Mind” on Illmatic.

Large stated that he and Nas thought beyond sounds and production chops, really focusing in on the overarching production and presentation of Illmatic.

Large Professor thinks of “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” as having a celebratory sound that captures New York City at that time, describing it as “jovial, but also scuffed and muddy sounding.”

Large’s vision was to take Michael Jackson’s smooth & soulful “Human Nature” and make it gritty.

He states that at the time he and Nas were less concerned about the legal repercussions of sampling Michael Jackson, and more so with the creative process.

Large Professor said that Nas wanted him to take executive production credits on Illmatic, but he refused and emphasized his respect for Nas’ lyrics and vocals that he feels really made the album.

Nas says that “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was special for him because Michael Jackson is one of his favorites, and the final version on Illmatic was the demo he particularly wanted to use among several other demos Large Professor had produced.

Nas remembers “Human Nature” as a big record, and felt beyond fortunate to have the track cleared as a sample on Illmatic.

He says it happened because he ended up signing with the same label Michael Jackson was on, which allowed the sample to be cleared.

“Right Here” by SWV also sampled Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” a radio smash released around the same time Illmatic was building hype.  Nas said although it kind of pushed aside Human Nature’s use on Illmatic, he was still happy as “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was the hip-hop version.

Michael Jackson is one of the most important figures in music of all time. “Human Nature” is a song on his 1982 release “Thriller,” written by Steve Porcaro and produced by Quincy Jones.

The album reached global exposure and reached number one on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums upon its release, staying on the chart for 122 weeks. It features hits like “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It.”

The album has received nearly perfect ratings critically, and is known as the best selling album of all time. It won 8 Grammys.

Jackson & Jones said they used to literally work around the clock on “Thriller,” spending up to 18 hours a day in the studio.

“Human Nature” was the last song to be selected for “Thriller,” and was released as the fifth single.

Songwriter Steve Porcaro said the day he wrote “Human Nature,” his daughter came home from a rough day at school where a boy who had a crush on her hit her on the playground.  She kept asking "why?" and after trying to describe basic human nature to his daughter, Porcaro wrote the song.

Steve Porcaro is a part of rock band Toto, who was working closely with Quincy Jones on “Thriller.”  All members of Toto were studio musicians before forming their group.

In 1982, the US Air Force Space Command was founded to expand operations in space, including controlling satellites and developing space defense.

The Weather Channel was aired nation-wide for the first time, and the first artificial heart implant was made.

In 1982, the first emoticon was also conceptualized and published, including :-) and :-(