"N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by hip hop recording artist Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994).

A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am.... On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the RIAA.

DJ Premier revealed the creative process behind "N.Y. State of Mind":[3] "That was just amazing because it happened in this room.

Marc L. Hill of PopMatters describes "N.Y. State of Mind" as a standout track on Illmatic claiming that it "provides as clear a depiction of ghetto life as a Gordon Parks photograph or a Langston Hughes poem.

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews.com states: "[Illmatic] was to be an album steeped in the rich traditions of hip-hop history, mixed with the most advanced verbal styles and fat beats that could be put on wax.

And if it couldn't be set off any more right already, the DJ Premier produced "N.Y. State of Mind" was designed to knock you right off your feet.

Primo's knack for finding the illest piano loops and matching them to pounding beats was perfected in this track, and paired with a Rakim sample on the chorus that provided the mental link for an analogy most rap heads had already made by now: Nas was the NEW Rakim on the block.

[9]The song is included on the soundtrack of video games True Crime: New York City and Saints Row 2,[10][11] and was featured in Season 4 Episode 8 of the Netflix show Ozark, which borrowed its title "Cousin of Death" from a lyric in the song.