Question: Illmatic, the debut studio album by Nas which featured the song "N.Y. State of Mind", was released on what date by which record label?

The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of ten studio albums, three collaborative albums, three compilations, one extended play, and twenty-six singles.  The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school during ninth grade and began his music career in 1991 with a guest performance on the song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source.  In 1992, Nas contributed the track "Halftime" to the soundtrack to the film "Zebrahead", and Nas was soon signed to Columbia Records and released his debut album "Illmatic" in 1994.  Including Nas's solo debut track "Halftime", "Illmatic" was certified platinum in the US, spawned several singles including "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "The World Is Yours", and earned much critical acclaim.  With a more mainstream-oriented sound, Nas's second album "It Was Written" was released in 1996 and included the Lauryn Hill collaboration "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" and "Street Dreams", the latter of which reached number 22 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.  "It Was Written" was certified quadruple platinum.  In 1999, Nas released two albums: "I Am…" and "Nastradamus".  While "I Am" reached double platinum status like its preceding album "It Was Written" and spawned two singles that reached the top ten spots of the Hot Rap Singles chart, "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like", "Nastradamus" signaled a decrease in quality and critical reception and sold only half as many units.  Still, "Nastradamus" featured two charting singles, "You Owe Me" and "Nastradamus". <SEP> "The Message" is the third and final single from rapper Nas' second album "It Was Written".  It is produced by the Trackmasters, who sample Sting's "Shape of My Heart" for the song's beat.  The song features scratching provided by Kid Capri and lyrics about the life of a thug.  "The Message" was only released as a single in France and did not manage to reach any music charts.  A black-and-white music video was made for the song.  "The Message" also features vocal samples from Nas's 1994 classic "N.Y. State Of Mind" with Nas saying "I never sleep/cuz sleep is the cousin of death".  And, "I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'".  And "Halftime" after his second verse saying "There ain't an army that can strike back". <SEP> Illmatic is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas.  After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording Studios in New York City.  It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records.  Its production was handled by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S. and Nas himself.  Styled as a hardcore hip hop album, "Illmatic" features multi-syllabic internal rhymes and inner-city narratives based on Nas's experiences in Queensbridge, New York. <SEP>  The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd.  Premier additionally scratches vocals from Eric B. & Rakim's "Mahogany" for the song's chorus.  Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York.  Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences (Kool G Rap would later sample this song, plus give Nas a guest spot on his album "4,5,6").  A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album "I Am...".  An early version of the song can be found on Nas' demo tape under the name "I'm a Villain".  It was rumored that a track entitled "N.Y. State of Mind, Pt. "N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Nas, taken from his debut studio album "Illmatic" (1994).  III" was scheduled to be released in Nas' upcoming album "The Lost Tapes 2", but it is unknown if this is true.  The entire first verse was recorded in one take.