If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)

"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)", often shortened to "If I Ruled the World", is a song by American rapper Nas featuring vocals from American singer Lauryn Hill. It was released as the lead single from Nas' second studio album It Was Written on June 4, 1996, by Columbia Records.^[1] Produced by Trackmasters, with some uncredited input by Rashad Smith, it is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. Hill's verse interpolates the song "Walk Right Up to the Sun" by the Delfonics. The single marked Hill's first musical appearance outside of the Fugees.

"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"
Single by Nas
from the album It Was Written
Released	June 4, 1996
Genre	Hip-hop R&B
Length	4:42
Label	Columbia
Songwriters	Nasir Jones Samuel Barnes Jean-Claude Olivier Kurtis Walker David Reeves Lawrence Smith Aaron O'Bryant Jalil Hutchins Norman Harris Allan Felder
Producer	Trackmasters
Nas singles chronology
"One Love" (1994) "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (1996) "Street Dreams" (1996)
Lauryn Hill singles chronology
"If I Ruled the World" (1996) "All My Time" (1997)
Music video
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" on YouTube

"If I Ruled the World", bolstered by a high-budget music video directed by Hype Williams and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy, became Nas's first single to gain mainstream notice. The single reached number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it also peaked in the top 20 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. In total, the single reached the top ten in eight countries. It received a nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards. Various publications have referred to it as one of the greatest rap songs of all time.^[2][3] In June 2021, "If I Ruled the World" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, becoming Nas' first single to achieve this.^[4][5]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Daryl McIntosh of Albumism noted "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" as "an example of the album's ambition", complimenting it for having "one of the most memorable choruses of the era."^[6] Daisy & Havoc from Music Week's RM Dance Update rated it five out of five, commenting, "This one should do well right now for a handful of reasons — it features Lauryn Hill from Fugees, it's not dissimilar to Fugees and, most importantly of all, it's a really appealing track with an addictive chorus, some great vocals and a laid-back but still serious rap. Just hope it doesn't get forgotten in the rush."^[7] David Fricke from Rolling Stone wrote that "New Yorker Nas beat hip-hop's sophomore jinx with the jaunty step and dead-sexy female chorus of 'If I Ruled the World', this summer's cruisin' smash." He added, "To suggest that the world would be a better place if cocaine came uncut [...] hardly qualifies as social enlightenment."^[8]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" was directed by American director Hype Williams and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy. It was released for the week ending on June 16, 1996. The video features cameos from Mobb Deep, AZ, Cormega and the Fugees.

Live performances

Nas and Lauryn Hill performed the song live at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996. He performed the song live at the American Music Awards of 1997 on January 27, 1997.

Track listings

• US 12-inch vinyl

A1. "If I Ruled the World" (Main Mix) (4:42)

A2. "If I Ruled the World" (Instrumental) (4:34)

B1. "If I Ruled the World" (Clean Mix) (4:42)

B2. "If I Ruled the World" (A Cappella) (4:42)

• Europe maxi-CD (COL 663296 2)

1. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Main Mix)" (4:45)
2. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Instrumental)" (4:36)
3. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Clean Mix)" (4:45)
4. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (A Cappella)" (4:42)

• Europe CD (COL 663296 1)

1. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Main Mix)"
2. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Instrumental)"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 100 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 30 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 11 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 16 France (SNEP)[14] 4 Germany (GfK)[15] 4 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[20] 5 Scotland Singles (OCC)[21] 35 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[24] 12 UK Dance (OCC)[25] 2 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[26] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 53 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[28] 17 US Rhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[29] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[30] 65 France (SNEP)[31] 18 Germany (Media Control)[32] 26 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[33] 27 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 83 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 99 New Zealand (RIANZ)[36] 12 Sweden (Topplistan)[37] 27 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 37 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[39] 69 US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[40] 40

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[41]	Gold	250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[42]	Gold	250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[44]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[45]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.