"If I Ruled the World" is a song, originally from the West End musical, Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. In the context of the stage musical, the song is sung by Samuel Pickwick when he is mistaken for an election candidate and called on by the crowd to give his manifesto.
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" is a 1996 hit hip hop single by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. The single was Nas's first Top 20 R&B hit, and was also nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. The song samples the 1983 Whodini single "Friends", and interpolates the song "If I Ruled The World" by Kurtis Blow into its chorus. Lauryn Hill's verse interpolates the song "Walk Right Up To The Sun" by The Delfonics. The song's lyrics feature Nas discussing the various things he would do if he "ruled the world and everything in it".
"If I Ruled the World", bolstered by a high-budget music video directed by Hype Williams, became Nas's first single to gain mainstream notice. The single became a Top 20 hit on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (number 17) chart and the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart (number 15). The song still receives airplay on New York radio stations such as Hot 97 as the track has gained a reputation as a classic song from the mid-90's.
