God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on December 13, 2002, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Production took place during 2001 to 2002, and was handled by several producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist. Partly inspired by Nas' feud with Jay-Z and the death of his mother in early 2002, God's Son covers lyrical themes such as religion, violence, and his own emotional experiences. It has been recognised by critics as some of Nas' most personal work. The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in its first week of sales. It produced three singles that achieved Billboard chart success, and received critical acclaim, with critics praising Nas' lyricism and viewing it as progression from his previous work. On January 14, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales surpassing one million copies.. Background Nas's debut album, Illmatic (1994), received much critical acclaim, but his next few releases were considered to have been more commercial, which received criticism. Fellow New York rapper Jay-Z dissed Nas on "Takeover". Nas responded with "Ether," elevating a heated feud. "Ether" was released on 2001's Stillmatic, an acclaimed album that signaled Nas' return to "hip-Hop prominence." Jay-Z later challenged Nas to a pay-per-view Rap battle, but Nas rejected, and said: "Pay-per-view is for wrestlers and boxers. I make records. If Jay-Z wants to battle, he should drop his album the same day I do and let the people decide" referring to God's Son and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 2 release. After the release of Stillmatic, Nas spent time tending to his ill mother, Ann Jones, until she died of breast cancer in April 2002. Nas has described Jay-Z's disses during this time period as "sneak attack[s]" because Nas did not want to record music while his mother was sick. Nas' mother died in his arms, and later served as inspiration for various songs on God's Son. At the time, Nas was nearing the end of his feud with Jay-Z, which also inspired the album's emotional and personal material. During 2002, fans and critics speculated that Nas was still willing to make commercial music as he started associating himself with artists from Murder Inc., a label distributing mainstream hip hop/rap. Irv Gotti claimed that Nas might sign with him,