Does AZ's opening verse on Lifes a Bitch overshadow Nas on his own record, or does it set him up perfectly?

Def set the tone for Nas they both had classic verses

For me it’s a little of both. Definitely sets Nas up perfectly but at the same time I think part of the appeal and the lasting impact of this song for me is/was AZ’s opening; however ‘Illmatic’ as a whole showed Nas was on another level at the time. Great question/discussion point