Nas

For other uses, see Nas (disambiguation).
Nas
Nas at Jiffy Lube Live in 2022
Born
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones

(1973-09-14) September 14, 1973 (age 51)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Other names
  • Classic
  • God's Son
  • Nas Escobar
  • Nasty Nas
  • Scarlett
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Years active1989–present
Works
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2010)​
Children2
FatherOlu Dara
RelativesJungle (brother)
Yara Shahidi (cousin)
Sayeed Shahidi (cousin)
Tracy Morgan (cousin)[1]
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginQueens, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Formerly ofThe Firm
Websitewww.nasirjones.com

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (/nɑːˈsɪər/; born September 14, 1973), known professionally as Nas (/nɑːz/), is an American rapper and entrepreneur. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.[2][3][4] The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas", and recorded demos under the wing of fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor. Nas made his recording debut on Professor's group, Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque".

Nas signed with Columbia Records in 1992, and released his debut studio album, Illmatic (1994), two years later. An inductee of the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, it has been regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.[5][6][7] His second album, It Was Written (1996), debuted atop the Billboard 200 and sold over a quarter-million units in its first week; the album, along with its lead single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill), propelled Nas into mainstream success.[8] Both released in 1999, Nas's third and fourth albums I Am and Nastradamus were criticized as inconsistent and too commercially oriented, with critics and audiences fearing a decline in the quality of his output.

From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with fellow New York rapper Jay-Z, popularized by the former's diss track "Ether". The feud, along with Nas's subsequent releases Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and the double album Street's Disciple (2004) helped him restore his critical standing. Nas then reconciled with Jay-Z prior to signing with his then-spearheaded label, Def Jam Recordings in 2006; he adopted a more provocative, politicized direction with the albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and his untitled ninth studio album (2008). In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, a collaborative album with Damian Marley that donated its royalties to active African charities. His tenth studio album, Life Is Good (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. After thirteen nominations, his thirteenth studio album, King's Disease (2020) won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. His five subsequent albums—King's Disease II, Magic (2021), King's Disease III (2022), Magic 2, and Magic 3 (2023)—were each produced entirely by Hit-Boy and met with critical praise.

Nas has been second ranked by The Source on their "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time" list in 2012, fourth on MTV's Annual Hottest MCs in the Game list in 2013, and was named the "Greatest MC of All Time" by About.com in 2014. The following year, Nas was featured on the "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list by Billboard. Outside of recording, he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine, and co-founded its spin-off division Mass Appeal Records, a record label that has signed artists including Dave East, N.O.R.E., Run the Jewels, and Swizz Beatz, among others.[9] Nas has released seventeen studio albums since 1994, ten of which are certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in the U.S.[10]

  1. ^ Jessica Wang (December 11, 2023). "Tracy Morgan discovered he's related to longtime friend Nas: 'He started crying, I started crying'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "The 10 Best Rappers of All Time". Billboard. November 12, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Bofah, Kofi (February 24, 2018). "The 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Adaso, Henry. "The 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time". LiveAbout. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Adaso, Henry. "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums". About.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  6. ^ "A look at a hip-hop masterpiece, ten years removed". Prefix. January 1, 2001. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  7. ^ "National Recording Registry Adds Titles From Nas, Janet Jackson, Kool & the Gang and More". Billboard. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nas's 6 Best Albums". Popdust. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  9. ^ "Swizz Beatz Releases 'Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2' Via Mass Appeal". TheSource.com. April 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved October 3, 2020.