| Nas | |
|---|---|
 Nas in 1998 | |
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Birth name |
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones |
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Also known as |
Nasty Nas, Nas Escobar |
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Born |
14 September 1973 (age 42) |
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Origin |
Queensbridge, Queens, New York, United States |
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Genres |
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Occupations |
Rapper, actor |
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Years active |
late 1980s-present |
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Labels |
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Associated acts |
3rd Bass, AZ, Bravehearts, DJ Premier, The Firm, Large Professor, Mobb Deep, Salaam Remi, ThomasTekno |
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (born 14 September 1973), better known simply as Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara. Since 1994, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and sold over 13 million records in the United States alone. Aside from rapping and acting, Nas is an entrepreneur through his own record label and magazine publishing. He is currently the associate publisher of Mass Appeal Magazine.
His musical career began in 1991 when he was featured on Main Source's song "Live at the Barbeque", from their album Breaking Atoms. His debut album Illmatic, released in 1994, recieved universal acclaim from both critics and hip hop fans. It is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. His 1996 follow-up album It Was Written debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts, stayed on top for four consecutive weeks, went platinum twice in only two months, and made Nas internationally known.
From 1996 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with rapper Jay-Z. In 2006, Nas signed to Def Jam. In 2010, he released a collaboration album with reggae artist and Bob Marley's son Damian Marley, donating all royalties to charities active in Africa. His tenth studio album Life Is Good was released in 2012.
Nas is generally considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. MTV ranked him at number 5 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time. In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 2 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. In 2013, Nas was ranked fourth on MTV's "Hottest MCs in the Game" list.
Discography
- 1994: Illmatic
- 1996: It Was Written
- 1997: The Album (with The Firm)
- 1999: I Am...
- 1999: Nastradamus
- 2001: Stillmatic
- 2002: The Lost Tapes
- 2002: God's Son
- 2004: Street's Disciple
- 2006: Hip Hop Is Dead
- 2008: Untitled
- 2010: Distant Relatives (with Damian Marley)
- 2012: Life Is Good