Nas

Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones (born September 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper from New York. 
His musical career began in 1991, featuring on an album by Live Source. His debut album, Illmatic, released in 1994, received widespread critical acclaim and is considered one of the best rap albums of all time. His second album, It Was Written, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and shot Nas into international fame. 
Nas is often considered one of the greatest rappers of all time with MTV naming him as the fifth best and The Source as the second best lyricist of all time.
== Career ==
=== 1980s-94: Career beginnings and Illmatic ===
Nas began rapping as a teenager after being introduced to it by his neighbour. He met up with producer Large Professor and went to the studio that Rakim and Kool G Rap recorded at. Nas was able to use the studio to record his own material, though none of it was released. In 1992, Nas signed a record deal with Columbia Records, making a debut as 'Nasty Nas' on the single "Halftime". In 1994 he released his debut studio album Illmatic, which received best album of the year from The Source. The album debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200.
=== 1995-97: It Was Written and the Firm ===
Columbia Records pushed Nas to produce more mainstream friendly work. In mid-1996 he released It Was Written, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. His second album helped boost Nas' popularity, becoming internationally famous. In 1996, Nas also became a member of rap supergroup the Firm, featuring Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega. Signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records, the Firm released their debut album Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature Present The Firm: The Album in 1997. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 but failed to meet sales expectations and the group disbanded.
=== 1998-2000: I Am... and Nastradamus ===
In April 1999, Nas released his third album I Am..., debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. Columbia planned to release the infringed material from I Am... as another album in late-1999 however Nas decided to record an enitrely new album. In November 1999, Nas released his fourth album Nastradamus, debuting at number 7. In 2000 Nas released Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest, a compilation album of him and a few other New York rappers.
=== 2001-03: Stillmatic and God's Son ===
In 2001, Jay-Z and Nas began a well publicised feud after trading a few insults. In December 2001, Nas released his fifth album Stillmatic. Though the album only peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200, it helped revive Nas' career after the disappointment of his two previous albums. In 2002 he released The Lost Tapes, a compilation album of previously unreleased tracks, released to capitalise on the success of Stillmatic. In December 2002 he released his sixth album God's Son which peaked at number 12. 
=== 2004-06: Double album and Def Jam ===
In 2004, Nas released a double album, his seventh album Street's Disciple. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200. In 2005, Nas ended his feud with Jay-Z and the two performed together. The reconciliation allowed Nas to sign with Def Jam, of which Jay-Z was the president. 
=== 2006-08: Hip Hop is Dead and Untitled album ===
In December 2006, Nas released his eighth album, Hip Hop is Dead, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, his third to do so. The album was controversial as southern rappers felt the album was criticising them. In October 2007, Nas announced the title of his next album to be Nigger, however due to controversy surrounding the name and threats from Def Jam, the title was removed and the album was released untitled. The album was released in 2008, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. The album is commonly referred to as Nas.
=== 2009-Present: Collaboration, Life is Good and Nasir ===
In May 2010, Nas released a collaborative album with reggae singer Damian Marley titled, Distant Relatives, peaking at number 5 on the charts. In 2012 he released his tenth album Life is Good which topped the charts. In June 2018, Nas released a seven track album titled NASIR, produced entirely by Kanye West as part of West's Wyoming Sessions. The album debuted at number 5 and received mixed reviews.
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
Title 	Album details	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions
Title 	Album details	US 	US
R&B/HH 	US
Rap 	CAN 	FRA 	GER 	NL 	NOR 	SWI 	UK
Illmatic 	
* Released: April 19, 1994
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download	12 	2 	— 	52 	151 	— 	— 	— 	— 	57
It Was Written 	
* Released: July 2, 1996
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	1 	1 	— 	8 	7 	16 	16 	10 	25 	38
I Am... 	
* Released: April 6, 1999
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	1 	1 	— 	2 	23 	16 	61 	34 	38 	31
Nastradamus 	
* Released: November 23, 1999
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	7 	2 	— 	27 	— 	45 	90 	— 	92 	90
Stillmatic 	
* Released: December 18, 2001
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	5 	1 	— 	— 	124 	64 	40 	— 	56 	92
God's Son 	
* Released: December 13, 2002
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	12 	1 	— 	— 	46 	89 	42 	— 	56 	57
Street's Disciple	
* Released: November 30, 2004
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download	5 	2 	2 	— 	54 	— 	82 	40 	27 	45
Hip Hop Is Dead 	
* Released: December 19, 2006
* Label: Def Jam
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download	1 	1 	1 	— 	89 	— 	95 	— 	22 	68
Untitled 	
* Released: July 15, 2008
* Label: Def Jam
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download	1 	1 	1 	5 	45 	— 	— 	31 	10 	23
Life Is Good 	
* Released: July 17, 2012
* Label: Def Jam
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download	1 	1 	1 	2 	33 	24 	27 	16 	8 	8
Nasir 	
* Released: June 15, 2018
* Label: Mass Appeal, Def Jam
* Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download	5 	4 	4 	8 	— 	59 	13 	16 	12 	16
=== Collaboration albums ===
Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions
Title	Album details	US 	US
R&B/HH 	US
Rap 	CAN 	FRA 	IRE 	NL 	NOR 	SWI 	UK
The Firm: The Album
(with The Firm)	
* Released: October 21, 1997
* Label: Aftermath, Interscope, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	1 	1 	— 	8 	54 	— 	51 	— 	— 	82
Distant Relatives
(with Damian Marley)	
* Released: May 18, 2010
* Label: Universal Republic, Def Jam
* Formats: CD, digital download	5 	1 	1 	9 	27 	81 	65 	32 	11 	30
=== Compilation albums ===
Title 	Album details	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions
Title 	Album details	US 	US
R&B/HH 	US
Ra 	FRA 	SWI 	UK
Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest
(with Ill Will Records)	
* Released: November 21, 2000
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	53 	10 	— 	— 	— 	—
The Lost Tapes	
* Released: September 24, 2002
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	10 	3 	— 	104 	50 	124
Greatest Hits 	
* Released: November 6, 2007
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, digital download	124 	20 	11 	— 	— 	150
=== Mixtapes ===
Title 	Album details
Nasty Nas (demo tape) 	
* Released: 1991
The Prophecy, Vol 1 	
* Released: 2006
* Label: Clematis, Def Jam
* Formats: CD
The Prophecy, Vol 2: The Beginning of the N	
* Released: January 28, 2008
* Label: Self-released
* Formats: Digital download
The Nigger Tape 	
* Released: June 9, 2008
* Label: Invasion
* Formats: Digital download
=== EPs ===
Title 	Details	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions
Title 	Details	US 	US
R&B/HH
From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes	
* Released: July 2, 2002
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download	123 	32
=== Singles ===
Title 	Year	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Peak chart positions	Album
Title 	Year	US 	US
R&B/HH 	US
Rap 	FRA 	GER 	NL 	NZ 	SWI 	UK 	Album
"Halftime" 	1992	— 	25 	8 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Zebrahead soundtrack and Illmatic
"It Ain't Hard to Tell"	1994	91 	57 	13 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	64 	Illmatic
"The World Is Yours" 	1994	— 	67 	27 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Illmatic
"Life's a Bitch"
(featuring AZ and Olu Dara)	1994	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Illmatic
"One Love"
(featuring Q-Tip)	1994	— 	— 	24 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Illmatic
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"
(featuring Lauryn Hill)	1996	53 	17 	15 	4 	4 	9 	2 	7 	12 	It Was Written
"Street Dreams" 	1996	22 	18 	1 	— 	— 	— 	39 	— 	12 	It Was Written
"The Message" 	1996	— 	— 	— 	19 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	It Was Written
"Phone Tap"
(with AZ and Nature featuring Dr. Dre)	1997	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	The Firm: The Album
"Escobar '97" 	1997	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Men in Black: The Album
"In Too Deep"
(featuring Nature)	1999	— 	— 	31 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	In Too Deep soundtrack
"Nas Is Like" 	1999	86 	30 	3 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	14 	I Am…
"Hate Me Now"
(featuring Puff Daddy)	1999	62 	18 	8 	— 	11 	11 	— 	30 	14 	I Am…
"Nastradamus" 	1999	92 	27 	4 	— 	— 	72 	— 	— 	24 	Nastradamus
"You Owe Me"
(featuring Ginuwine)	2000	59 	13 	— 	— 	87 	100 	— 	— 	89 	Nastradamus
"Rule"
(featuring Amerie)	2001	— 	67 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Stillmatic
"Got Ur Self A..." 	2001	87 	37 	2 	— 	62 	24 	— 	38 	30 	Stillmatic
"One Mic" 	2002	43 	14 	7 	— 	— 	12 	— 	— 	— 	Stillmatic
"Made You Look" 	2003	32 	12 	9 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	27 	God's Son
"I Can" 	2003	12 	7 	6 	72 	53 	46 	— 	43 	19 	God's Son
"Get Down" 	2003	— 	76 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	108 	God's Son
"Thief's Theme" 	2004	— 	60 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Street's Disciple
"Bridging the Gap"
(featuring Olu Dara)	2004	94 	49 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	18 	Street's Disciple
"Just a Moment"
(featuring Quan)	2005	— 	52 	24 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Street's Disciple
"Hip Hop Is Dead"
(featuring will.i.am)	2006	41 	48 	25 	— 	84 	— 	28 	— 	35 	Hip Hop Is Dead
"Can't Forget About You"
(featuring Chrisette Michele)	2007	— 	46 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Hip Hop Is Dead
"Hero"
(featuring Keri Hilson)	2008	97 	82 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	70 	70 	Untitled album
"Make the World Go Round"
(featuring Game and Chris Brown)	2008	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Untitled album
"Nasty" 	2011	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Life Is Good
"The Don" 	2012	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	158 	Life Is Good
"Daughters" 	2012	— 	78 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	Life Is Good
"Cherry Wine"
(featuring Amy Winehouse)	2012	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	144 	Life Is Good
"Cops Shot the Kid"
(featuring Kanye West)	2018	96 	49 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	97 	Nasir