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

### Mixtapes

 *The Prophecy, Vol 1* | * Released: 2006
* Label: Clematis, Def Jam
 *The Prophecy, Vol 2: The Beginning of the N* | * Released: January 28, 2008
* Label: Self-released
 *The Nigger Tape* | * Released: June 9, 2008
* Label: Invasion
* Formats: Digital download

### EPs

 *From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes* | * Released: July 2, 2002
* Label: Ill Will, Columbia
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download