Nas

  • Queens, NY
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  • Hip-Hop/Rap
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  • 1988
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About Nas

Official Site: http://streetsdisciple.com/ | @Nas | facebook.com/Nas


Beginning with his classic debut, Illmatic (1994), Nas stood tall for years as one of New York City's leading rap voices, outspokenly expressing a righteous, self-empowered swagger that endeared him to critics and hip-hop purists. Whether proclaiming himself "Nasty Nas" or "Nas Escobar" or "Nastradamus" or "God's Son," the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the epicenter of East Coast rap, none more challenging than Jay-Z, who vied with Nas for the vacated throne left in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 assassination. Such headline-worthy drama informed Nas' provocative rhymes, which he delivered with both a masterful flow and a wise perspective over beats by a range of producers: legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock; hitmakers like Trackmasters, Timbaland, and will.i.am; street favorites like Swizz Beatz, Megahertz, and the Alchemist; and personal favorites of his own like L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Chucky Thompson. Nas likewise collaborated with some of the industry's leading video directors, including Hype Williams and Chris Robinson, presenting singles like "Hate Me Now," "One Mic," and "I Can" with dramatic flair. Throughout all the ups (the acclaim, popularity, and success) and downs (the expectations, adversaries, and over-reaching), Nas continually matured as an artist, evolving from a young street disciple to a vain all-knowing sage to a humbled godly teacher. Such growth made every album release an event and prolonged his increasingly storied career to epic proportions.

Born Nasir Jones, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the streets of the rough Queensbridge projects, long fabled as the former stomping ground of Marley Marl and his Juice Crew as immortalized in "The Bridge." Despite dropping out of school, Nas developed a high degree of literacy that would later characterize his rhymes. At the same time, though, he delved into street culture and flirted with danger, such experiences similarly characterizing his rhymes. His synthesis of well-crafted rhetoric and street-glamorous imagery blossomed in 1991 when he connected with Main Source and laid down a fiery verse on "Live at the Barbeque" that earned him up-and-coming notice among the East Coast rap scene. Not long afterward, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached Nas about contributing a track to the Zebrahead soundtrack. Serch was the soundtrack's executive producer and had been impressed by "Live at the Barbeque." Nas submitted "Halftime," and the song so stunned Serch that he made it the soundtrack's lead-off track.

Columbia Records meanwhile signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock entered the studio with the young rapper and began work on Illmatic. When Columbia finally released the album in April 1994, it faced high expectations; Illmatic regardless proved just as astounding as it had been billed. It sold very well, spawned multiple hits, and earned unanimous acclaim, followed soon after by classic status.

The two years leading up to Nas' follow-up, It Was Written (1996), brought another wave of enormous anticipation. The ambitious rapper, who had begun working closely with industry heavyweight Steve Stoute, responded with a significantly different approach than he had taken with Illmatic: where that album had been a straightforward hip-hop album with few pop concessions, the largely Trackmaster-produced It Was Written made numerous concessions to the pop-crossover market, most notably on the two hit singles, "Street Dreams" and "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)." These singles -- both of which drew from well-known songs, Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and Kurtis Blow's "If I Ruled the World," respectively -- broadened Nas' appeal greatly and awarded him MTV-sanctioned crossover success. This same crossover success undermined some of his hip-hop credibility, however, and a minor backlash by purists resulted.

Nas addressed his critics on "Hate Me Now," the second single from his next album, I Am (1999). The effort had originally been planned as a double-disc concept album comprised of autobiographical material, but when some of the tracks were leaked, I Am was scaled down and released as a single disc, with the DJ Premier-produced "Nas Is Like" chosen as the lead single. Besides "Nas Is Like" and "Hate Me Now," which both broke into the Billboard Hot 100, "You Won't See Me Tonight" and "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" also charted as singles. Originally scheduled by Columbia as a follow-up album comprised of the pirated material from the I Am sessions, Nastradamus (1999) -- released in time for the holiday shopping season, roughly six months after its predecessor -- was instead comprised almost entirely of new material, recorded quickly to meet the late-November release date. The album failed to garner the abundance of critical praise that had become customary for Nas. Moreover, unlike its two predecessors, Nastradamus failed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at number seven instead, and failed to go double platinum. Though relatively disappointing on these counts, Nastradamus still went platinum and spawned two charting singles, "Nastradamus" and "You Owe Me," so the album wasn't a failure, just disappointing.

In the late-'90s wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s assassination, Nas reigned atop the New York rap scene alongside few contemporaries of equal stature. In addition to his endless stream of hits by the industry's most successful producers -- "If I Ruled the World" (produced by the Trackmasters), "Hate Me Now" (Puff Daddy), "Nas Is Like" (DJ Premier), and "You Owe Me" (Timbaland), among others -- he co-starred in the Hype Williams-directed film Belly (1998) alongside DMX and contributed to the soundtrack. Furthermore, Nas led a short-lived supergroup of New York rappers known as the Firm (also comprised of rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature, with producers Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters) and assembled a broad coalition of fellow Queensbridge rappers for the QB Finest compilation (2000). Amid all of this publicity, though, criticism began to mount. For every crossover fan Nas won with his dramatic MTV-aired videos, he lost support among purists, some of whom felt he had sold out, abandoning hip-hop ideals in favor of commercial success. The relative disappointment of Nastradamus was symptomatic of this downturn.

A series of incidents in 2001 provided a key turning point for Nas' decline. The rapper's personal life was becoming increasingly complicated; he encountered relationship trouble with the mother of his daughter and, of greater consequence, his mother began suffering from cancer. To make matters worse, longtime rival Jay-Z pointedly dissed Nas on "Takeover," the much-discussed lead-off song from his acclaimed Blueprint album (2001). (It didn't help that Jay-Z had risen atop the New York rap scene, giving him ample justification to call out Nas, who had receded from the public eye while he dealt with his personal issues.)

Nas responded strikingly in December 2001 with Stillmatic, the title a reference to his classic Illmatic album, which had been released nearly a decade earlier. Stillmatic opened with the song "Ether," a very direct response to Jay-Z, followed by the aggressive lead single "Get Ur Self A...." These two songs in particular rallied the streets while the moving video for "One Mic" received heavy support from MTV. Throughout 2002, Nas continued his comeback with a number of guest appearances, among them Brandy's "What About Us?," J-Lo's "I'm Gonna Be Alright," and Ja Rule's "The Pledge," as well as yet more news-making controversy, this time involving his no-show at popular radio station Hot 97's annual Summer Jam.

Amid all of the drama, Nas managed to salvage his esteemed reputation and reclaim his lofty status atop the New York scene. Stillmatic earned immediate acclaim from fans and critics alike and sold impressively, while Columbia furthered the comeback campaign with two archival releases, one of remixes (From Illmatic to Stillmatic [2002]), the other of outtakes (The Lost Tapes [2002], which notably includes some of the pirated I Am material). Then at the end of the year Columbia released a new studio album, God's Son (2002), and Nas once again basked in widespread acclaim as the album sold well, spawned sizable hits ("Thugz Mansion," "Made You Look," "I Can"), and received rampant media support. Two years later Nas returned with Street's Disciple (2004), a sprawling double album that delved deeply into various issues, most notably politics and his impending marriage to Kelis. The two-sided "Thief's Theme"/"You Know My Style" single dropped in summer 2004, several months before the album's release, and was followed that fall by the proper lead single "Bridging the Gap."

Street's Disciple came and went, however, without the level of commercial success that had become customary, as it struggled to go platinum. More troubling, new kid on the block 50 Cent took a swipe at Nas on "Piggy Bank," a call-out song on The Massacre (2005), further bringing the veteran rapper's status into question. In a surprising turn of events later that year, Nas made a surprise appearance at Jay-Z's much-hyped I Declare War concert in October 2005. Together the two rivals performed "Dead Presidents," Jay-Z's 1996 debut single; the classic song, produced by Ski Beatz and featured on Reasonable Doubt (1996), features a prominent sample of "The World Is Yours," a 1994 classic by Nas. The reconciliation of Jay-Z and Nas opened the door to a deal with Def Jam. The record label, overseen by Jay-Z as president at the time, signed Nas and, in turn, released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006). The album didn't sell especially well, but it did inspire a lot of commentary about the state of hip-hop and included a much-anticipated collaboration with Jay-Z, "Black Republican." A politically charged self-titled album, at one point considered to be titled N*gger, materialized in 2008, and not without some controversy of its own. Following his divorce from Kelis, Nas released Distant Relatives, an album-length collaboration with Damian "Junior Gong" Marley, in 2010. Two years later, his divorce would be addressed on the venomous Life Is Good, an album that featured Nas holding Kelis' wedding dress on the cover. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

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Music

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  • Cherry Wine (Explicit)
    nas
    Video
    Cherry Wine (Explicit)
  • Bye Baby
    nas
    Video
    Bye Baby
  • Daughters
    nas
    Video
    Daughters
  • The Don (Explicit)
    nas
    Video
    The Don (Explicit)
  • 30 Second Sneak Peek: Nas, 'The Don'
    nas
    Video
    30 Second Sneak Peek: Nas, 'The Don'
  • Ghetto Dreams
    nas
    Video
    Ghetto Dreams
  • Nah Mean
    nas
    Video
    Nah Mean
  • Land Of Promise (Edited)
    nas
    Video
    Land Of Promise (Edited)
  • Patience
    nas
    Video
    Patience
  • Fall In Love (Feat. Nas)
    nas
    Video
    Fall In Love (Feat. Nas)

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Fabolous Feels That He's 'Evolving' As An Artist
    nas
    video
    Fabolous Feels That He's 'Evolving' As An Artist
  • Behind The Music: Nas Highlights
    nas
    playlist
    Behind The Music: Nas Highlights
  • 50 Cent, Talib Kweli, More Weigh In On The Greatest Hip-Hop Love Songs Of All Time
    nas
    video
    50 Cent, Talib Kweli, More Weigh In On The Greatest Hip-Hop Love Songs Of All Time
  • Behind The Music: Nas
    nas
    playlist
    Behind The Music: Nas
  • How Not Winning Awards Has Made Nas More Likable (2012)
    nas
    video
    How Not Winning Awards Has Made Nas More Likable (2012)
  • Nas Has Some New York 'Subway Stories' For You
    nas
    video
    Nas Has Some New York 'Subway Stories' For You
  • Nas On What He's Listening To
    nas
    video
    Nas On What He's Listening To
  • The Crucifixion Scene From Nas' "Hate Me Now"
    nas
    video
    The Crucifixion Scene From Nas' "Hate Me Now"
  • Nas On Why Rap Isn't Respected
    nas
    video
    Nas On Why Rap Isn't Respected
  • Nas Will 'Never Need A Ghost Writer,' Jay Electronica Says
    nas
    video
    Nas Will 'Never Need A Ghost Writer,' Jay Electronica Says

Photos

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  • Nas attends 2011 VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul at the Hammerstein Ballroom on December 18, 2011 in New York City.
    Nas
    Nas attends 2011 VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul at the Hammerstein Ballroom on December 18, 2011 in New York City.
    FilmMagic
  • At the 2006 VMAs, Nas was enamored with Kelis' milkshake.  Sadly, sometimes love fades, but, luckily, milkshakes are forever.
    Nas
    At the 2006 VMAs, Nas was enamored with Kelis' milkshake. Sadly, sometimes love fades, but, luckily, milkshakes are forever.
    WireImage
  • Nas and Olu Dara perform.
    Nas
    Nas and Olu Dara perform.
    Theo Wargo/WireImage
  • In the audience at the 2006 VMAs, Jay-Z shared a drink with former rival Nas
    Nas
    In the audience at the 2006 VMAs, Jay-Z shared a drink with former rival Nas
    Kevin Mazur/WireImage
  • Nas performs onstage during the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards at The Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on October 18, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Nas
    Nas performs onstage during the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards at The Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on October 18, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for BET
  • Nas performs at 'Yes We Will!' BET Inauguration Ball at the BET studios on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC.
    Nas
    Nas performs at 'Yes We Will!' BET Inauguration Ball at the BET studios on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Nas performs during Return of the Legends at Chene Park on August 29, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan.
    Nas
    Nas performs during Return of the Legends at Chene Park on August 29, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan.
    Monica Morgan/WireImage
  • Nas performs during the Rock the Bells Music and Arts Festival on August, 16, 2008 in Mountain View, California.
    Nas
    Nas performs during the Rock the Bells Music and Arts Festival on August, 16, 2008 in Mountain View, California.
    C Flanigan/FilmMagic
  • Recording artist Nas attends the BMI Brunch at Murano on June 22, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
    Nas
    Recording artist Nas attends the BMI Brunch at Murano on June 22, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
    Mark Sullivan/WireImage
  • Nas (L) and Singer Kelis arrives at the Sony BMG Music 2008 Grammy Awards After Party held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 10, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
    Nas
    Nas (L) and Singer Kelis arrives at the Sony BMG Music 2008 Grammy Awards After Party held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 10, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
    Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

News

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  • Nas
    Meek Mill Separates Himself From Competition On 'Levels' [Listen Now]
    MTV RapFix
    May 25, 2013
    By Rob Markman Those familiar with Meek Mill ’s grind before linking with Rick Ross’ MMG, know that the Philadelphia MC came along way. Once one of...
    Read More
  • Nas
    Fat Joe Blames Tax Problems On 'Fancy Guys In Bow Ties'
    MTV News
    May 22, 2013
    Joe is ready to 'stand up' at his upcoming June 24 court hearing, he tells 'RapFix Live.'
    Read More
  • Nas
    5 Things Last Night's SNL Taught Us About Kanye
    VH1 Celebrity
    May 19, 2013
    Last night Kanye West played Saturday Night Live. Everyone tuned in for those two new tracks, "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves," but we also gl...
    Read More
  • Nas
    The Strokes, Nas and The Walkmen Talk Mix Tapes
    American Songwriter
    one of our favorite albums of last year, Libson. Watch as the aptly named Walkmen wax poetic about listening to bands like The Pogues, The Specials, T...
    Read More
  • Nas
    Jack White, Skrillex, M83, NAS and ZZ Top Set For Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2012
    www.jambands.com
    Jack White, Skrillex, M83, NAS and ZZ Top are among the acts slated to appear at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2012. The annual, free music festival will ret...
    Read More
  • Nas
    Watch Nas' Video for "Bye Baby"
    Paste
    The cover of Nas' latest album, Life is Good, features a contemplative Nas sitting on a leather couch with a green wedding dress slung over his knee. ...
    Read More
  • Nas
    Watch: Nas Doesn't Think Rap Is Respected | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet In a clip taken from Ice-T's hip-hop documentary, Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, God's Son explains why he thinks rap isn't respected a...
    Read More
  • Nas
    Nas' Australasian Hip Hop Movement Fest is Canceled
    www.billboard.com
    The inaugural Movement Festival, a multi-date Australasian hip hop event spearheaded by veteran rapper Nas, has been canceled just a week out from sho...
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  • Nas
    Live Nation Pulls Plug On Nas Movement Australia
    www.vibe.com
    Live Nation and Niche Productions pulled the plug on the Movement Festival hip-hop concert in Australia. The concert billed Nas as the headliner and i...
    Read More
  • Nas
    DJ Premier Talks 'Illmatic' Sessions, Meeting AZ, And Nas' Ear For Beats
    www.vibe.com
    During VIBE's sitdown with DJ Premier for our Great Debate videos, the hip-hop Almanac had tales for days. Here, the legendary producer shares details...
    Read More
  • Nas
    J. Cole Supposedly Wants To Impress Nas On 'Born Sinner'
    www.xxlmag.com
    Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg dropped another episode of The Realness. During the morning segment, Rosenberg shed some light on J.Cole's Born Sinner, which...
    Read More
  • Nas
    J. Cole Laughs At "I Disappointed Nas" Track Title
    www.xxlmag.com
    J. Cole is currently out in London doing a press run for his upcoming album, Born Sinner. He caught wind of Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg's insider news ab...
    Read More
  • Nas
    J. Cole Laughs At 'I Disappointed Nas' Song Title
    www.vibe.com
    97's Peter Rosenberg hit listeners with an alleged inside detail on J. Coles upcoming Born Sinner yesterday (May 23). He relayed information that he g...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • May 30 Thursday
    Neuchatel, Switzerland Unknown venue
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  • May 31 Friday
    Gothenburg, Sweden Liseberg
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  • Jun 7 Friday
    New York, NY, US Randall's Island
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  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Manchester, TN, US Great Stage Park
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  • Jun 26 Wednesday
    Shepton Mallet, UK Worthy Farm
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  • Jul 1 Monday
    Deurne, Belgium Openluchttheater Rivierenhof
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  • Jul 2 Tuesday
    Freiburg, Germany Zelt-musik-festival, Zirkuszelt
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 3 Wednesday
    Gdynia, Poland Gdynia-kosakowa Airfield
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  • Jul 3 Wednesday
    Munich, Germany Kesselhaus
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  • Jul 5 Friday
    Bucharest, Romania Islaz Tunari
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  • Jul 5 Friday
    Vilnius, Lithuania Loftas
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  • Jul 7 Sunday
    Istanbul, Turkey BJK Inonü Stadium
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  • Jul 8 Monday
    Frankfurt, Germany Unionhalle
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  • Jul 10 Wednesday
    Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg The Max
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  • Jul 11 Thursday
    Liège, Belgium Parc Astrid
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  • Jul 12 Friday
    London, UK Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
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  • Aug 8 Thursday
    Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Bay Hall (横浜ベイホール)
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 30 Friday
    Chicago, IL, US Union Park
    Buy Ticket

Discography

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  • Life Is Good (2012)
    Nas
    Life Is Good (2012)
    Def Jam
  • Distant Relatives (2010)
    Nas
    Distant Relatives (2010)
    Universal Republic Records
  • OG Status (2008)
    Nas
    OG Status (2008)
    J-Love Enterprises
  • Nas (2008)
    Nas
    Nas (2008)
    IDJ Records
  • Finest Parts 1 (2008)
    Nas
    Finest Parts 1 (2008)
    CMP Records
  • Finest Parts 5 (2008)
    Nas
    Finest Parts 5 (2008)
    CMP Records
  • Executive Decision (2007)
    Nas
    Executive Decision (2007)
    Noiseland
  • The Prophecy, Vol. 2 (2007)
    Nas
    The Prophecy, Vol. 2 (2007)
    Clematis
  • Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)
    Nas
    Hip Hop Is Dead (2006)
    Def Jam
  • Living Legend (2006)
    Nas
    Living Legend (2006)
    Rgs Music
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