Nas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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
Occupation	Rapper songwriter record producer actor entrepreneur
Years active	1989–present
Works	Discography filmography production
Spouse(s)	Kelis ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2010)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Olu Dara (father)
Relatives	Jungle (brother) Yara Shahidi (cousin) Sayeed Shahidi (cousin) Tracy Morgan (cousin)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip-hop boom bap jazz rap conscious rap
Labels	Mass Appeal Def Jam Ill Will Ruffhouse Sony Urban Columbia The Orchard
Signature

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (born September 14, 1973), known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. He is a major figure in East Coast hip-hop and is often called one of the greatest rappers of all time. His father is the jazz musician Olu Dara. Nas started his music career in 1989 as "Nasty Nas." He worked with another East Coast rapper, Large Professor, to record early demos. His first official recording was on the 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque" by Large Professor's group, Main Source.

Nas signed with Columbia Records in 1992. He released his first album, Illmatic, on April 19, 1994. This album is so important that it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. Many people think it is one of the best hip-hop albums ever made. His second album, It Was Written (1996), was number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold over 250,000 copies in its first week. The album's main single, "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill, made Nas a mainstream star.

From 2001 to 2005, Nas had a well-known rivalry with fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. This rivalry led to Nas's famous song "Ether". After this, Nas released albums like Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and Street's Disciple (2004). These albums helped him regain praise from critics. In 2006, Nas and Jay-Z made peace, and Nas signed with Def Jam Recordings, where Jay-Z was president. His albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and his untitled ninth album (2008) had more political themes.

In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, an album with Damian Marley. The money they made from it was given to charities in Africa. His tenth album, Life Is Good (2012), was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy. After thirteen nominations over his career, he finally won his first Grammy for his album King's Disease (2020). He then released five more albums with producer Hit-Boy: King's Disease II, Magic (2021), King's Disease III (2022), Magic 2, and Magic 3 (2023). All of these albums were praised by critics.

Early Life

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on September 14, 1973. His father, Olu Dara, is a jazz and blues musician. His mother, Fannie Ann, worked for the U.S. Postal Service. He has a brother named Jabari Fret, who is also a rapper known as Jungle. His father chose the name "Olu Dara" from the Yoruba language. "Nasir" is an Arabic name that means "helper and protector."

When Nas was a child, his family moved to the Queensbridge housing project in Queens. A neighbor, Willie "Ill Will" Graham, got him interested in hip-hop by playing records for him. His parents divorced in 1985, and Nas left school after the eighth grade. He taught himself about African culture through groups like the Five-Percent Nation. As a kid, he played the trumpet and started writing his own rhymes.

Career

1991–1994: Starting Out and Illmatic

Nas in 1998

As a teenager, Nas asked his best friend and neighbor, Willie "Ill Will" Graham, to be his DJ. At first, Nas used the nickname "Kid Wave" but later changed it to "Nasty Nas." In 1989, he met producer Large Professor and went to a studio where famous rappers like Rakim were recording. When the studio was empty, Nas would record his own songs, but they were never released.

In 1991, Nas was featured on the Main Source song "Live at the Barbeque". In 1992, MC Serch of the group 3rd Bass became his manager. Serch helped Nas get a record deal with Columbia Records. Nas's first solo song was "Halftime" from the movie soundtrack for Zebrahead. His rhyming skills got a lot of attention, and people started calling him the new Rakim.

In 1994, Nas released his first album, Illmatic. It had production from famous producers like Large Professor, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier. The album included hit singles like "The World Is Yours" and "It Ain't Hard to Tell." The Source magazine named Illmatic the best album of 1994. Many critics still consider it one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made because of its smart lyrics and smooth rapping style.

1996–2001: Mainstream Success and New Albums

Nas's second album, It Was Written, came out in 1996. It had a more commercial sound. The singles "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (with Lauryn Hill) and "Street Dreams" were big hits. The music videos were directed by Hype Williams and made Nas very popular. This album also introduced the supergroup The Firm, which included Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The group released one album in 1997 before breaking up.

In 1999, Nas released two albums, I Am... and Nastradamus. I Am... was originally planned as a double album telling the story of his life. However, many songs were leaked online before its release. This forced Nas to record new material and release it as a single album. The song "Hate Me Now" became a hit but also caused some controversy. Both albums received mixed reviews, with some people feeling he was becoming too focused on making commercial hits.

2001–2006: Famous Rivalry and Critical Comeback

Nas performing in 2003

In 2001, a famous rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z became public. After Jay-Z criticized him in a song, Nas responded with "Ether". This song was included on his fifth album, Stillmatic (2001). Stillmatic was a huge success and was seen as a comeback for Nas. It included the hit singles "Got Ur Self A..." and "One Mic".

In 2002, Nas released The Lost Tapes, a collection of unreleased songs that fans loved. Later that year, he released God's Son. The album was dedicated to his mother, who had passed away from cancer. The single "I Can", which used a sample from Beethoven's "Für Elise", became one of his biggest hits.

His seventh album, Street's Disciple, was a double album released in 2004. It explored both political and personal topics. In 2005, Nas and Jay-Z officially ended their rivalry by performing together at a concert.

2006–2012: New Labels and New Sounds

Nas performing in Ottawa, 2007

In 2006, Nas signed with Def Jam Recordings, where Jay-Z was the president. He released the album Hip Hop Is Dead, which went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The title of the album sparked a debate about the state of hip-hop music at the time.

His next album in 2008 was released without a title due to controversy over its original name. The album still performed well and featured the hit single "Hero".

In 2010, Nas collaborated with reggae artist Damian Marley on the album Distant Relatives. They donated some of the profits to help build a school in Africa. In 2012, he released Life Is Good, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

2013–Present: Recent Work and Grammy Win

Nas performing at the 2015 Sugar Mountain festival in Melbourne

In 2014, a documentary called Nas: Time Is Illmatic was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first album. In 2018, Nas released his twelfth album, Nasir, which was produced by Kanye West. The next year, he released The Lost Tapes 2, a sequel to his 2002 compilation.

In August 2020, Nas released his thirteenth album, King's Disease. It was produced by Hit-Boy and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2021. This was Nas's first-ever Grammy win. He followed this success with a sequel, King's Disease II, in 2021.

On Christmas Eve 2021, Nas surprised fans by releasing another album with Hit-Boy called Magic. He continued the King's Disease series with King's Disease III in 2022. In 2023, he released two more albums, Magic 2 and Magic 3, completing his six-album partnership with Hit-Boy. In 2024, Nas and DJ Premier announced they would release a collaboration album.

Artistry

Nas is known for his incredible storytelling and lyrical skill. Journalist Peter Shapiro praised his ability to create a "devastating match between lyrics and production." Writer Adam Bradley called Nas "contemporary rap's greatest innovator in storytelling." He has written songs from many different perspectives, including from before he was born ("Fetus") and even from the point of view of a gun ("I Gave You Power").

Many other rappers have praised his unique style. Kool Moe Dee noted that Nas has an "off-beat conversational flow" that was different from other rappers at the time. His lyrics are often complex and packed with rhymes. In 2012, Nas became the first rapper to get a verified account on the website Genius, where he explains his own lyrics.

About.com ranked him number one on their list of the "50 Greatest MCs of All Time." The Source ranked him number two on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time." In 2013, Harvard University created the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship to support artists and scholars who show great creativity in the arts related to hip-hop.

Business Ventures

Besides music, Nas is also a successful businessman. In 2013, he became the associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine. He also co-founded Mass Appeal Records. He has invested in many technology companies, including the doorbell company Ring Inc. and the job search app Proven.

Nas has a partnership with the beverage company Hennessy. He also co-owns a sneaker store in Las Vegas and the New York City soul food restaurant Sweet Chick. He plans to open more locations of the restaurant across the country. Nas also has his own clothing line called HSTRY.

Personal Life

Nas is a mentor for P'Tones Records, a non-profit music program for young people. He has two children: a daughter named Destiny, born in 1994, and a son named Knight, born in 2009. From 2005 to 2010, he was married to R&B singer Kelis.

In a 2014 episode of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, Nas learned about his family history. He discovered that his great-great-great-grandmother, Pocahontas Little, was an enslaved woman. He was shown the bill of sale from when she was sold for $830.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

• The Album (with The Firm) (1997)
• Distant Relatives (with Damian Marley) (2010)
• Untitled album (with DJ Premier) (2025)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Nas has won many awards for his music. He won his first Grammy Award in 2021 for Best Rap Album for King's Disease. He had been nominated 16 times before his win. He has also won a Sports Emmy Award and a BET Hip Hop Award. Below is a list of some of his major award nominations and wins.

Grammy Awards

See also

In Spanish: Nas (rapero) para niños