Nas

Nas, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur rooted in East Coast hip-hop. The son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara and U.S. Postal Service worker Fannie Ann Little, he grew up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens alongside his brother, Jabari Fret. Influenced by his neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas played the trumpet and began writing rhymes as a youth. He attended school through the eighth grade before dropping out and pursuing self-education.

Nas began his music career in 1989 using the moniker "Nasty Nas" and recorded early unreleased material alongside producer Large Professor. He made his official recording debut on Main Source's 1991 track "Live at the Barbeque." After signing with Columbia Records in 1992, he released his debut solo single, "Halftime," for the Zebrahead soundtrack. On April 19, 1994, Nas released his debut studio album, Illmatic, which achieved critical acclaim and was later inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.

During the mid-to-late 1990s, Nas shifted toward a more mainstream sound. His second album, It Was Written (1996), debuted atop the Billboard 200 and featured the hit single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" with Lauryn Hill. Around this time, he formed the hip-hop supergroup the Firm with AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega (later replaced by Nature), releasing The Firm: The Album in 1997. He also joined the group Group Therapy and co-wrote and starred in the 1998 film Belly. Nas released I Am... and Nastradamus in 1999, followed by the compilation album QB's Finest in 2000 on his Ill Will Records label.

Between 2001 and 2005, Nas was involved in a high-profile feud with Jay-Z, releasing the prominent diss track "Ether." His subsequent solo releases—Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and the double album Street's Disciple (2004)—re-established his critical standing. After reconciling with Jay-Z, Nas signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2006, releasing the politicized albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and an untitled ninth studio album (2008). In 2010, he collaborated with Damian Marley on the album Distant Relatives, donating its royalties to active African charities.

Nas released Life Is Good in 2012, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. In 2020, he won his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for King's Disease. He followed this success with five albums produced entirely by Hit-Boy: King's Disease II, Magic (2021), King's Disease III (2022), Magic 2, and Magic 3 (2023). In 2025, Nas released a collaborative album with DJ Premier.

Over his career, Nas has earned numerous industry rankings, including being listed among the top lyricists and MCs by publications such as The Source, MTV, About.com, and Billboard. Outside of his music career, he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and co-founded Mass Appeal Records, signing acts such as Dave East, N.O.R.E., Run the Jewels, and Swizz Beatz. Across seventeen studio albums, ten have been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in the United States.