Early Life and Upbringing in Queensbridge
Nasir Jones was born in Queens, New York, to jazz musician Olu Dara and postal worker Fannie Ann Jones on September 14, 1973.[1][2] Raised in the Queensbridge Projects, he developed a passion for writing, but dropped out of school in the eighth grade, choosing to pursue a career in rap instead.[3]
Breakthrough with Main Source and Early Collaborations
In 1991, Nas’ scene-stealing debut verse on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbecue” stunned the rap game with bars like, “When I was twelve, I went to Hell for snuffin’ Jesus.”[4]
MC Serch of rap group 3rd Bass took notice of the rising rapper’s momentum and recruited him to contribute the track “Halftime” for the Zebrahead soundtrack. [5]
Illmatic: A Classic Debut
After landing a major deal with Columbia Records, Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, was released in 1994 and considered an instant classic.[6] With its poetic essence and impressive wordplay, the LP received a rare 5 mic rating from The Source magazine and is considered by many to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever created.[7]
Commercial Success with It Was Written
Hoping to become more commercially successful, Nas enlisted production duo The Trackmasters to help craft his sophomore effort, It Was Written.[8] Much to the dismay of hip-hop purists, he achieved crossover success with “Street Dreams” and garnered his first Grammy nomination for “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” featuring Lauryn Hill.[9]
Nas pivoted into acting and landed a lead role in cult classic Belly with DMX before the release of his subsequent albums I Am…and Nastradamus both released in 1999.[10]
The Jay-Z Rivalry and Stillmatic
In 2001, rival rapper Jay-Z dissed Nas on “Takeover” from his heralded album The Blueprint.[11] Later that year, Nas retaliated with Stillmatic, featuring “One Mic,” “Got Yourself…,” and his incendiary response to Jay-Z: “Ether.”[12] The track culminated in a victorious comeback and is recognized as one of the best diss tracks in hip-hop history.[13]
Evolution and Personal Life
His follow-up God’s Son (2002) was well-received and his first double album, Street’s Disciple, featured a notable collaboration with his father called “Bridging the Gap” and a song “American Way” with his soon-to-be wife Kelis who married on January 8, 2005. [14][15][16]
Reconciliation with Jay-Z and Def Jam Era
Later that year, fans were surprised when Nas publicly reconciled with Jay-Z during his 2005 I Declare War concert, performing Hov’s “Dead Presidents” (which features a sample of Nas’ “The World Is Yours” throughout the track).[17] Their peace offering also led Nas to sign a deal at Def Jam Records, spearheaded by Jay-Z at the time.[18]
Controversial Releases and Political Statements
Released on Def Jam in 2006, Hip Hop Is Dead sparked discourse about the state of hip-hop, and in 2008, he dropped his politically driven self-titled album (originally titled N*gger), which became his fifth number one album.[19]
Personal Challenges and Collaborations
In 2010, Nas’ seven-year marriage to Kelis ended in a bitter divorce that resulted in the rapper paying $10,000 a month in child support.[20] [21]Earlier that year, Nas linked with Damian “Junior Gong” Marley for joint album Distant Relatives, and he addressed his breakup from Kelis on 2012’s Grammy-nominated LP, Life Is Good.[22]
He also invested in hip-hop publication Mass Appeal and formed his own record label branch within the company, releasing projects from Run the Jewels, Pimp C, J Dilla, and DJ Shadow.[23]
Recent Work and Grammy Victory
After a six-year hiatus, he dropped a 7-track album produced by Kanye West called Nasir in 2018 followed by The Lost Tapes II (2019).[24] After decades into his career and 14 Grammy nominations, Nas finally earned a trophy for his Hit-Boy produced album entitled King’s Disease (2020). [25][26]
Ongoing Collaborations with Hit-Boy
Nas not only went on to collaborate with Hit-Boy on King’s Disease II (2021) and King’s Disease III (2022), but also teamed up for three installments of their Magic series featuring the likes of Lil’ Wayne, 21 Savage, and 50 Cent.[27][28]
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/05/arts/music/hiphop-family-values.html
[2] https://legacyrecordings.medium.com/the-eternal-illmatic-5922127b7ade
[3]https://www.biography.com/musicians/nas
[4]https://genius.com/Main-source-live-at-the-barbeque-lyrics
[5]https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nas-mn0000373634#biography
[6]https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-story-behind-nas-illmatic-is-almost-as-great-as-the-album-itself-930/
[7]https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nas-mn0000373634#biography
[8]Ibid.
[9]Ibid.
[10]Ibid.
[11]Ibid.
[12]Ibid.
[13]https://www.billboard.com/lists/diss-songs-rap/50-cent-back-down/
[14]https://genius.com/Nas-bridging-the-gap-lyrics
[15]https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nas-mn0000373634#biography
[16]https://ew.com/article/2005/01/11/nas-and-kelis-wed/
[17]https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nas-mn0000373634#biography
[18]https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/arts/music/23rap.html
[19] Ibid.
[20]https://www.tmz.com/2010/05/24/nas-kelis-divorced/
[21]https://hiphopdx.com/news/kelis-claims-nas-owes-money
[22] https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nas-mn0000373634#biography
[23] Ibid.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
[27]Ibid.
[28]https://genius.com/albums/Nas/Kings-disease-iii
