Nas
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Nas, formerly Nasty Nas is an American rapper and producer who is known for his debut album Illmatic on 1994. He is a son of Jazz musician Olu Dara.
Contents |
About
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was born on September 14, 1973. He is known professionally as Nas, whose given name "Nasir" means helper and protector. His father Olu Dara was a jazz musician where he would listen to his trumpet at a young age of four while still in Brooklyn. At thirteen, when the family moved to Queensbridge, his father left the household, and her mother Ann Jones would raised Nas and his brother Jabari and sent both to school. Until on the eight grade, Nas would dropped out of school and decided to educate himself reading books about African culture, civilization, and the Koran, studied the origin of rap music and soon found himself recording songs. The songs were used to play on his radio at home.
By this stage of his pre-teen years, he had settled to pursue a career as a rapper. He enlisted to create a tandem with his best friend and neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham as his partner. When both approached Large Professor, they were introduced to his group, Main Source. By 1991, Nas would made his on-record debut by singing a verse on one of the Main Source's song. Despite the substantial buzz, the rapper was rejected by most major record labels. Their partnership was cut short after Graham was shot and killed by a gunman on 1992.
Being alone didn't stop him from pursuing his career as rapper. But instead approach MC Serch of 3rd Bass who eventually became his manager that secured him a record deal with Columbia to released his solo debut album Illmatic on 1994.
Awards & Certifications
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Time Magazine | Album of the Year for God's Son |
Certifications
| Year | Album | RIAA |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Illmatic | Certified Platinum |
| 1996 | It Was Written | Certified 2x Platinum |
| 1999 | I Am... | Certified 2x Platinum |
| 1999 | Nastradamus | Certified Platinum |
| 2001 | Stillmatic | Certified Platinum |
| 2002 | God's Son | Certified Platinum |
| 2002 | The Lost Tapes | Certified Gold |
| 2004 | Street's Disciple | Certified Platinum |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Pop 100 | Hot 100 | Hot Rap Tracks | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Hip Hop Is Dead | 35 | 41 | 25 | Hip Hop Is Dead |
| 2005 | Just A Moment | - | - | 24 | Street's Disciple |
| 2004 | Bridging The Gap | - | 94 | - | Steet's Disciple |
| 2003 | I Can | - | 12 | 6 | God's Son |
| 2003 | Made You Look | 32 | - | 9 | God's Son |
| 2002 | Got Ur Self A... | 87 | - | 2 | Stillmatic |
| 2002 | One Mic | 43 | - | 10 | Stillmatic |
| 2000 | You Owe Me | - | 59 | - | Nastradamus |
| 1999 | Hate Me Now | - | 62 | 8 | I Am... |
| 1999 | NAS Is Like | - | 86 | 3 | I Am... |
| 1997 | Street Dreams | - | 22 | - | It Was Written |
| 1996 | If I Ruled The World | - | 53 | 15 | It Was Written |
| 1996 | Street Dreams | - | - | 1 | It Was Written |
| 1994 | It Ain t Hard To Tell | - | 91 | 13 | Illmatic |
| 1994 | One Love | - | - | 24 | Illmatic |
| 1994 | The World Is Yours | - | - | 27 | Illmatic |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for the artist.
Announcements
No announcements are currently available.
Discography
Comprehensive list of the recordings made.
Albums
 April 19, 1994 Columbia |
 July 2, 1996 Columbia |
 April 6, 1999 Columbia |
 November 23, 1999 Columbia |
 December 18, 2001 Columbia |
 December 13, 2002 Columbia |
 November 30, 2004 Columbia |
 December 19, 2006 Def Jam Records |
Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | It Ain't Hard to Tell | Columbia |
| 1994 | The World Is Yours | Columbia |
| 1994 | Life's a Bitch | Columbia |
| 1995 | One Love | Columbia |
| 1996 | If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) | Columbia |
| 1996 | Street Dreams | Columbia |
| 1997 | Firm Biz | Columbia |
| 1999 | Nas Is Like | Columbia |
| 1999 | Hate Me Now | Columbia |
| 1999 | K-I-S-S-I-N-G | Columbia |
| 1999 | Nastradamus | Columbia |
| 2000 | You Owe Me | Columbia |
| 2000 | Da Bridge 2001 | Columbia |
| 2000 | Oochie Wally | Columbia |
| 2001 | Ether | Columbia |
| 2001 | Got Ur Self A... | Columbia |
| 2001 | You're Da Man | Columbia |
| 2002 | One Mic | Columbia |
| 2002 | Rule | Columbia |
| 2002 | Made You Look | Columbia |
| 2003 | Thugz Mansion | Columbia |
| 2003 | I Can | Columbia |
| 2003 | Get Down | Columbia |
| 2004 | Thief's Theme | Columbia |
| 2004 | Bridging the Gap | Columbia |
| 2004 | You Know My Style | Columbia |
| 2005 | Just a Moment | Columbia |
| 2005 | Virgo | Columbia |
| 2006 | Hip Hop Is Dead | Def Jam |
Compilations & Live Releases
 January 22, 2002 Columbia |
 September 24, 2002 Columbia |
 Spring 2007 Columbia/Sony |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Nas has a daughter named Destiny.
- His mom died of breast cancer. At the hospital, he held her in his arms until she passed on.
- Recorded and released a song dedicated to his mother titled "Dance," which can be heard on his latest album, "God's Son".
- Met his wife, Kelis, for the first time during an after-party at Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs's bacchanal at the luxurious Cipriani restaurant.
- Nas recorded a hip-hop-blues collaboration with his father called "Bridging the Gap"
