Nas

Hip hop music, Musical Artist

1973 –

56

Who is Nas?

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known simply as Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara. Since 1994, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and sold over 25 million records worldwide. Aside from rapping and acting, Nas is an entrepreneur through his own record label, retail sneaker store, and magazine publishing. He currently serves as Mass Appeal Magazine's associate publisher as well as an owner of a Fila sneaker store.

His musical career began in 1991 when he was featured on Main Source's track "Live at the Barbeque". His debut album Illmatic, released in 1994, received universal acclaim from both critics and the hip hop community. It is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. His follow-up album It Was Written debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts, stayed on top for four consecutive weeks, went platinum twice in only two months, and made Nas internationally known.

From 1996 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with rapper Jay-Z. In 2006, Nas signed to Def Jam. In 2010, he released a collaboration album with reggae artist Damian Marley, donating all royalties to charities active in Africa. His tenth studio album, Life Is Good was released in 2012.

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Born
Sep 14, 1973
Crown Heights
Also known as
  • Nasir Jones
  • Nas & will.i.am
  • Nas, will.i.am
  • Nasty Nas
  • Nastradamus
  • Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones
  • Nas Escobar
  • Scarlett
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
  • Kelis
    (2005/01/08 - 2010/05/21)
Children
Ethnicity
  • African American
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Lived in
  • Queens
  • Brooklyn

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Nas." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/nas>.

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