Nas

Born:: September 14, 1973, he's 38 and American.
Birthname:: Nasir Jones.
Snapshot:: An Artist with 42 releases, a member of 3 groups, and credited 35 times on others' music. 24 collaborations and 2 musical relatives.

Hip-hop star Nas is best known for his landmark 1994 LP Illmatic, recorded when he was just 19 years old. His debut release, it is often considered to be among the best hip-hop albums ever made, mostly thanks to his sharp lyricism and astute treatment of difficult subjects. Although it didn't do well in the charts upon release, its continued appraisal as a landmark record meant it eventually reached platinum sales in 2001, and still sells well today.

In a sense, Nas has been trying to live up to his debut ever since, and while none of his subsequent releases are celebrated quite like Illmatic, most are worthy of praise and all have been commercially successful. It Was Written, his 1996 follow-up, was given mixed reviews initially, by critics who were disappointed that it wasn't another Illmatic, but its reputation has risen with the benefit of time. I Am.... and Nastradamus were both released in 1999 to mixed receptions, but Stillmatic (2001) was thought by many to be his best album since his debut. God's Son (2002), the double-disc Street Disciple (2004) and the controversial Hip-Hop Is Dead (2006) were all well received by fans and critics alike. In 2008 Nas controversially threatened to name his next album after an unprintable racial insult, but some commentators felt it was a crude publicity stunt and eventually his record bosses persuaded him to release it Untitled.

Pictures

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PR Photos

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Sean John Party For New Fragrance, " Unforgivable"

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'BET's 106th & Park' Presents Bow Wow, Trick Daddy, & Nas

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Photo of Nas

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Nas and Damien Marley "Road to Zion" Video Shoot - October 26, 2005

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Hip-Hop Youth Summit

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Nas, Stillmatic Tour 2002

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MTV TRL With Jamie Foxx, Nas, & Omarion

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Music

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Distant Relatives 2010 (Play) Buy mp3

Nas 2008 (Play) Buy mp3

Hip Hop Is Dead 2006 (Play) Buy mp3

Street's Disciple 2004 (Play) Buy mp3

Illmatic: 10th anniversary Platinum Edition [Disc 2]

Illmatic: 10th anniversary Platinum Edition… 2004

Illmatic 10th Anniversary Platinum Edition [Disc 1]

Illmatic 10th Anniversary Platinum Edition… 2004

The Lost Tapes 2002 (Play) Buy mp3

Stillmatic 2001 (Play) Buy mp3

God's Son 2000 (Play) Buy mp3

Nastradamus 1999 (Play) Buy mp3

I Am... 1999 (Play) Buy mp3

It Was Written 1996 (Play) Buy mp3

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View full timeline

Nas

Has worked with

Beastie Boys
- on: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - composer, performer, writer
- on: Too Many Rappers - performer
Large Professor
- on: First Class - performer
DJ Skribble
- on: The Real Hip Hop: Best of D&D Studios, Vol. 1 - performer
Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz
- on: Crunk Juice - performer
Master P
- on: Only God Can Judge Me - performer
Ludacris
- on: Theater of the Mind - performer
Cash Money Millionaires
- on: Baller Blockin - performer
Cha Cha
- on: Dear Diary - performer
Allure
- on: Allure - performer
AZ
- on: Aziatic - performer
Common
- on: Ghetto Dreams - performer
Rick Ross
- on: Deeper Than Rap - performer

Nicki Minaj
- on: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - performer, writer
Damian Marley
- on: Distant Relatives - co-released
Melanie Fiona
- on: The MF Life - performer
Jay-Z
- on: American Gangster - performer
Korn
- on: Take a Look in the Mirror - performer
Mary J. Blige
- on: Mary J. Blige & Friends - performer
Kelis
- on: Blindfold Me - co-released
Keyshia Cole
- on: A Different Me - performer
Scarface
- on: The Fix - performer
DJ Khaled
- on: We Global - performer
R. Kelly
- on: R. - performer
Noreaga
- on: N.O.R.E. - performer

Has been in these groups

Bravehearts

current & founder member
QB Finest

current & founder member
The Firm

current & founder member

Has this family

Kelis
- married
  - 2005-2009
Olu Dara
- parent

Jul, 17 2008

Ever since his classic 1994 debut album Illmatic, Nasir Jones has been trying to repeat the trick, hitting his targets with great releases sometimes (It Was Written and Stillmatic), and missing it at others (Nastradamus). In recent years he's tried to make big statements with his album titles, with 2005's Hip Hop Is Dead followed up by Untitled, released this week, which he originally wanted to title an unrepeatable racial slur. Reviews for Untitled have been mixed so far, but Nas can rely on his army of fans to give him a high chart placing. Whether it will hold up to Stillmatic, never mind Illmatic, in the long-term is anybody's guess.