Nas is one of the most important rappers in the United States of America. He heavily influenced the hip hop industry in the 1990s and 2000s. The Illmatic collection is regarded by the global hip-hop community as the most famous in history.
As the son of jazz musician Olu Dara, the rapper has released 8 platinum and multi-platinum albums. In total, Nas has sold over 25 million albums.
Childhood and youth of Nasir bin Olu Dar Jones
The full name of the star is Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. The young man was born on September 14, 1973 in Brooklyn. Nasir grew up in a creative family. His father was a famous Mississippi blues and jazz singer.
Nasir spent his childhood in Queensbridge, Long Island City. His parents moved there when he was still very young. The boy's parents divorced when he had not finished school yet. By the way, due to the fact that his father and mother divorced, he had to drop out of school in the 8th grade.
Soon the boy began to visit and learn African culture. Nasir was a frequent visitor to religious communities such as Five-Percent Nation and Nuwaubian Nation.
The guy got acquainted with music from his teenage years. He taught himself to play the trumpet and several other musical instruments. Then he became interested in hip-hop. This culture fascinated him so much that he began to rhyme and compose the first tracks.
The creative path of the rapper Nas
A friend and neighbor William Graham had a significant contribution to the development of the singer's creative career. The rapper recorded the first tracks under the little-known creative pseudonym Kid Wave.
In the late 1980s, the aspiring performer met producer Large Professor. He invited the performer to the studio, and he recorded the first professional tracks. The only upset was that Nasir was forced to sing only those tracks that the producer dictated.
A little later, a member of the 3rd Bass MC Serch was Nasir's manager. A year after his coming of age, Nas signed a lucrative recording contract with Columbia Records.
The rapper's musical debut came with a guest verse to MC Serch Halftime. This track is the official soundtrack to the Oliver Stone film Zebrahead.
Debut album presentation
In 1994, the singer's discography was replenished with the debut album Illmatic. Responsible for the technical basis of the work: DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, LES and Nasir himself.
The collection is stylized as a hardcore rap genre, filled with many complex spiritual rhymes and underground narratives based on the life experience of the rapper himself. Numerous popular magazines named the debut album the best compilation of 1994.
After a brilliant debut, Columbia Records put pressure on the rapper. The producers tried to make a commercial rapper out of the performer.
Supported by Steve Stout, Nas completed his collaboration with MC Serch. Already in 1996, the rapper's discography was replenished with his second debut album. The collection was called It Was Written.
This record is the exact opposite of the debut album. The collection differs from the first album by moving away from the rough sound to a more "polished" and commercial one. The disc features the voice of The Firm. At that time, Nas was a member of this group.
Being signed to Dr. Dre Aftermath Entertainment, The Firm lost one member - Cormega, who quarreled with Steve Stout and left the team. Thus, Cormega was Nasir's most prominent enemy, recording an abundance of disses on him.
In 1997, The Firm presented the album The Album. The compilation received mixed reviews from music critics. After the release of this record, the group disbanded.
Work on a double album by Nas
In 1998, Nas informed his fans that he had begun work on a double album. Soon the presentation of the collection I Am… The Autobiography took place.
According to Nas, the new collection is a compromise between Illmatic and It Was Written. Each musical composition speaks of life's difficulties in youth.
In the late 1990s, I Am ... topped the popular music chart Billboard 200. Music critics call the album one of the most worthy works of the American rapper.
Soon, a video clip was also released for the composition Hate Me Now. In the video, Nasir and Sean Combs appeared crucified on the cross. After the clip passed all the technical stages, the second member Combs asked to remove the crucifixion scene. Despite Sean's urgent requests, the crucifixion scene was not removed.
A little later, the rapper's discography was replenished with the fourth studio album Nastradamus. Despite Nas' efforts, the album was coldly received by music critics. The rapper was not upset. He continued to develop up the career ladder, like a "tank".
Nas redeemed himself in 2002 when he presented his sixth studio album God's Son. It includes very personal tracks for the artist. In the compositions, Nas shared his feelings about the death of his mother, religion and violence. The collection received good reviews from music critics.
Creativity Nas in 2004-2008
In 2004, Nasir's discography was expanded with the album Street's Disciple. The main themes of the collection were politics and personal life. The record was warmly received by fans, but Nas received mixed reviews from music critics.
Under the auspices of Def Jam Recordings, the artist released his eighth studio album Hip Hop Is Dead. In this disc, Nasir criticized contemporary artists, saying that the quality of the tracks is rapidly declining.
В 2007 году стало известно о том, что рэпер работает над новым студийным альбомом Nigger. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album was awarded gold by the RIAA.
The personal life of rapper Nas
Nas's personal life was no less intense than his creative one. In 1994, Nasir's ex-fiancee Carmen Brian gave birth to his daughter Destiny. A little later, the woman shocked the rapper with a confession. She had a love relationship with Nas's most ardent enemy - performer Jay-Z.
In the mid-2000s, the rapper married the performer Kelis. The couple had one child. In 2009, the stars divorced. The reason for the divorce was personal differences.
After an official marriage, Nasir had a short relationship with models and American performers. So far, no one has managed to lead the rapper down the aisle.
Rapper Nas today
In 2012, the rapper's discography was replenished with the album Life Is Good. Nas called the new compilation a "magic moment" of a hip-hop career. The record was warmly received by both fans and music critics. The rapper considers this album the best work of the last 10 years of his creative career.
In the fall of 2014, the rapper announced that he was preparing the last album under the leadership of Def Jam. On October 30, he released the single The Season. The rapper's latest compilation was called Nasir.
In 2019, Nas, featuring Mary J. Bludge, released the track Thriving. The first work of the stars Love Is All We Need was released in 1997. Since then, they have collaborated many times.
Despite the fact that Nasir did not plan to replenish his discography with new albums, in 2019 the rapper announced that he would soon release The Lost Tapes-2 compilation. It was a continuation of the first part of The Lost Tapes. And this year, the rapper presented the collection The Lost Tapes-2.
The latest news about the rapper can be found on his social networks. In addition, the artist has an official website. In 2020, the singer is touring. While he is not ready to give information about the release of the new album.
