In 1994, Nas' debut album, Illmatic was finally released. However, many were concerned that Columbia, being a major label, would try to dilute his New York based style. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serch’s solo album is released later in the year, Nas’ standout appearance on "Back To The Grill" only intensified interest in his upcoming album, amid immense anticipation. Nas made his solo debut on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas and Graham continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was shot and killed by a gunman in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.ġ992–1995: The recording and release of Illmatic Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper was rejected by major labels and was not signed to a recording deal. In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on "Live At The BBQ", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Flushing Queens resident Large Professor, who introduced Nas to his group, Main Source. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Shortly after his parents separated, Nas began to write short stories as he immersed himself deeper into hip-hop culture.īy his preteen years, he had settled on pursuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham as his DJ. As a child, Nas had wanted to be an instrumentalist (at the age of three, Nas played his father's trumpet on the step of their Brooklyn home) and also a comic book artist.
He also studied the origin of hip hop music, taping records that played on his local radio station. He educated himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Qur'an, the Bible and the Five Percent Nation. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to Queensbridge, the largest public housing project in the United States. Nas was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the elder of Olu Dara and Fannie Ann Jones's two children his brother Jabari (nicknamed "Jungle" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. While Nas' current artistic direction differs greatly from his most successful work, it has ensured that he remains one of the most respected and acclaimed contemporary rappers. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas continues to maintain a high profile within the hip hop community, and has pursued a decidedly progressive and personal aesthetic. Nevertheless, the LP Stillmatic is often credited for restoring Nas' credibility among fans. Furthermore, Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of "selling out". In the years following the release of Illmatic, Nas pursued a more commercial direction, which resulted in wider success but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. Nas was also a part of hip hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album. He married R&B singer Kelis in 2005, they have one son together, and she filed for divorce on the 29th of April 2009. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed bestseller and is widely considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time. By the time he released his landmark solo debut album Illmatic in 1994, Jones was known as Nas.
According to the Nasty Songfacts, as a teenager rapper, Nasir first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was raised in the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in Queensbridge, Queens New York City. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, born Septemin Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York and more known commonly as Nas (formerly Nasty Nas and Escobar), is a prominent American MC.
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