Nas

Biography

Nas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. His father, Olu Dara, is a jazz and blues musician from Natchez, Mississippi. His mother, Fannie Ann Jones, was a Postal Service worker from North Carolina. Raised in the Queensbridge housing projects, Nas (throughout various times during his career) has gone by the stagenames of Nasty Nas, Nas Escobar (after Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar), God's Son, King of New York, and Nastradamus (after Nostradamus). Nas has also developed various backronyms for his name, including Not All Surrender and Niggaz Against Society. Nas is best known for his 1994 debut LP Illmatic, widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. This album established Nas as one of hip-hop's most praised lyricists, introducing his signature poetic style. However, 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. Furthermore, Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of "selling out". Nevertheless, a rivalry with Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z in 2001, led to the LP Stillmatic, which is often credited for restoring Nas' critical reputation. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas has pursued a decidedly street-level, personal aesthetic. 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 within the hip hop community.