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Nas Biography

Birth Name:
Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones
Birth Place:
Queens, New York, United States
Profession
Rapper, actor

Fast Facts

  • Acclaimed debut album, Illmatic (1994), spawned several hit singles and established him as a rising hip-hop star
  • Made his big-screen debut opposite rapper DMX in the 1998 crime drama Belly
  • Scored his biggest commercial hits with the back-to-back double-platinum albums It Was Written (1996) and I Am
  • (1999)
  • Collaborated with his jazz musician father, Olu Dara, on "Bridging the Gap," from Nas' 2004 double album, Streets Disciple
  • Vied with Jay-Z for the East Coast rap crown following the 1997 death of rapper Notorious B
  • I
  • G
  • ; the pair finally settled their feud in 2005, and went on to collaborate in the studio
  • Named No
  • 5 on MTV's list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time in 2006

Relationships