Nas

Birth Name:

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones

Birth Place:

New York City, New York, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Actor, Producer, Director, Writer, Music department

Serves as the namesake of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship awarded annually at Harvard University
A longtime supporter of P'Tones Records, a non-profit aimed at promoting music-related after-school programs for kids
Dropped out of formal schooling after the eighth grade
Born into a musical family, his father was a jazz and blues musician from Mississippi
Began recording his first demos with friends as a teenager in the late '80s and eventually signed his first record deal with Columbia in 1993
Quote: "Reading is everything and although you already know some things, you need to read to get those things out of you․"
Quote: "Success is when your dreams come true․"
Quote: "Working with great people makes you great․ You learn a lot and it gives you experience and confidence to move on with your own career․"
Best known for his long-standing feud with fellow rapper Jay-Z, however, the two reconciled in 2005 and Nas was subsequently signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam Recordings
Invested a six-figure sum into Mass Appeal Magazine in 2013, thus being named the publication's associate publisher
Gained mainstream success in the mid-90s as a member of the New York-based rap collective, The Firm, who were signed to Dr․ Dre's Aftermath Entertainment

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