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Nas

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File:Nas-pagedisplay.jpg
Nas, in a scene from the music video for the 1999 single "Nas is Like."

Nasir Jones (born September 14, 1973), better known as Nas, is an American rapper from the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in Long Island City, New York. His aliases include, but are not limited to Nasty Nas, Nas Escobar (after Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar), God's Son, and Nastradamus (after ancient prophet Nostradamus), though he appears officially on all album releases and guest appearances as Nas. Nas is most well known for his landmark debut album Illmatic and his hip-hop feud with fellow New York rap artist Jay-Z. Nas has gone threw a slew of nicknames while a mainstream rap artist.

Early years

Nas is the elder of sax player Olu Dara and Ann Jones' two children; his brother Jabari (nicknamed "Jungle" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to the large Queens public housing project of Queensbridge. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own from there. Nas dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York while educating himself on African culture and civilization, the Qur'an, the Bible and the Five Percent Nation.

As a child, Nas had gone through various stages of wanting to be an instrumentalist (at the age of three, Nas played his father's trumpet on the step of their Brooklyn home) and a comic book artist. By his preeteen years, he had settled on persuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willie "Ill Will" Graham as his DJ. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Queensbridge resident Large Professor, who introduced Nas to his group, Main Source.

In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on "Live at the Barbeque", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills (more impressive considering his young age) attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community. Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground, the rapper couldn't get a record deal at the time. Nas and Graham continued to work towards success, but their dream was cut short when Graham was shot and killed in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.

Illmatic

File:Nas illmatic.jpg
Illmatic (1994)

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 made his solo debut on the single "Halftime" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. For two years, rumors flew about Nas' future as he worked on his debut album. Many were concerned that Columbia, being a major label, would try to dilute his complex lyricism and street-based approach.

In 1994, his debut album Illmatic was finally released. Featuring production from a number of popular producers--Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Premier--as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara on the song "Life's a Bitch", as well as Nas' trademark lyrical acrobatics, Illmatic was hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and is still highly regarded as one of the definitive hip-hop albums of all time. Through its immense popularity, Illmatic would overshadow Nas for the rest of his career; in the eyes of most of his fans, he was never able to live up to the standards set by his first effort.

Despite its cult status, its sales fell far short of what was expected (mostly due to bootlegging), and Columbia prevailed upon Nas to work towards the commercial success of rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G., encouraging him to release more "radio-friendly" or "material" tracks. Nas traded manager MC Serch for Steve Stoute, and began preparation for his second LP, It Was Written, consciously working towards a more commercially viable sound for his second album.

Mainstream Sucess

It Was Written

It Was Written, chiefly produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, was released during the summer of 1996 and while it featured the more commercial production and subject matter his label had wished for, it also saw Nas develop his lyrics (mostly his now-famous storytelling prowess), creativity (on the innovative and influential "I Gave You Power") and branch out his musical tastes (the Dr. Dre-produced "Nas is Coming"). The album's two singles were national hits, promoted by big-budget videos directed by Hype Williams, and made Nas a common name among more mainstream music fans. It also featured many more MC guest spots than Illmatic's solitary AZ; the first incarnation of his supergroup The Firm, made up of Cormega, Foxy Brown, and AZ. Critics of the album rejected its more commercial overtones, though many fans of rap, in retrospect, contest it is underrated and overshadowed by Nas' previous release.

The Firm

Shortly after It Was Written, Nas announced his new group The Firm was to release an album under Dr. Dre, on his Aftermath Records. Boasting Nas-protege Nature as a replacement for Cormega, The Firm: The Album was finally released in 1997; like Nas' sophomore release, it fell victim to high expectations. To the chagrin of many awaiting the release, the album was not produced totally (nor even very much) by Dre himself. Additionally, many of the tracks featured two or three of the members and not all of them at once. Following the release's poor sales, the group broke up.

At about this time, Nas became a spokesperson for the Willie Esco urban clothing line, but had no other connection with the clothing line. He stopped promoting Willie Esco in 2000, dissatisfied with the company's operations.

I Am...

In 1998, Nas began work on a double album to be entitled I Am...Nastradamus (The Autobiography), which he touted as the middle ground between the extremes of Illmatic and It Was Written. The album was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, "Nas is Like," produced by DJ Premier. However, much of the LP's second disk was bootlegged; Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough subsistute material to constitute a single-disc release. Now simply titled I Am..., Nas' third album was issued by Columbia in April of 1999.

The second single for I Am was "Hate Me Now," featuring Sean "Puffy" Combs (now "Diddy"). Hype Williams shot an allegorical video for the single, which featured Nas and Puffy being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus; representative of how Nas' critics crucified him for allegedly going pop. After the video was completed, Combs, a Catholic, requested his crucifixion scene be edited out of the video. However, the unedited copy of the "Hate Me Now" video made its way to MTV, and was premiered on April 15, 1999 on TRL by Carson Daly. Upon learning that the original edit was the one that made it to broadcast, a furious Combs and his bodyguards allegedly made his way into Steve Stoute's office and assaulted him, at one point apparently hitting Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute pressed charges, but he and Combs settled out-of-court that June.

Nastradamus

Even more polarized between commercial and hardcore styles than It Was Written had been, Nas fans hit a divide: his critics now began proclaiming his downfall, accusing him of selling out, while his die-hard audience claimed he was still capable of delivering the goods. His fourth release later that year, Nastradamus, did not seem to help their argument.

Columbia had scheduled to release the pirated material from I Am under the title Nastradamus during the latter half of 1999, but, at the last minute, decided Nas should record an entirely new LP for release. Nastradamus was therefore rushed to meet a November release date, and though critics were not kind to the album, it did result in a minor hit single, the Timbaland-produced "You Owe Me," featuring R&B singer Ginuwine.

The only pirated track from the original double disk which made it onto Nastradamus was the acclaimed "Project Windows," featuring Ronald Isley. A number of the other bootlegged tracks were later released as The Lost Tapes, a collection of underground Nas songs that was released by Columbia in September 2002; fans and critics alike hailed The Lost Tapes as some of his best work.

2000s

2000 saw the release of the first album on Nas' imprint Ill Will Records, named after his late childhood friend Willie Graham. QB's Finest was a compilation album that featured Nas and a number of other rappers from Queensbridge, including Mobb Deep, Nature, Littles, The Bravehearts (which included Nas' younger brother Jungle along with his friend Wiz), and Cormega, who had briefly reconciled with Nas. The album also featured guest appearances from QB hip-hop legends Roxanne Shante, and MC Shan & Marley Marl, both of whom appeared on the lead single "Da Bridge 2001" (based on Shan & Marl's 1986 "The Bridge").

In 2001, Nas surprised nearly everyone with the release of Stillmatic. Amidst heated problems with Jay-Z, his fifth album was packaged as a return to Illmatic form, probably pushed by speculation over his abilities spawned by the beef. Amidst the album's flaring disses, he also waxes political on "My Country" and showcases yet again his creativity with a track entitled "Rewind," in which Nas tells a typical street tale, but in reverse. Stillmatic managed to be not only a critically acclaimed comeback album, but a commercial success as well, debuting at #7 on the Billboard album charts.

In December of 2002, Nas released his next album, God's Son. While not as acclaimed as Stillmatic or (of course) Illmatic, it was received warmly by both critics and fans. This album saw Nasir's more tender, emotional side, as his mother had died of cancer during its recording. Besides the banging lead single "Made You Look", the album featured an ode to his late mother, introspection and observation, and even a track meant to inspire black and poor youth, "I Can." It was also, uncharacteristically, the first Nas solo release not to feature production from usual collaborator DJ Premier.

After a hiatus of two years, Nas introduced a new Ill Will Records artist named Quan in 2004. Remixing a song the younger rapper had recorded, Nas added his own verses and released it as "Just a Moment", the lead single to his seventh LP. Directly afterward, he released his seventh and latest studio album, the double-disc Street's Disciple. His aim for the project was to cover all aspects of rap from "oldschool" to the present. As is the case with most hip-hop double albums, fans claim it fell victim to too much "filler" or unnecessary material; what hit, though, hit well, and most critics judged Nas as "back on the rise" to prominence.

Recent Work

Shortly after the release of the album, on which once again there was no AZ to be found, the rapper announced he and Nas would likely never make music again. Fans had been clamoring for a duet album for some time, and this event let many of them down: there had been talk of AZ reaching out to Nas to begin the project, and AZ implied that Nas was more concerned with the financial aspects than the music. He cites no hard feelings toward his former partner. Nas has never commented on the status of their friendship, in the studio or outside it.

In early 2006, Nas chose to forsake Columbia Records (and, presumably, his Ill Will imprint) and sign to Def Jam under Jay-Z, surprising nearly everyone in the hip-hop community. He bargained for his own new imprint on Def Jam, The Jones Experience, and has announced a new forthcoming album entitled Nasdaq: Dow Jones. There is heavy speculation, though never definitively confirmed by the parties involved (it has been hinted at in interviews), that this eighth album will be produced entirely by DJ Premier and feature Jay-Z.

The deal's terms have Island Def Jam and Columbia parent Sony Music participating as financial partners in Nas' first two albums under his four album deal. Def Jam will provide A&R, promotion and distribution for the next two albums, while the two lables share the marketing.

The budget for recording each album is $3 million. It's been reported that the $3 million includes advances for Nas, but sources say the rapper got a seperate, substantially higher advance.

"I've been in the business a long time and know what a great deal is," Nas said in a interview with Billboard. "I singed a significant and excellent situation."

Sony Music still owns the masters from Nas' 11-year stint with Columbia as well as the right to release a greatest hits compilation not shared with Def Jam. Included into the contract, Nas will submit two new tracks for the Sony greatest hits package. Sony may also include up to three tracks from the joint albums on a hits collection.

Jay-Z said Nas' next album will drop in forth quarter of 2006 and he will most likely be on one song. He hopes Nas will have production from Timbaland, Just Blaze, DJ Premier, Pharell Williams and Dr. Dre.

Technique

Nas has long been famed for his creativity and storytelling prowess. In his early stages (i.e. "Live at the Barbeque" - Breaking Atoms) he was known for his street-oriented topics, complex scheme, witty phrasing and metaphors, and energetic delivery. As he progressed, his voice thickened and his delivery slowed. He developed his penchant for dramatic and emotional storytelling and topical creativity; "Undying Love" is an over-the-top but heartrending tale of his wife's betrayal, and on "I Gave You Power" he takes the role of a gun that grows tired of killing.

Even while he got into the habit of "dumbing down" or simplifying his lyrics and topics for the more mundane aspects of his music (odes to smoking marijuana and sexcapades), he also grew more socially aware and politically inflammatory. Songs like "My Country" and "A Message to the Feds (Sincerely We the People)" challenge the fairness of the American government, and "These Are Our Heroes (Coon Picnic)" accused several black celebrities of being Uncle Toms.

Hip Hop rivalries

2Pac

One of the most popular artists of the '90's, Tupac Shakur AKA 2Pac numbered Nas among his targets in a sweeping dissing campaign against much of the New York rap scene. He even referred to Nas as the "ringleader" of his rivals, though he spent much of his time dissing The Notorious BIG. Reportedly, 2Pac met Nas at a release party and told him the West Coast/East Coast rivalry had nothing to do with him; then he allegedly accused Nas of stealing his style, and later the disses started flying. Who dissed first is unclear.

Eventually, the two confronted each other outside the VMAs in New York. Again, reports as to what happened differ; rapper Snoop Dogg, who was in 2Pac's entourage that night, posits 2Pac strongarmed Nas into backing down from the beef. Other friends of Shakur who were present that night, including Suge Knight and some members of Tha Outlawz, support Nas' own claims that the two rappers worked out their differences. Shortly after, Tupac was gunned down on the Las Vegas strip.

Cormega

Once a friend of Nas and member of the supergroup The Firm, their relationship soured when Mega was kicked out of the group; Nas' manager Steve Stoute tried to get Cormega to sign with his management company, and when he was refused, he had Nas replace Cormega with another Queensbridge rapper named Nature. This incited several disses from Mega to his former friend, which broke in a brief truce in 2000 when they worked together on the Queensbridge compilation album.

Their truce was short-lived, however, as both artists proceeded to diss each other once again in 2001. Cormega went at Nas with subliminal disses on his debut album, The Realness, to which Nas responded on Stillmatic. Once Cormega heard Nas's diss, he performed a freestyle the next day, dissing Nas on the radio. After this point, the two hardly mentioned each other, though when Cormega was asked about Nas in an interview, he said there is "nothing between [them]".

The conflict finally ended in 2005 when Nas' grandmother died; Cormega had also been close to the woman when he was a boy, and the two used the tragedy as a basis to reconcile. Mega has stated on his website that he will guest on Nas' next album.

Jay-Z & Roc-A-Fella Records

Perhaps Nas' most publicized beef, this saw its peak in 2001-2003. No specific reasons for its start have been made clear, but the passionate disses included such topics as Jay's dissappointment with Nas as a fan, and Jay-Z's alleged "biting" of other rappers' lyrics. Almost the whole of Jay's Roc-a-Fella Records became involved with the beef; Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, The Diplomats and the Young Gunz all sent disses at Nas and were mentioned in return.

The disses stopped flying after Nas' "Ether", and the beef began to cool down, although for years it would be debated as to who won. In 2005, rumors began to circulate that Nas and Jay were to work together when Nas guested on Kanye West's sophomore album Late Registration. In a surprise appearance at a Jay-Z concert, the former rivals reconciled, and Nas subsequently signed to Def Jam (of which Jay-Z is president).

Mobb Deep, Nature & Nore

Around the time of his beef with Jay-Z, Nas dissed his former QB cohorts Nature, Mobb Deep and Nore. Reasons for these beefs were never clear; since the start of the bad blood, he has reconciled with both Mobb Deep and Nore, only to go back to dissing them. In 2004 he and Nore had an altercation where the latter threw a flower pot; in 2005, Nas broke the truce between himself and Mobb Deep by dissing them for signing to his adversary 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.

50 Cent

Once a labelmate of Nas, 50 Cent resorted to dissing him in 2004, apparently for consorting with Mr. Cent's rival Ja Rule. Nas has teamed with former G-Unit-member The Game and longtime collaborators D-Block and Fat Joe, and has released retaliatory diss tracks toward the rapper.

Discography

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File:Nas streets disciple.jpg
Street's Disciple (2004)

Albums

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop US Rap UK Singles Chart
1993 "Halftime" - - - - Illmatic
1994 "It Ain't Hard To Tell" #91 #57 #13 #64 Illmatic
1994 "One Love" - - #24 - Illmatic
1994 "The World Is Yours" - #64 #27 - Illmatic
1996 "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill) #53 #17 #15 #12 It Was Written
1996 "Street Dreams" #22 #18 #1 #12 It Was Written
1997 "Firm Biz"
(The Firm featuring Dawn Robinson) 		- - - - The Album
1997 "Head Over Heals"
(Allure featuring Nas) 		#35 #17 - #18 Allure
1999 "Hate Me Now"
(featuring Puff Daddy) 		#6 #18 #8 #14 I Am...
1999 "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" - #50 - - I Am...
1999 "Nas Is Like" #86 #30 #3 - I Am...
1999 "Hot Boyz"
(Missy Elliot featuring Nas, Eve, & Q-Tip) 		#5 #1 #1 - Da Real World
1999 "Nastradamus" #92 #27 #4 #24 Nastradamus
2000 "You Owe Me"
(featuring Ginuwine) 		#59 #13 - - Nastradamus
2000 "Da Bridge 2001"
(QB's Finest featuring Nas, Mobb Deep, MC Shan, Cormega, & Nature) 		- - #17 - QB's Finest
2000 "Oochie Wally [Remix]"
(QB's Finest featuring Nas and The Bravehearts) 		#26 #11 #2 #30 QB's Finest
2001 "Ether" - #50 - - Stillmatic
2001 "Got Ur Self A..." #87 #37 #2 #30 Stillmatic
2002 "I'm Gonna Be Alright [Remix]"
(Jennifer Lopez featuring Nas) 		#10 #32 - - J.Lo
2002 "Made You Look" #32 #12 #9 #27 God's Son
2003 "I Can" #12 #7 #6 #19 God's Son
2004 "Bridging The Gap"
(featuring Olu Dara) 		#94 #49 - - Street's Disciple
2004 "Theif's Theme" - - - - Street's Disciple
2004 "You Know My Style" - #64 - - Street's Disciple
2005 "Just A Moment"
(featuring Quan) 		- #52 #24 - Street's Disciple
2005 "Virgo"
(featuring Ludacris and Doug E. Fresh) 		- #69 - - Street's Disciple
2006 "Both Eyez Open"
(featuring Jadakiss) 		- - - - Make No Cents

Underground Releases & Remixes

  • 2003: God's Stepson [Album] by producer 9th Wonder
  • 2003: SoulMatic [Album] by producer Soul Supreme
  • 2003: NastraDoomus [Album] by producer MF Doom
  • 2003: NastraDoomus: Vol. 2 [Album] by producer MF Doom
  • 2004: Hova's Son [Album] by producer DJ Lt. Dan
  • 2005: "Warrior Song" (Remix) [Single] by producer Dave Jonsen (a.k.a. Harvey Dent)
  • 2005: "I Can" (Remix) [Single] by producer Dave Jonsen

References

  • {{cite AV media}}: Empty citation (help)
  • "Shots fired during UK rap concert", BBC News. March 22 2005. Retrieved October 26 2005.
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