Nas – American rapper, actor, and producer
Nas’s real name is Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones. He was born on 14 September 1973 in Brooklyn. His mother worked at the post office, and his dad was a musician. He performed jazz and blues songs. The artist has a brother, who performs under the pseudonym Jungle. He is part of the boy band Bravehearts.
When he was a child, Nasir’s family moved to Queens. A while later, his parents divorced. The young man was so shocked that he couldn’t continue his studies and dropped out of school. He joined different African American organizations, such as Nuwaubian Nation and Five-Percent Nation. At that time, Nasir learned how to play the trumpet and write poetry.
At the end of the 1980’s, the rapper met Large Professor. The producer changed the young man’s life and helped him record the first single. The rapper presented “Halftime”, which he worked on earlier. It became a soundtrack to the movie Zebrahead. When Nasir turned 19, he signed a contract with Columbia Records. The critics liked his work and predicted that Nas will become successful.
In 1994, the rapper released his first LP, Illmatic. It was very successful for a debut album. The Source magazine called it the best album of 1994. The LP reached the 12th spot on Billboard 200 and sold 60,000 copies in the first week. Eventually, the album became platinum.
