Nas
Nas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, and every piece of that name carries a meaning. Nasir is an Arabic name for a helper and protector, and bin means son of. The American rapper, entrepreneur and record producer first recorded in 1989 and was still releasing albums in 2025. How does a kid from Queens, with a jazz musician for a father, become one of the most argued-over names in hip-hop? What happens when critics decide an artist has lost his way, and what brings him back? And what does a rapper do with his money once the records are made? The answers run through a housing project, a bitter rivalry, a fight over an album title and a business portfolio that reaches well beyond music.
Nas was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on the 14th of September 1973. His father, Olu Dara, was a jazz and blues musician from Mississippi who took his stage name from the Yoruba people. His mother, Fannie Ann Little, was a postal worker from North Carolina. Nas also has a brother, Jabari Fret, who raps as Jungle and belongs to the group Bravehearts.
While Nas was still a young child, the family moved to the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City, in Queens. A neighbor there, Willie "Ill Will" Graham, played him records and sparked his love of hip-hop. His parents divorced in 1985, and Nas left school after the eighth grade. He taught himself about African culture through the Five-Percent Nation, a splinter group of the Nation of Islam, and through the Nuwaubian Nation. He also played the trumpet and started writing his own rhymes.
Graham soon became more than a neighbor. The teenage Nas made his best friend and upstairs neighbor his DJ, and he tried the nickname Kid Wave before settling on Nasty Nas. In 1989, at sixteen, he met the producer Large Professor, who took him to a studio where Rakim and Kool G Rap were making albums. Whenever the studio sat idle, Nas stepped into the booth and recorded his own songs. None of them were ever released.
Nas first appeared on a record in July 1991, on "Live at the Barbeque" by Large Professor's group Main Source. Underground buzz followed, yet major rap labels including Cold Chillin' and Def Jam Recordings turned him down. Then, in May 1992, Graham was murdered. Nas has called that loss a "wake-up call," and the months after it moved fast.
In mid-1992, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached Nas and became his manager. Serch contacted Faith Newman, an A&R executive at Sony Music, and that contact led to a deal with Columbia Records. That August, Nas rapped on a track from Serch's album Return of the Product, alongside Chubb Rock and Red Hot Lover Tone. In October he made his solo debut as Nasty Nas on "Halftime", a single from the soundtrack of the film Zebrahead. Listeners in the hip-hop community took notice and began calling him the new Rakim.
Illmatic reached stores on the 19th of April 1994. Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, LES and DJ Premier handled the production. Nas's friend AZ and his father, Olu Dara, made guest appearances. Singles included "The World Is Yours", "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "One Love", and "Halftime" found its place on the album too.
Shaheem Reid of MTV News called it "the first classic LP" of 1994, and The Source named it best album of the year. Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote that Nas could describe bleak ghetto life without giving up on hope or on the good times. The writer William Jelani Cobb, in his book To the Break of Dawn, noted that Nas was hailed as the second coming of Rakim. Cobb added: "Nas never became 'the next Rakim,' nor did he really have to. Illmatic stood on its own terms."
Honors kept accumulating. The Library of Congress placed the album in its National Recording Registry. About.com ranked it the greatest hip-hop album of all time, and Prefix magazine called it "the best hip hop record ever made." That same year Nas also recorded "One on One" for the soundtrack of the film Street Fighter. When the album turned twenty, the documentary Nas: Time Is Illmatic premiered on the 16th of April 2014, retracing the circumstances behind the debut.
In 1995, Nas guested on four albums by fellow New York names: Doe or Die by AZ, The Infamous by Mobb Deep, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon and 4,5,6 by Kool G Rap. He also parted ways with MC Serch, hired Steve Stoute as manager, and began preparing a second album. Tone and Poke of the Trackmasters produced most of It Was Written, as Nas deliberately reached for a crossover sound. Columbia Records had started pressing him toward more commercial subjects, in the vein of The Notorious B.I.G.
The album leaned into an Escobar persona who lived like a character from Scarface or Casino. Illmatic, despite its references to Scarface hero Tony Montana, had mostly been about growing up in the projects. It Was Written came out on the 2nd of July 1996. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and sold over a quarter-million units in its first week.
Two singles became instant hits: "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" with Lauryn Hill of the Fugees, and "Street Dreams", which also had a remix with R. Kelly. Hype Williams directed big-budget videos for both. Leo Stanley of AllMusic felt the rhymes were less complex than those on Illmatic but still found coherent stories in them. The album also introduced the Firm, a supergroup of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega.
The Firm signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, but trouble came halfway through the album. Stoute fired Cormega after failing to force him into a deal with Stoute's management company. Cormega became one of Nas's loudest critics, and Nature took his place. The group's 1997 album drew mixed reviews and fell short of sales expectations even though it went platinum.
In 1998, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams's feature film Belly. He was also planning a double album called I Am... The Autobiography, meant as a middle ground between his first two records. Much of it leaked online as MP3 files, so Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough new material for a single disc. Its second single, "Hate Me Now", featured Sean "Puffy" Combs, and critics cited it as proof Nas was drifting toward commercial themes.
The video showed Nas and Combs being crucified in a way that echoed Jesus Christ. Combs asked for his scene to be cut, but the unedited version reached MTV. Within minutes, Combs and his bodyguards allegedly went to Stoute's office and assaulted him, reportedly with a champagne bottle. Stoute pressed charges, and the two settled out of court that June.
Columbia had planned to release the leftover material as Nastradamus later in 1999. At the last minute, Nas chose to record an entirely new album instead, rushed out for a November release. Reviews were unfavorable, though "You Owe Me" became a minor hit. Fans and critics now feared a decline, since both I Am... and Nastradamus were called inconsistent and overly commercial.
In 2000, he answered with QB's Finest, a compilation of Queensbridge rappers released on his own Ill Will Records. Its lead single, "Da Bridge 2001", reworked the 1986 recording "The Bridge" by MC Shan and Marley Marl, both of whom appeared on it.
Nas's first major feud began with a misunderstanding. In 1996, 2Pac took lines on It Was Written as aimed at him rather than at the Notorious B.I.G. He attacked Nas on "Against All Odds", from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Nas later admitted the song brought him to tears because he idolized 2Pac. The two met in Bryant Park after the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards and ended the dispute, with 2Pac promising to remove the disses from the official release. Three days later, on the 7th of September, 2Pac was shot four times in Las Vegas. He died on the 13th, before any edits could be made.
The Jay-Z rivalry had gentler beginnings. The two had met several times in the 1990s without any animosity. Jay-Z asked Nas to appear on "Bring It On" for his 1996 album Reasonable Doubt, but Nas never turned up at the studio. In reply, Jay-Z had the producer Ski Beatz sample a line from Nas's "The World Is Yours" for what became "Dead Presidents". For the next couple of years they traded subliminal jabs.
In 2001, at the Summer Jam concert, Jay-Z performed a song that became known as "Takeover" and ended it with the line "ask Nas, he don't want it with Hov." On the track, he called Nas fake and his career lame. Nas replied with "Ether", comparing Jay-Z to J.J. Evans from the sitcom Good Times and to the cigarette mascot Joe Camel. The song appeared on Stillmatic, released on the 18th of December 2001, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Nas listed his daughter, Destiny, as an executive producer so she could receive royalty checks.
Jay-Z hit back with "Supa Ugly", which the Hot 97 host Angie Martinez premiered on the 11th of December 2001. In it, Jay-Z bragged about an affair with Nas's girlfriend, Carmen Bryan. His own mother was disgusted and told him to apologize to Nas and his family, which he did on Hot 97 that same month. A Hot 97 listener poll asked who made the better diss, and Nas won 58 percent to 42 percent. Fans and critics broadly agreed that "Ether" had rescued his career.
Eminem even named both men among the best MCs in the industry on "'Till I Collapse" in 2002. In September 2002, Columbia issued The Lost Tapes, a collection of unreleased or bootlegged songs from 1998 to 2001, to rave reviews.
A new fight began that summer. Nas was pulled from the 2002 Summer Jam lineup after allegedly planning to perform "Ether" while a mock lynching of a Jay-Z effigy played out behind him. Cam'ron headlined in his place. Days later, Nas praised Cam'ron as a lyricist but called his album Come Home With Me wack. Cam'ron answered with a freestyle over the beat of "Hate Me Now", and Nas replied on God's Son with "Zone Out". Cam'ron and his Diplomats crew kept attacking throughout 2003, but the two eventually reconciled in 2014.
God's Son came out on the 13th of December 2002, led by "Made You Look", which used a pitched-down sample of the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache". It topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart despite widespread internet bootlegging, and Time named it best hip-hop album of the year. The second single, "I Can", reworked Beethoven's "Für Elise" and became his biggest hit to date in 2003. Several songs, including "Dance", honored his mother, who had died of cancer in April 2002.
Street's Disciple, a sprawling double album, followed on the 30th of November 2004 and touched on his coming marriage to the singer Kelis. It went platinum but marked a drop from his earlier sales. In 2005-50 Cent dissed him on "Piggy Bank". That October, Nas made a surprise appearance at Jay-Z's "I Declare War" concert. Jay-Z told the crowd, "It's bigger than 'I Declare War'. Let's go, Esco!" and the two performed "Dead Presidents" together.
On the 23rd of January 2006, Jay-Z, then president of Def Jam Recordings, signed Nas to the label. The deal paid about $3,000,000 for each of his first two albums, recording budget included. Hip Hop Is Dead, originally titled Hip Hop Is Dead...The N, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 355,000 copies sold. It was his third chart-topper, after It Was Written and I Am.... It was the first release on his new Def Jam imprint, The Jones Experience, and featured a hyped collaboration with Jay-Z called "Black Republican".
The title stirred a backlash. Southern hip-hop artists felt it was aimed at them. His Def Jam labelmate Young Jeezy said Nas had no street credibility and vowed that his own album, The Inspiration, would outsell Hip Hop Is Dead. Both came out one week apart in December 2006. Jeezy failed to win the sales race, took back his disses, and later teamed with Nas on the 2008 hit "My President".
On the 6th of September 2007, Nas played a free concert for the Virginia Tech community after the school shooting there, joined by John Mayer, Alan Jackson, Phil Vassar and Dave Matthews Band. Bill O'Reilly and Fox News had demanded his removal, citing violent lyrics and a gun conviction on his record. On stage, Nas twice called O'Reilly "a chump," and the crowd cheered. On the 23rd of July 2008, he went on The Colbert Report and challenged O'Reilly to a debate.
On the 12th of October 2007, Nas announced that his next album would carry a racial slur as its title. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Reverend Al Sharpton were outraged, as was Fox News. Jackson had urged entertainers to abandon the word after the comedian Michael Richards used it onstage in late 2006. Rumors spread that Def Jam might drop Nas unless he changed the name. Hakeem Jeffries, then an assemblyman in Brooklyn, asked New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to pull $84,000,000 in pension money from Universal and Vivendi if the title stayed. Many famous names defended Nas, while his management worried that chains such as Wal-Mart would refuse to stock it.
On the 19th of May 2008, Nas decided to forgo a title entirely. He told fans they would always know what the real title was. The album arrived untitled on the 15th of July 2008, with production from Polow da Don, stic.man of Dead Prez, Sons of Light and J. Myers. Its lead single, "Hero", reached No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100. HipHopDX named him its Emcee of the Year for 2008. In an interview with MTV News that July, Nas floated an idea of releasing two albums on the same day, one with DJ Premier and one with Dr. Dre.
At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Nas confirmed he was making an album with the reggae singer Damian Marley. He said he had always liked how reggae and hip-hop "have always been intertwined and always kind of pushed each other." The result, Distant Relatives, arrived in 2010 and gave its royalties to active African charities. Life Is Good followed on the 13th of July 2012, produced mainly by Salaam Remi and No I.D. Nas called it a "magic moment" in his rap career, and it earned a Best Rap Album nomination at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
After his Def Jam run, Nas's projects spread across screens and stages. In 2016 he executive produced the Netflix series The Get Down and narrated it. That year he also joined Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dave East and Aloe Blacc on "Wrote My Way Out" for The Hamilton Mixtape. In June 2017, for the documentary The American Epic Sessions, he recorded live direct-to-disc on a restored 1920s sound system. He performed the Memphis Jug Band's 1928 song "On the Road Again."
In April 2018, Kanye West announced on Twitter that he would executive produce Nas's twelfth album, due on the 15th of June. The album, titled Nasir, was announced only the day before release. In July 2019 came The Lost Tapes 2, a sequel to the 2002 collection, with production from Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, The Alchemist and RZA. That year he also executive produced the Hindi-language film Gully Boy. His label Mass Appeal Records and Universal Music India launched Mass Appeal India and signed the rapper Divine.
The partnership with the producer Hit-Boy changed everything. King's Disease, announced in August 2020, was led by the single "Ultra Black" and won Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. It was his first Grammy win after a long run of nominations. King's Disease II, released on the 6th of August 2021, debuted at No. 3 and became his highest-charting album since 2012. Magic arrived that December, and King's Disease III followed in 2022 as his first studio album with no outside guest artists.
King's Disease III became his highest-scoring new studio album on Metacritic, with praise for how Hit-Boy's beats fit Nas's storytelling. Magic 3 was announced on the 12th of September 2023 and released two days later, on his 50th birthday, as his sixth and final collaboration with Hit-Boy. In April 2024, for the thirtieth anniversary of Illmatic, he announced a full album with DJ Premier. That year he also executive produced Warriors, a concept album by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis.
In April 2025, Mass Appeal Records announced Legend Has It..., a series of seven albums due that year. Nas and DJ Premier's entry was scheduled to close it. The title, Light-Years, and its cover were revealed on Nas's Instagram on the 25th of November 2025, and the album was set for the 12th of December.
The writer Adam Bradley, in his book Book of Rhymes, called Nas perhaps contemporary rap's greatest storytelling innovator. His songs include one narrated before birth, "Fetus", and another after death, "Amongst Kings". He has rapped in the voice of a woman on "Sekou Story" and of a gun on "I Gave You Power". The rapper and author Kool Moe Dee wrote that Nas pioneered a more conversational flow, rather than landing rhymes on the snare drum. O.C. of D.I.T.C. singled out "Rewind", a song Nas told backwards, as a brilliant idea.
On the 15th of March 2012, Nas became the first rapper with a personal verified account on Genius, where he explains his own lyrics. The Source ranked him second on its list of the top lyricists in 2012. MTV placed him fourth on its Hottest MCs list in 2013. About.com put him first on its list of the 50 greatest MCs in 2014, and Billboard included him among its ten best rappers a year later. In July 2013, Harvard University founded the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship. By the end of 2025, Nas had released seventeen studio albums since 1994, ten of them certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in the U.S.
On the 10th of April 2013, Nas invested an undisclosed six-figure sum in Mass Appeal magazine and became its associate publisher. He also co-founded Mass Appeal Records, whose roster has included Dave East, N.O.R.E., Run the Jewels and Swizz Beatz. That year he opened a Las Vegas sneaker store called 12 am RUN, and he partnered with Hennessy on its "Wild Rabbit" campaign. He invested in Proven, a job-search app maker, and in 2014 joined a $2.8M round for the viral video startup ViralGains. He co-owns LANDR, an automated audio mastering service, and runs a clothing line called HSTRY.
His soul food partnership with Sweet Chick led to a Los Angeles location in April 2017. In June 2018, Nas was paid $40 million after Amazon acquired the doorbell company Ring Inc. and PillPack, both of which he had backed through his firm Queensbridge Venture Partners. He has also invested in Dropbox, Lyft and Robinhood. More recently, he won a bid with Resorts World over a competing project from Jay-Z to build a casino in Queens.
Nas acts as a spokesperson and mentor for P'Tones Records, a non-profit after-school music program. He grew up in a Southern Baptist family and supports the New York Mets and Everton F.C. In the spring of 2002, his mother died of cancer, and she died in his arms. His daughter Destiny was born on the 15th of June 1994. He married Kelis in Atlanta in January 2005, and their son Knight was born on the 21st of July 2009. The divorce was finalized on the 21st of May 2010. The video for "Bye Baby" shows Nas holding her green wedding dress in a black leather chair, which also served as the Life Is Good cover.
Money troubles shadowed him too. In September 2009, the Internal Revenue Service filed a tax lien of over $2.5 million, which grew to over $6.4 million by early 2011. In January 2012, Nas took $300,000 for a New Year's Eve show in Luanda, Angola, and did not appear. American promoter Patrick Allocco and his son were taken to jail at gunpoint by the local promoter who fronted the money. Nas returned the full $300,000, and after 49 days under a travel ban the Alloccos were released.
In October 2014, on the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Nas learned about five generations of his ancestry. His great-great-great-grandmother, Pocahontas Little, was an enslaved woman who was sold for $830. When host Henry Louis Gates showed him the bill of sale, Nas said he was considering buying the land where the slave owner had lived.
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Common questions
Who is Nas and when was Nas born?
Nas is an American rapper, entrepreneur and record producer whose full name is Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on the 14th of September 1973, and grew up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens.
When did Nas release Illmatic?
Nas released his debut album Illmatic on the 19th of April 1994. Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, LES and DJ Premier produced it, and the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry.
What was the Nas and Jay-Z feud about?
The Nas and Jay-Z feud began after Nas skipped a studio session for Jay-Z's 1996 album Reasonable Doubt and later escalated with Jay-Z's 2001 song "Takeover". Nas answered with "Ether", and the two reconciled in October 2005 at Jay-Z's "I Declare War" concert.
When did Nas win his first Grammy?
Nas won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for King's Disease. Hit-Boy executive produced the album, which was led by the single "Ultra Black".
What businesses does Nas own or invest in?
Nas is associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and co-founded Mass Appeal Records. He co-owns the audio mastering service LANDR and the clothing line HSTRY, and he invested in Ring and PillPack through Queensbridge Venture Partners, earning $40 million in June 2018.
What is Light-Years by Nas and DJ Premier?
Light-Years is the collaboration album by Nas and DJ Premier, set for release on the 12th of December 2025. It concludes the Legend Has It... series announced by Mass Appeal Records in April 2025.
All sources
231 references cited across the entry
- 1Tracy Morgan discovered he's related to longtime friend Nas: 'He started crying, I started crying'Jessica Wang — Entertainment Weekly — December 11, 2023
- 2MagazineThe 10 Best Rappers of All TimeNovember 12, 2015
- 3The 10 Greatest Rappers of All TimeKofi Bofah — February 24, 2018
- 4The 50 Greatest Rappers of All TimeHenry Adaso
- 5100 Greatest Hip-Hop AlbumsHenry Adaso — About.com
- 6A look at a hip-hop masterpiece, ten years removedJanuary 1, 2001
- 7MagazineNational Recording Registry Adds Titles From Nas, Janet Jackson, Kool & the Gang and MoreMarch 24, 2021
- 8Nas's 6 Best AlbumsDecember 15, 2020
- 9Swizz Beatz Releases 'Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2' Via Mass AppealApril 21, 2023
- 11NewsPregnant singer Kelis set to divorce rapper NasMay 1, 2009
- 12BookFinding Your Roots, Season 2: The Official Companion to the PBS SeriesHenry Louis Jr. Gates — UNC Press Books — January 28, 2016
- 13Nas – BiographyJason Birchmeier
- 14Stated on Finding Your Roots, PBS, October 28, 2014
- 15Hip-Hop Family ValuesAlex Abramovich — December 5, 2004
- 16VideoTime Is IllmaticIlla Films — April 16, 2014
- 17BookFinding Your Roots, Season 2: The Official Companion to the PBS SeriesHenry Louis Gates — UNC Press Books — 2016
- 18BookBorn to Use Mics: Reading Nas's IllmaticMichael Eric Dyson et al. — Basic Books — 2009
- 20Battle ReadyDel F. Cowie
- 21BookBorn to Use Mics: Reading Nas's IllmaticMichael Eric Dyson et al. — Basic Books — 2009
- 22Jackson, Margaret. "Nas". Grove Music Online. (January 2014): 1. Oxford Music Online. Web. February 21, 2015.
- 24Hip-Hop Gem: Nas' First Recording Session Was With Large ProfessorNovember 4, 2013
- 25Nas Fans- Good long read. Nas BiographyReal Rap Talk — September 14, 1973
- 28BookThe New Rolling Stone Album GuidePeter Relic — Simon & Schuster — 2004
- 29MagazineStill IllTimmhotep Aku et al. — Harris Publications — April 2009
- 30MagazineMusic: Street StoriesChristopher John Farley — June 20, 1994
- 31The 40 Defining Moments of Nas' CareerChris Yuscavage — September 9, 2013
- 32MagazineT-RayAustin Wheeler — 2004
- 33Return of the Product – MC Serch > OverviewBrown, Marisa
- 34The Greatest MCs of All Time – 5. NasMTV News — 2006
- 36NewsThe Year Hip-Hop Was Reborn: A Look Back at 1994Shaheem Reid — MTV News — January 5, 2004
- 38Cobb (2006, p. 142.)
- 39Weinstein, S. "Nas". In Hess, M. (ed.), Icons of Hip-Hop, vol. 1, pp. 341–363.
- 40Illmatic: OverviewSteve Huey
- 41It Was Written: Charts & Awards. AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
- 42It Was Written: OverviewLeo Stanley
- 43NewsThe Source Today in Hip-Hop History: The Firm Released 'The Album' 26 Years AgoSha Be Allah — October 21, 2023
- 44MagazineNas Recording Album With Damian MarleyMariel Concepcion — February 10, 2009
- 46Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath > OverviewStephen Thomas Erlewine
- 47I Am...The Autobiography > OverviewM.F. DiBella — April 6, 1999
- 49QB Finest > OverviewMatt Conaway — November 21, 2000
- 50NewsTwo of Rap's Hottest Return to the DisDouglas Century — January 6, 2002
- 5150 Things You Didn't Know About NasInsanul Ahmed
- 52NewsNas Disses Jay-Z, Endless List of Others on New LPShaheem Reid — MTV News — November 26, 2001
- 54Nas vs. Jay-Z: Grade-a-Beef (page 1)Shaheem Reid — MTV News — January 21, 2002
- 55Nas: God's SonNathan Rabin — Onion Inc — February 3, 2003
- 56(((Nas > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums)))September 14, 1973
- 59NewsRapper Nas is to Join Label Led by Former Rival Jay-ZJeff Leeds — January 23, 2006
- 61MagazineNas Scores Third No. 1 Album with 'Hip-Hop Is Dead'Katie Hasty — December 27, 2006
- 62NewsThe FirmShaheem Reid — MTV News — December 18, 2006
- 65NewsJesse Jackson Calls For Ban of N-WordCBS News — November 27, 2006
- 67Is it time for Nas and other rap artists to clean up their act?Dana Rubinstein — October 22, 2016
- 68NewsNas Drops Exclusive New Lyrics; Snoop Dogg Insists He Can Out-Sing DiddyShaheem Reid — MTV News — January 7, 2008
- 70NewsNas Names Album Nothing & Sets Release DateAliya Ewing — June 10, 2008
- 71NewsNas Changes Controversial Album Title: 'It's Important To Me That This Album Gets To The Fans'Shaheem Reid — MTV News — May 19, 2008
- 73Nas drops Nigger album titleMarch 20, 2008
- 74Nas: If I Ruled The World 2009 / Music Video & MP3 SongJermy Leeuwis — Musicremedy.com — May 18, 2010
- 75Nas – Charts & Awards – Billboard Singles. allmusic. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
- 76NewsFila inks hip-hop star Nas to shoe endorsement deal – Baltimore Business JournalRyan Sharrow — Bizjournals.com — July 2, 2008
- 77NewsNas Wants To Drop Albums Produced By Dr. Dre, DJ Premier on Same DayShaheem Reid — MTV News — July 21, 2008
- 78NewsDr. Dre's 'Detox' has music industry buzzingSteve Jones — July 21, 2008
- 792008 HipHopDX Awards | Discussing Lil' Wayne, Drake & Many More Hip Hop ArtistsHipHop DX — December 30, 2008
- 80Exclaim! Canada's Music AuthorityExclaim.ca
- 82Nas Confirms Kelis' Pregnancy, Talks New AlbumShaheem Reid — February 9, 2009
- 83NewsNas and Damian Marley to unveil new songs from 'Distant Relatives' on Friday at L.A. LiveJeff Weiss — March 26, 2009
- 84MagazineNas' Next Album All About 'Peace And Love'Gary Graff — July 10, 2009
- 85Entertainment News " The 'low:fi' Tour Nas & Chali 2NAEntertainmentdepot.com.au — August 31, 2009
- 86It's coming... Lost Tapes Volume Two!!!September 15, 2010
- 87Nas Talks Lost Tapes Vol. 2, Label IssuesJayson Rodriguez — MTV — January 3, 2011
- 89Mobb Deep & Nas To Collaborate on Full-Length LP, Says HavocAndres Vasquez — HipHop DX — May 25, 2011
- 90Common Speaks on Upcoming LP With Nas, Current Standing With G.O.O.D. MusicSteven J. Horowitz — HipHop DX — October 10, 2011
- 91News: Nas & DJ Premier Collabo Album Still In The WorksRosario Harper — Sohh.com — December 13, 2011
- 93Nas Begins Recording Twelfth Studio Album, Names Favorite Albums of 2012Steven J. Horowitz — HipHop DX — January 9, 2013
- 94NewsNas Reveals New Album Details, Business Ventures & MoreBrennan Williams — Huffingtonpost.com — October 18, 2013
- 95DJ Premier Will Produce A Nas LPxxlmag.com — October 7, 2013
- 96NewsReview: "Nas: Time Is Illmatic"Adam Graham — October 10, 2014
- 97NewsReview: 'Nas: Time Is Illmatic' is a reminder of rap's potentialMartin Tsai — October 1, 2014
- 98MagazineNas Finishes Final Def Jam AlbumErika Ramirez — September 10, 2014
- 99MagazineHear Nas' J Dilla–Sampling New Song 'The Season'October 31, 2014
- 100Puff Daddy awards Nas Jimmy Iovine Icon AwardTrent Clark — October 16, 2016
- 104NewsAmerican EpicLudovic Hunter-Tilney — May 19, 2017
- 105Nas – One Mic, The Sessions, American Epic, Arena – BBC FourJune 10, 2017
- 106NewsAmerican Epic: The Collection & The Soundtrack Out May 12th Legacy RecordingsApril 28, 2017
- 107NewsKANYE WEST on Twitter
- 108NewsKANYE WEST on Twitter
- 109MagazineHindi Rapper Divine On Why He Signed With Mass Appeal India: 'It's Nas, Bro'Amit Gurbaxani — September 13, 2019
- 110NewsOf sinners and saints in Divine's new album, 'Punya Paap'Lalitha Suhasini — December 11, 2020
- 111Nas, Mass Appeal and Universal Music Launch Hip-Hop Label in India, Sign DivineJem Aswad — August 20, 2019
- 112Divine Says Ranveer Singh Helped Him Collaborate With Rap Legend Nas: 'We Have Four Albums Together Now'Abhinav Singh — June 17, 2024
- 113Nas, Swizz Beatz, & RZA Are Laying Foundations For A New Nas AlbumHotNewHipHop — July 27, 2018
- 114MagazineNas Confirms "NASIR" Follow-Up Is ComingJuly 27, 2018
- 115MagazineNas Says His 'NASIR' Follow-Up Will Be Out SoonJuly 27, 2018
- 116Nas Is Finding New Inspiration From 'The Lost Tapes 2'Laura Schreffler — October 18, 2019
- 117Nas Announces New Album 'King's Disease' With Hit-Boy-Produced Single "Ultra Black"Sophie Caraan — August 14, 2020
- 118Nas wins his first Grammy for 'King's Disease'Jon Powell
- 119Nas' New Album King's Disease II Features Ms. Lauryn Hill, Eminem, EPMD, and MoreMatthew Strauss — August 3, 2021
- 120"King's Disease II" Is Nas' Highest Performing Album In Nearly A DecadeAugust 16, 2021
- 122Hit-Boy Explains Why Nas' 'King's Disease 3' Has No FeaturesNovember 17, 2022
- 123NasApril 29, 2008
- 124Nas – 'King's Disease III' review: hip-hop great delivers compelling conclusion to his album trilogyNiall Smith — November 14, 2022
- 125Nas' King's Disease III Saves the Best for Last: Album ReviewGab Ginsberg — November 11, 2022
- 126Nas Announces "Magic 3" Release DateSeptember 12, 2023
- 127NewsNas and Hit-Boy Take Victory Lap With Final Collab Album 'Magic 3'Andrew White — September 15, 2023
- 128NewsNas & Hit-Boy Announce Surprise Collaborative Album 'Magic 3' is Dropping Thursday – OkayplayerJaelani Turner Williams — September 12, 2023
- 129Nas & DJ Premier Announce Long-Awaited Joint Album, Drop First Single 'Define My Name'Sam Moore — April 19, 2024
- 131Nas spends Easter weekend in IndiaMarcus Aurelius — April 22, 2025
- 133Mass Appeal Announces "Legend Has It" Series Featuring New Albums From Nas, De La Soul & MoreCarol Fisher — April 16, 2025
- 135MagazineNas Wants the World to See Hip-Hop Legends as SuperheroesAndre Gee — October 7, 2025
- 136MagazineDJ Premier Announces Release Date For His Album With NasAndre Gee — November 20, 2025
- 137Apparently @REALDJPREMIER confirmed at a Alchemist/Premier show tonight that the Nas/DJ premier album is coming on 12/12
- 138Nas and DJ Premier Announce New Album Light-YearsMatthew Strauss — November 25, 2025
- 139Consumer GuideRobert Christgau — MSN Music — August 2008
- 141Nas Interview: why Nas wants to explain his own lyrics on Rap GeniusMarch 15, 2012
- 143Nas Finally Breaks Through To 'Hottest MCs' At No. 4MTV.com — March 6, 2013
- 145MagazineMusic News: Latest and Breaking Music News
- 146MagazineHarvard Establishes a Nas Hip-Hop Fellowship | Music NewsErin Coulehan — July 16, 2013
- 147NewsHaute Living's Nas Cover Launch With Watches Of SwitzerlandPaige Mastrandrea — November 12, 2019
- 148NewsQ&A With Composer And Musician, Edward W. HardyPaige Mastrandrea — January 20, 2020
- 149A History of Nas' Greatest BeefsAugust 16, 2017
- 151NewsNas Explains Why Tupac Was a One-of-a-Kind ArtistBrian "Z" Zisook
- 153BLEEK ON ETHER:"IT WAS A GLOOMY DAY"February 13, 2013
- 154The Source |Today Marks The Anniversary Of The Rap Beef Between Jay-Z & NasOmari White — December 12, 2014
- 155MagazineThe 10 Wildest Rap Beefs of All TimeJeff Rosenthal — August 15, 2013
- 156Jay-Z: Feud With Nas 'Went Too Far'December 18, 2001
- 157Jay-Z And Nas Put Beef To Sleep In Onstage Show Of UnityShaheem Reid
- 158Nas Signs With Jay-Z, According To ReportGil Kaufman
- 161HOW DID IT HAPPEN? Looking Back on How the Nas & Cam'ron Beef Popped off (LIST)February 20, 2014
- 162Nas Ethers Jeezy's 1st WeekDecember 27, 2006
- 164Who Were the Lijadu Sisters?Tomisin Awosika — February 3, 2022
- 165NewsThe Lijadu Sisters: the Nigerian twins who fought the elite with funkKate Hutchinson — November 12, 2019
- 167October 2007
- 172Doja Cat shrugs off Nas' diss on 'Ultra Black'August 17, 2020
- 173Doja Cat says "you will never see me beef with Nas" over 'Ultra Black' dissSeptember 12, 2020
- 174Nas explains Doja Cat line on "Ultra Black"Cherise Johnson — August 22, 2020
- 175Nas Invests Six-Figure Sum in Mass Appeal MagazineJake Paine — HiphopDX — April 10, 2013
- 176MagazineAll I Need Is One Mag: Nas Invests In Mass Appeal MediaZack O'Malley Greenburg — April 10, 2013
- 177MagazineNas is Opening a Sneaker Store in Las Vegas
- 178Nas Launching New Sneaker Store in Las VegasVibe — June 5, 2013
- 179Nas To Open Sneaker Store in Las VegasTheSource — June 5, 2013
- 180NewsNas Reveals New Album Details, Business Ventures & MoreBrennan Williams — October 18, 2013
- 181NewsRapper Nas invests in San Francisco job-search app-maker ProvenRyan Faughnder — October 4, 2013
- 183NewsThis video advertising startup just raised $2.8M to do its thing in more placesLarry Zhou — VentureBeat — August 1, 2014
- 185Nas, Pete Tong, Warner invest in LANDRCoral Williamson — July 8, 2012
- 186NewsRapper Nas Is Bringing New Flavor to Sweet Chick NYCTony Triumph — July 18, 2015
- 187MagazineNas Teams With Chicken & Waffles Joint Sweet Chick to 'Expand the Brand Nationally'Marc Schneider — July 17, 2015
- 188Nas Talks New Chicken and Waffles Business Venture With 'Sweet Chick'Levi Felder — Mass Appeal
- 189Nas Wants to Bring Sweet Chick Soul Food to Your PlateSowmya Krishnamurthy — June 18, 2015
- 190NewsRapper Nas Teams Up With Chicken & Waffles Spot, Sweet Chick, in New York CityKimberly Gedeon — Madamnoire — June 26, 2015
- 191Nas Opens Sweet Chick Restaurant In Los AngelesMitch Findlay — Hot New Hip Hop — April 20, 2017
- 192New Arrivals
- 193Nas Cashes In On Another Deal With AmazonCorey Copeland — The Northstar Group — July 5, 2018
- 194Another Nas-Backed Company Has Been Purchased By Amazon For $1 BillionElijah C. Watson — Okayplayer — July 5, 2018
- 195Nas' Investment Portfolio Is Straight NastyMarch 9, 2016
- 196Nas Responds To Winning New York's Casino War Against Jay-ZCole Blake — September 25, 2025
- 197HomePTones Records
- 198Nas: The mature voice of hip-hopNBCUniversal Media Group — January 4, 2005
- 199Nasir Jones sports tweetNasir Jones — April 15, 2014
- 200Liverpool and Everton's most unlikely celebrity fansRebecca Koncienzcy et al. — August 6, 2016
- 203Kiss and Tell: Carmen BryanImani Powell — December 11, 2006
- 204Nas's ex Spills The Beans, T.I. Beats The BootleggersShaheem Reid
- 205Carmen Bryan says Jay-Z and Nas Started the Public Diss-FestPaula Mooney — December 21, 2006
- 206Nas, Kelis MarriedJulie Keller — January 10, 2005
- 207NewsNas, Kelis tie the knot in AtlantaJanuary 11, 2005
- 208Vibe Exclusive: Nas and Kelis' Divorce ConfirmedKeith Murphy — Vibe Media Group — April 30, 2009
- 209Kelis Files For Divorce From NasJem Aswad — April 30, 2009
- 210Nas Announces Son's Birth to Get Back at Kelis?idiomag — July 23, 2009
- 211Nas Announces Birth of Son With Kelis in Online VideoRodriguez Jayson — mtv — July 22, 2009
- 212Nas & Kelis – Officially Divorced!May 25, 2010
- 214MagazineKelis Accuses Nas of Being Physically Abusive During Their 5-Year MarriageCarl Lamarre — April 26, 2018
- 215NewsNas Writes Seven-Part Series of Instagram Posts to Ex-Wife KelisSeptember 7, 2018
- 216Nas Learns About His Ancestors on PBS's "Finding Your Roots"Evan Minsker — October 29, 2014
- 217NewsNas Researches His Ancestry And Finds The Man Who Enslaved His FamilyOctober 28, 2014
- 218Federal Tax Lien Against NasOctober 19, 2009
- 219MagazineNas Owes the IRS Nearly $6.5 MillionMatthew Perpetua — January 26, 2011
- 220IRS to Garnish Nas's WagesMarch 26, 2012
- 221After rapper Nas is no-show at Angolan concert, N.J. father and son are detained in countryJessica Calefati — January 9, 2012
- 223Kelis Turning Heads Again With Her Tasty 'Milkshake'Joseph Patel — MTV News — October 7, 2003
- 224NewsNas Joins Divine, Naezy & Ranveer Singh For "NY Se Mumbai"February 19, 2019
- 225MagazineHear Nas Jump In with Divine and Naezy on 'NY Se Mumbai' –February 12, 2019
- 226Nominees Announced for the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy AwardsNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences — July 27, 2023
- 227NasApril 22, 2021
- 229BookBook of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip HopAdam Bradley — Basic Civitas Books — February 23, 2009
- 230BookThere's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MC'sKool Moe Dee — Thunder's Mouth Press — 2003
- 231BookHow to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MCPaul Edwards — Chicago Review Press — 2009
- 232BookIcons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and CultureGreenwood — 2007
- 233BookThe Rough Guide to Hip-hopPeter Shapiro — Rough Guides — 2005