Nas

Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (September 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and businessman. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones's musical career began in 1989 as he adopted the moniker of "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. He was a featured artist on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque" (1991), also produced by Large Professor. Nas's debut album Illmatic (1994) received universal acclaim upon release, and is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time; in 2021, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. His second album It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200 and charted for four consecutive weeks; the album, along with its single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill), catapulted Nas into international success. Both released in 1999, Nas's albums I Am and Nastradamus were criticized as inconsistent and too commercially oriented, and critics and fans feared that his output was declining in quality. From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with Jay-Z, popularized by the diss track "Ether". It was this feud, along with Nas's albums Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and the double album Street's Disciple (2004), that helped restore his critical standing. After squashing the feud, Nas signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam Recordings in 2006 and went in a more provocative, politicized direction with the albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and his untitled 9th studio album (2008). In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, a collaboration album with Damian Marley, donating all royalties to charities active in Africa. His 10th studio album, Life Is Good (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. After receiving thirteen nominations, his 12th studio album, King's Disease (2020), won him his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards; he then followed it by releasing his 13th studio album, King's Disease II (2021), as the album's sequel. In the same year, his 14th studio album, Magic, was released on Christmas Eve. In 2012, The Source ranked him second on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time". In 2013, Nas was ranked 4th on MTV's "Hottest MCs in the Game" list. About.com ranked him first on their list of the "50 Greatest MCs of All Time" in 2014, and a year later, Nas was featured on the "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list by Billboard. He is also an entrepreneur through his own record label; he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records. Nas has released fourteen studio albums since 1994, ten of which are certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in the U.S. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nas, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

More details

Known For

Filmography

2025

Victory
Victory
as Nas
Movie - Released: 6/6/2025
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
as Self
TV - Released: 7/18/2025

2024

TMZ Presents | The Downfall of Diddy 2: The Indictment
TMZ Presents | The Downfall of Diddy 2: The Indictment
as Self (archive footage)
Movie - Released: 9/27/2024

2022

B.I.B.L.E. - The Documentary
B.I.B.L.E. - The Documentary
as Self
Movie - Released: 4/7/2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self
Movie - Released: 10/27/2022
N.Y. State of Mind Tour
N.Y. State of Mind Tour
as self
Movie - Released: 8/30/2022

2021

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3
Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3
as Self - Performer
Movie - Released: 9/24/2021
You're Watching Video Music Box
You're Watching Video Music Box
as Self
Movie - Released: 12/3/2021
Monster
Monster
as Raymond 'Sunset' Green
Movie - Released: 7/15/2021

2020

David Blaine: The Magic Way
David Blaine: The Magic Way
as Self
Movie - Released: 4/1/2020
The Last Dance
The Last Dance
as Self
TV - Released: 4/19/2020

2018

Nas: Live from the Kennedy Center
Nas: Live from the Kennedy Center
as Himself
Movie - Released: 2/2/2018
The Shop
The Shop
as Self
TV - Released: 8/28/2018
Rapture
Rapture
as Himself
TV - Released: 3/30/2018

2017

Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G.
as Self
Movie - Released: 9/4/2017
Word is Bond
Word is Bond
as Self
Movie - Released: 11/10/2017
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
as Self
TV - Released: 7/9/2017
American Epic
American Epic
as Self
TV - Released: 5/16/2017

2016

Black America since MLK: And still I rise
Black America since MLK: And still I rise
Movie - Released: 10/1/2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
as Nas
Movie - Released: 6/3/2016
The American Epic Sessions
The American Epic Sessions
as Self
Movie - Released: 3/16/2016
Alicia Keys - Here in Times Square
Alicia Keys - Here in Times Square
as Self - Singer
Movie - Released: 11/3/2016

2015

Fresh Dressed
Fresh Dressed
as Self
Movie - Released: 6/26/2015
Movie
The Game: The Documentary 2
as Self
Movie - Released: 11/1/2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self
TV - Released: 9/8/2015

2014

Nas: Time Is Illmatic
Nas: Time Is Illmatic
as Self
Movie - Released: 4/4/2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self
TV - Released: 2/17/2014

2013

Black Nativity
Black Nativity
as Street Prophet (Isaiah)
Movie - Released: 11/27/2013
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show
as Self
TV - Released: 9/9/2013

2012

Finding Your Roots
Finding Your Roots
as Self
TV - Released: 3/24/2012

2011

Billy on the Street
Billy on the Street
as Self
TV - Released: 12/18/2011

2010

One Night in Vegas
One Night in Vegas
as Self
Movie - Released: 9/7/2010
Hawaii Five-0
Hawaii Five-0
as Gordon Smith
TV - Released: 9/20/2010

2009

Movie
DJ SWB Volume 6 | This Is How We Do
as Self
Movie - Released: 2/9/2009
Movie
DJ Juice: The King is Back Mixtape Blend DVD Vol. 70
as Self (archive footage)
Movie - Released: 7/6/2009
Movie
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
as Self (archive footage)
Movie - Released: 3/19/2009

2008

The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
TV - Released: 7/14/2008

2007

TV
Short Circuitz
TV - Released: 4/5/2007

2006

Movie
Jay Z: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
as Self
Movie - Released: 11/21/2006

2005

Movie
The MC: Why We Do It
The MC: Why We Do It
as Self
Movie - Released: 2/1/2005
The Colbert Report
The Colbert Report
TV - Released: 10/17/2005

2004

Murda Muzik
Murda Muzik
Movie - Released: 4/6/2004
And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop
And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop
as Self
Movie - Released: 4/2/2004

2003

Uptown Girls
Uptown Girls
as Celebrity
Movie - Released: 8/15/2003
Movie
Nas: Made You Look - God's Son Live
as Himself
Movie - Released: 6/10/2003
Beef
Beef
as Self
Movie - Released: 8/3/2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self
TV - Released: 1/26/2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher
as Self
TV - Released: 2/21/2003

2002

Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
Movie - Released: 1/1/2002
John Q
John Q
as Nas
Movie - Released: 2/15/2002

2001

Ticker
Ticker
as Det. Art 'Fuzzy' Rice
Movie - Released: 6/23/2001

2000

TV
Diary
as Self
TV - Released: 2/16/2000

1999

In Too Deep
In Too Deep
as Drug Dealer on Street Corner
Movie - Released: 8/25/1999

1998

Belly
Belly
as Sincere
Movie - Released: 11/4/1998

1997

Rhyme & Reason
Rhyme & Reason
as Himself
Movie - Released: 3/4/1997
The Chris Rock Show
The Chris Rock Show
TV - Released: 2/7/1997

1996

Fugees: Live at New Pop Festival 1996
Fugees: Live at New Pop Festival 1996
Movie - Released: 9/21/1996
The Daily Show
The Daily Show
as Self
TV - Released: 7/22/1996

1994

All That
All That
TV - Released: 4/16/1994

1988

Yo! MTV Raps
Yo! MTV Raps
as Self
TV - Released: 9/21/1988

1984

MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
as Self
TV - Released: 9/14/1984

1959

The Grammys
The Grammys
as Self
TV - Released: 11/29/1959

Unknown