Mixing it up with several worthy hip hop adversaries, in the space of a decade
Nas has battled his way to the top of the East Coast rap world. Born Nasir Jones in New York City on September 14, 1973, “Nasty
Nas” as he is known, was the son of jazz musician, Olu Dara, who encouraged him pursue music. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the tough streets of a Queensbridge housing project, and started to write the type of provocative rhymes that reflected this rough lifestyle. Nas successfully shopped around two singles—“Live at the
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Barbecue” and “Halftime,” which caught the record industry’s eye. He was signed by Columbia records, which released his first album, Illmatic in 1994. The album proved to be a huge hit, and heralded the coming of a rare talent.
Following Illmatic with It Was Written, Nas pursued a more mainstream approach which resulted in wider popularity, but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. The album included two Nas songs--, "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" and "Street Dreams," a remix with R. Kelly—that were instant hits. These tunes were promoted by big-budget music videos directed by Hype
Williams, making Nas a common name among mainstream hip-hop audiences. Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that led to accusations of selling out and compromising the style that had so endeared him to his fans. Despite a decline in popularity at the end of the 90s and a very public feud with
Jay-Z, though, Nas came back strong in the new millennium. Since the success of Stillmatic, his fifth studio album, Nas has continued to maintain a high profile within the hip-hop community and has pursued a decidedly more personal perspective in his music.
Nas stirred up controversy yet again, when he announced the title of his new album, Nigger .
Reverend Jesse Jackson criticized him, saying "The title using the 'N' word is morally offensive and socially distasteful. Nas has the right to degrade and denigrate in the name of free speech, but there is no honor in it. Radio and television stations have no obligation to play it and self-respecting people have no obligation to buy it. I wish he would use his talents to lift up and inspire, not degrade.” Despite criticisms that may be valid, it seems that Nas’ fans will always back their poet of the streets.
