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SIXSHOT.COM ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Nas BioArticle by: G.S.E Despite his flair for dramatic overreaching, or perhaps because of it, Nas became New York's favorite rapper in the mid-'90s and remained near the top for over a decade. Rivals and time challenged his stay at the top of the New York rap scene one of the more notable challenges being his bout with Jay-Z in the early 2000s yet Nas soldiered on, continually changing his style and stepping up his game. Over the years, Nas went from being a young street hustler (Nasty Nas) to a boastful gangsta (Nas Escobar) to a self-proclaimed poet/prophet (Nastradamus) to a re-born encapsulation of himself (the "Stillmatic" Nas). In addition, he worked with countless legendary producers DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Dr. Dre, Trackmasters, Timbaland and put Queensbridge back on the map. Keep in mind, however, that Nas attracted a sizable share of critics as well, many of whom called him out for bluffing. After all, Nas often showcased a flair for dramatic overreaching, his ego knowing no limits. For better or worse, Nas was more his own rhetorical construction than a reality, precisely the reason why he was as criticized by his rivals as he was celebrated by his following. Born Nasir Jones, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade, trading classrooms for the streets of the rough Queensbridge projects, where he learned "street mathematics" and began emulating rappers like Big Daddy Kane, , and Kool G Rap. When he wasn't hustling to survive, he was reading books on African culture, Western civilization, lessons from the Five Percent Nation, scriptures from the Qu'ran, and chapters from the Bible. He eventually hooked up with Main Source in 1991 and laid down a verse on the group's song "Live at the Barbeque." The song became a New York favorite thanks to Nas' blazing rhymes and soon everyone began wondering who he was. A year later, MC Serch of 3rd Bass approached him about contributing a track to the Zebrahead soundtrack. Serch was the soundtrack's executive producer and, like much of New York, had been impressed by "Live at the Barbeque." Nas submitted "Halftime" and the song proved so stunning that Serch made it the soundtrack's lead-off track. Suddenly, everyone began talking about Nas. Columbia signed him to a major-label contract and all of New York's finest producers wanted to work with him. For the next two years, everyone waited as rumors began to swell. When word hit the street that he was working with DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock New York's top producers in the early '90s anticipation grew exponentially. Finally, Illmatic hit the streets in April 1994 and didn't disappoint. With only ten tracks, the album wasn't overly long and had virtually no lackluster moments a flawless album. Nas handled nearly every rhyme and never seemed short on lyrics. Years later, Illmatic is still seen as featuring some of the best lyrics hip-hop ever produced. To call Nas a street poet wasn't an overstatement, but rather a matter of fact. Even if the album didn't storm up the Billboard charts, it garnered the respect of every hip-hop devotee in New York and that was quite an accomplishment, particularly for someone just having reached his twenties. Following up Illmatic wouldn't be an easy task and rather than try and top that album, Nas expanded his approach for It Was Written. Released two years later in 1996, it no doubt had become one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums ever. Here, Nas once again delivered an album illed to the brim with street knowledge, but this time opted to go with different producers Havoc, Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S. and some radio-friendly pop hooks. The calculated moments worked: "If I Ruled the World" and "Street Dreams" became national hits and expanded Nas' reach outside of New York. With It Was Written, he retained the hip-hop devotees who had championed Illmatic and had won a mass audience at the same time, a rare feat that he would struggle to duplicate in the future. The first sign of Nas' critical downfall came when he joined forces with Dr. Dre to create the Firm , an ambitious supergroup that looked invincible on paper; behind the production boards were Dre and the Trackmasters with Nas, Foxy Brown, Nature, and AZ on the mic. Surprisingly, the much-heralded album flopped. Listening to the album, it's fairly apparent why. Not only is it an incredibly conceited and brash album, it's also horribly calculated. Following the first setback of his career, Nas took some much-needed time off before returning in 1999 with two albums released only months apart: I Am...The Autobiography and Nastradamus . With these two similar albums, Nas moved further away from the heartfelt and lyrically driven approach of Illmatic in favor of the pop hooks that had made "If I Ruled the World" and "Street Dreams" crossover hits. The second single, "Hate Me Now," bitterly addressed his growing legion of critics. More troubling though, the song featured Puff Daddy, symbolic of the pop-rap style Nas had aligned himself with. Neither I Am nor Nastradamus proved successful for Nas. Both albums sold |