The New York Optimist
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (pronounced /nɑːˈsɪər/; born
September 14, 1973), who performs under the mononym Nas
(/ˈnɑːz/), formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor.
The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in
the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. Although
he dropped out of middle school, he managed to attain a high
degree of literacy which is prominent in his lyrics.[1] His debut
album Illmatic, was released in 1994 on Columbia Records.
Illmatic was critically acclaimed and would go on to be widely
hailed a classic. Nas was part of hip-hop supergroup The Firm,
which released one album.[2]

From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a widely publicized
feud with rapper Jay-Z; both rappers verbally attacked each
other in their songs. The two formally ended their rivalry
through duet performances at concerts sponsored by New
York City-area hip-hop radio stations. In 2006, he was listed
number five on MTV's 10 Greatest Emcees of All Time.[3]
Also in 2006, he signed to Def Jam, releasing his albums Hip
Hop is Dead in 2006 and an untitled album in 2008.