# Nas

> Nasir Jones - known simply as Nas - is one of hip-hop's most decorated lyricists, the Queensbridge-raised MC who turned a dropped-out eighth-grader's street poetry into Illmatic, a 1994 debut so precise it became a benchmark for the entire art form. Three decades later he's still dropping critically acclaimed records, co-founded Queensbridge Venture Partners (early Dropbox, Coinbase, Lyft, Robinhood), holds a Harvard-named fellowship, and released Light-Years with DJ Premier in late 2025. His pen never stopped; neither did his portfolio.

- **Role:** Rapper and Co-Founder at QueensBridge Venture Partners
- **Organizations:** QueensBridge Venture Partners, Mass Appeal Records, Mass Appeal Magazine, Ill Will Records
- **From:** Brooklyn, New York, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Dropped out, Queensbridge public schools, Informal, Self-education via Five-Percent Nation and Nuwaubian Nation
- **Known for:** Grammy Award for Best Rap Album - King's Disease (63rd Annual Grammy Awards, 2021) - first Grammy after 13 nominations, Illmatic inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, Harvard University established the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship in 2013 - first academic fellowship named after a rapper

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Met producer Large Professor at age 16; began recording demos
- **1991** — Debut appearance on Main Source's 'Live at the Barbeque'
- **1992** — Solo debut on 'Halftime' from the Zebrahead film soundtrack; signed to Columbia Records
- **1994** — Released debut album Illmatic (April 19) - widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever
- **1996** — It Was Written debuted at #1 on Billboard 200; co-founded supergroup The Firm
- **1998** — Co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams' film Belly; released I Am...
- **2001** — Released Stillmatic featuring 'Ether,' the defining diss track of the Jay-Z feud
- **2002** — Released God's Son
- **2004** — Released double album Street's Disciple
- **2005** — Reconciled publicly with Jay-Z at his 'I Declare War' concert
- **2006** — Signed to Def Jam under Jay-Z's presidency; released Hip Hop Is Dead
- **2010** — Released Distant Relatives with Damian Marley
- **2012** — Released Life Is Good; became first rapper with verified account on Genius
- **2013** — Harvard established the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship; named associate publisher of Mass Appeal
- **2014** — Co-founded QueensBridge Venture Partners
- **2018** — Released Nasir (executive produced by Kanye West); earned $40M from Amazon's acquisition of Ring
- **2020** — Released King's Disease with Hit-Boy; won first Grammy for Best Rap Album at 63rd Grammy Awards
- **2021** — Released King's Disease II and Magic
- **2022** — Released King's Disease III and Magic 2
- **2023** — Released Magic 3 on his 50th birthday (September 14)
- **2025** — Released Light-Years with DJ Premier (December 12); final album in Mass Appeal's Legend Has It series
- **2026** — Released Feature Presentation 2025 compiling his guest verses from the Legend Has It series

## Achievements

- Grammy Award for Best Rap Album - King's Disease (63rd Annual Grammy Awards, 2021) - first Grammy after 13 nominations
- Illmatic inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry
- Harvard University established the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship in 2013 - first academic fellowship named after a rapper
- Ranked #1 on About.com's '50 Greatest MCs of All Time' (2014)
- Ranked #2 on The Source's 'Top 50 Lyricists of All Time' (2012)
- Featured on Billboard's '10 Best Rappers of All Time' (2015)
- Sold 25+ million records worldwide
- Early investor in Dropbox, Coinbase, Lyft, Robinhood via QueensBridge Venture Partners
- Received estimated $40 million from Amazon's acquisition of Ring Inc. (2018)
- Won bid to develop Resorts World Casino in Queens over Jay-Z's competing proposal
- Co-founded Mass Appeal Records and magazine
- Executive produced Netflix series The Get Down (2016)

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Released 'Legend Has It... Nas Feature Presentation' compiling guest verses from the seven-album Legend Has It series
- **2025-12** — Released Light-Years with DJ Premier - the seventh and final album in Mass Appeal's Legend Has It series
- **2023-09** — Released Magic 3 on his 50th birthday, completing the Magic trilogy
- **2021-01** — Won first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for King's Disease at the 63rd Grammy Awards

## Links

- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nas
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nas/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29