Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (/nɑːˈsɪər/ nah-SEER; born September 14, 1973), known professionally as Nas (/nɑːz/ NAHZ), is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and record producer. He is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara and began his musical career in 1989 under the name "Nasty Nas", recording demos with the assistance of East Coast rapper Large Professor. Nas made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque". Nas signed with Columbia Records in 1992 and released his debut studio album, "Illmatic", on April 19, 1994. The album has been included in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry and is frequently cited as an influential hip-hop release. His second album, "It Was Written" (1996), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill. His third and fourth albums, "I Am" and "Nastradamus" (both 1999), received mixed reviews for their commercial orientation and perceived inconsistency. From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a publicized feud with Jay-Z, highlighted by Nas's diss track "Ether". During this period, he released "Stillmatic" (2001), "God's Son" (2002), and the double album "Street's Disciple" (2004). He later reconciled with Jay-Z and signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2006, releasing "Hip Hop Is Dead" (2006) and an untitled ninth studio album (2008), which incorporated more politically oriented themes. In 2010, Nas released "Distant Relatives", a collaborative album with Damian Marley, with its royalties donated to African charities. His tenth album, "Life Is Good" (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2020, his thirteenth studio album, "King's Disease", won the Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Subsequent albums—"King's Disease II", "Magic" (2021), "King's Disease III" (2022), "Magic 2", and "Magic 3" (2023)—were produced entirely by Hit-Boy and received positive critical reception. In 2025, Nas released a collaborative album with DJ Premier. Nas has been recognized in various industry rankings, including second on The Source's "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time" (2012), fourth on MTV's Annual Hottest MCs in the Game list (2013), and named "Greatest MC of All Time" by About.com (2014). He was also included in Billboard's "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list in 2015. Outside of music, Nas serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and co-founded Mass Appeal Records, a label that has signed artists such as Dave East, N.O.R.E., Run the Jewels, and Swizz Beatz. As of 2025, Nas has released seventeen studio albums, ten of which have received gold, platinum, or multi-platinum certification in the United States. Studio albums Illmatic (1994) It Was Written (1996) I Am... (1999) Nastradamus (1999) Stillmatic (2001) God's Son (2002) Street's Disciple (2004) Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) Untitled (2008) Life Is Good (2012) Nasir (2018) King's Disease (2020) King's Disease II (2021) Magic (2021) King's Disease III (2022) Magic 2 (2023) Magic 3 (2023) Collaborative albums The Album (with The Firm) (1997) Distant Relatives (with Damian Marley) (2010) Light-Years (with DJ Premier) (2025)