On this day in 1973 The King Of New York was BORN!
Nas is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, with twelve studio albums, seven of which are certified platinum and multi-platinum.
The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas hit the scene as "Nasty Nas" recording demos for Large Professor, and a featured artist on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque" in 1991. In 1994 Nas's debut "Illmatic" received universal acclaim, is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time, and was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
His second album It Was Written debuted atop the Billboard 200 in 1996. Along with its single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill), catapulted Nas into international success. He followed with "I Am" in 1998 and Nastradamus in 1999.
In 2001 Nas became involved in a highly publicized feud with Jay-Z, popularized by the diss track "Ether", along with Nas's albums Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and the double album Street's Disciple (2004), he cemented his critical standing.
The two would quash the feud, and Nas would sign to Jay-Z's Def Jam Recordings in 2006 and with the albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and his untitled 9th studio album (2008) would recieve mass critical acclaim. In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, a collaboration album with Damian Marley, which all royalties went to charities active in Africa.
His 10th studio album, Life Is Good (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, and his 12th studio album, King's Disease (2020), won him his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
His 13th studio album, King's Disease II is out now.
Happy Birthday Nas, he KING OF NEW YORK!
We're all slaves to a page in your rhyme book!