Nas

 American rapper Nasir bin Odu Dara Jones (/na/'sI@rborn on September 14, 1973) is also known as Nas (/naz/). Based in East Coast hip hop, Nas is widely regarded as one of the most influential rappers ever. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones's musical career took off in 1989 when he began using the name "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. Nas was later featured on the single "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source. His debut album in 1994, Illmatic, received widespread praise and is considered as one of the most influential hip-hop albums ever. In 2021, it was added to Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. Six years later, his second album called It was Written (1996), debuted on the top spot of the Billboard 200. The album was charted for four consecutive weeks and was a massive success. In 1999, Nas's albums I Am and Nastradamus were criticised for being inconsistent and commercially oriented, and critics and fans worried that his output was decreasing in terms of quality.