Nas grew up in the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in Long Island, NY. This was the neighborhood that Marley Marl and MC Shan immortalized on wax back in ‘86 when they released “The Bridge.” This same Queensbridge housing project now serves as the foundation for many Nas's stories of hood experience. It took another Queens native, producer Large Professor, to give Nas his earliest exposure and guidance in the rap game. Back in ’89, Large was producing for Eric B and Rakim and Kool G Rap. Now, Artists such as Mobb Deep, Tragedy, Capone, Noreaga and Nas's protege AZ are continuing to represent Queens to the fullest.
The first time Nas’ hit was was back in ‘1990. He made his debut on Main Source's album, "Breaking Atoms." He also had a guest appearance on the cut "Live At The BBQ, where he was part of a skilled chorus line, alongside Large Professor and Akinyele.
Even though he got props for his contribution, Nas failed to make a lasting impression on the crowd. With the death of his best friend Will, and the shooting of his brother, Nas became disillusioned about the world around him. He began to slip on the rap game.
He just might have stayed on the outside of the hip-hop game if he hadn’t been encouraged by Third Bass’s MC Serch. Serch was impressed by Nas’ talent and he included Nas on an all-star posse cut called, "Back To The Grill". Search encouraged Nas to create "Halftime" for the soundtrack of the movie Zebrahead. It was this cut that established Nas as an independent talent and landed him a record deal with Columbia Records.
By 1994 Nas had dropped the ‘Nasty’ from his name. But that wasn’t the only thing he dropped. Once he dropped “Illmatic,” he began getting his props in the mainstream as well as the underground. By the time he dropped his second cd, "It Was Written," Nas had burst onto the rap scene with a rough and rugged style that some said was a refreshing return to the “fundamentals” of hip-hop.
As the Brooklyn based duo, the Trackmasterz, laid down their producing skills, Nas laid down the phat lyrics. Songs like "If I Ruled The World," (featuring Lauryn Hill from the Fugees) and "Affirmative Action," (featuring The Firm), put Nas over the top making him a force to be reckoned with in the rap industry. But make no mistake, Nas’ new cd has some very high standards to live up to. It's no easy task to match the poetic and musical intensity evident on Nas' earlier works.
Nas has been rising to the top as well as collecting mad "C.R.E.A.M." in the process. In the meanwhile, he managed to assemble a crew of talented rappers known as The Firm. The Firm consisted Foxy Brown, AZ and Cormega (the formerly incarcerated MC who was the inspiration for the brilliant "One Love" on Illmatic). After a falling out with the group, Cormega went on to join the Def Jam family including it’s entourage of impressive rappers like Dragon, Eve, Jadakiss and one DMX.
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