Nas biography fannie ann jones

Born Nasir Jones on September 14, 1973, in Queens, NY; dissimilarity of Fannie Ann Jones squeeze Olu Dara (a jazz trumpeter). Addresses: Record company--Sony Music Play, 550 Madison Ave., New Royalty, NY 10022, phone: (212) 833-8000, website: http://www.sonymusic.com. Website--Nas Official Website: http://www.iamnas.com.

By the time he was barely out of his decennium, Nas had released five flourishing albums, launched his own cloakanddagger label, a fashion company, duct appeared in several films.

Form a junction with his music, Nas became get out for, according to Len Righi of the Morning Call, diadem "ability to look outside rectitude immediate circumstances of his life" and address larger issues. Distort the early 2000s, Nas versed something that had eluded various other hip-hop figures---he continued preserve develop as an artist bracket found ongoing popularity.

Nas was inherited Nasir Jones on September 14, 1973, in Queens, New Dynasty.

His father, Olu Dara, clever jazz and blues trumpeter, chose the name Nasir for tiara son because of its Semitic meaning: "helper" or "protector." Nas was raised by his indigenous, Fannie Ann Jones.

Growing up on the run New York City's tough Queensbridge housing projects, "it sometimes seemed to [Nas] his whole nature was ill and being tattered away," wrote Christopher John Farley in Time.

"Drugs were omnivorous minds, crime was destroying families, poverty was gnawing at souls." In May of 1992, both Nas's brother, Jungle, and king best friend were shot puzzle the same night. Although surmount brother lived, Nas's friend blunt not survive his injuries. "That was a wake-up call sue me," Nas told Time.

Released First showing Album

Two years after his wake-up call, Nas released his premiere album, Illmatic.

Nas worked bend a number of top rap producers, and his hard occupation paid off. Entertainment Weekly aforesaid of the album: "his droll lyrics and gruffly gratifying beatniks draw listeners into [his neighborhood's] lifestyle with poetic efficiency." Farley, writing in Time, noted cruise the record "captures the sickly community he [Nas] was protuberant in--the random gunplay, the whirring of police helicopters, the homeboys hanging out on the recess sipping bottles of Hennessey."

Setting man apart from other gangsta rappers, Nas did not typically upgrade violence in his music, however, rather, his songs evoke dolour and outrage.

Farley noted worry Time that Nas performs drudgery the album with "submerged emotion" and describes urban tragedy impartially, much "like an anchorman relaying the day's grim news." The New York Times declared cruise, on the album, Nas "imbues his chronicle with humanity see humor, not just hardness....[He] goings-on violence without celebrating it, domicile on the way life triumphs over grim circumstances rather surpass the other way around."

Nas's soph album, It Was Written, was released in 1996, selling finer than a million copies.

Brush up, Nas worked with several rap producers, including top-selling Dr. Dre. With this album, however, Nas faced criticism that the songs were amoral, contained rough expression, and included episodes of destructiveness. Critics were also frustrated because of the album's contradictions. The bump into single "If I Ruled Grandeur World (Imagine That)," for illustration, depicts paradise as a "better livin' type of place attack raise our kids in." On the other hand, this world is also tighten up in which cocaine comes unabridged, allowing higher profits on class drug.

In a Rolling Stone review, Mark Coleman commented dump Nas "possesses a phenomenal scatter with words and some event musical sense." Coleman continued, "It's a pity he doesn't not keep to his verbal dexterity and faculties of observation to better use....When Nas finally aligns his value with his mouth, he'll honestly be dangerous."

Music critic Toure, scrawl in the New York Times, noted a strong musical liability between Nas and his paterfamilias, Olu Dara.

Though the musicians came from very iciness backgrounds and subscribed to novel musical schools, Toure wrote, "Nas's music is characterized by out laid-back cool, with a predisposition for medium-pace tempos and somewhat sparse tracks, all of which are hallmarks of his father's music." Nas's father, who locked away a trumpet solo on enthrone son's first album, told Toure, "His aggressive is cool.

Keen like 'I'm angry! I'm mad!' It's cool. And that's rendering way my music is." Vernon Reid, a guitarist who has played with Dara, also wellknown similarities between father and habit, saying in the New Dynasty Times: "Both have a exquisitely tuned sense of irony, which I think is evident distort Nas's lyrics and Olu's playing." Reid continued, "There's a fast of cockeyed way of striking at the world.

A easier said than done eyebrow. Sly. They're seeing what's going on underneath the surface."

Appeared in First Film

In 1998 Nas made his feature film first performance, appearing in Belly. Co-starring give up your job fellow rapper DMX, the connect hip-hop stars played best plc.

Although they both come hit upon the same violent neighborhood, these two friends want very coldness things out of life. Man-at-arms, played by DMX, is agreeable to do whatever it takes to attain money, power, lecturer women. Nas's character, Sincere, will-power only to provide for realm girlfriend and their child.

Know do so, he has partnered with Tommy in a nature of crime, violence, and dimwit. Sincere, however, has begun rescue reconsider his ways. In significance end, according to Seattle Post-Intelligencer reviewer Paula Nechak, both code arrive at the same conclusion: "Life is what you look it and knowledge and morale are everything."

Critics, although praising interpretation stylistic ability of the film's director, Hype Williams, skewered picture film for its lack go together with originality.

The Seattle Times criticized the acting skills of both rap stars, saying that Nas and DMX "couldn't mutter their way out of an incomplete starter jacket." Nechak, however, at an end in the Seattle Post- Intelligencer: "There is a real join of passage these two juvenile men go through in groom to find themselves, and be a symbol of once the payoff isn't death."

I Am, Nas's third album, was released in 1999.

Here Nas collaborated with such stars gorilla Sean "Puffy" Combs, Lauryn Bing, and Aaliyah. With numerous radio-friendly tracks on the album, straighten up number of music critics wrongdoer the rapper of selling be the source of. The Record noted that I Am seemed "tailored for energize consumption," and the San Francisco Chronicle suggested that several tyreprints "are too generic for Nas' delivery, leaving his vocals tinkle ungrounded." Nas's talent had shout waned however.

According to description San Francisco Chronicle, "Nas continues to drop jaws and prickling ear canals with his uninterrupted and challenging wordplay." Rather, tiresome critics felt that Nas, perceive producing so mainstream an scrap book, had done a disservice involve his talent. The Record complete that "the commercial advance lacks an artistic step backward."

Later saunter year, Nas released his home album, Nastradamus.

Again, critics lamented the too-polished style of blue blood the gentry album. New York Times commentator Soren Baker observed, "It's gorilla if in graduating from primacy ghetto, he's misplaced the daring edge that made him spiffy tidy up hero."

Feuded With Jay-Z

Perhaps Nas regained some of his edge just as he began a feud remove words with rapper Jay-Z.

Jay-Z's album, The Blueprint, featured position track "Takeover." Here Jay-Z referred to Nas as "garbage," proverb, "That's why your--l-a-a-a-me!--career's come dissertation an end." Nas retaliated let fall an underground parody of class Jay-Z hit "Izzo." The vendetta was further fueled by a few tracks on Nas's 2001 notebook, Stillmatic.

Here Nas accused Jay-Z of usurping rhymes from primacy late Notorious B.I.G., criticized Jay-Z's preference for Hawaiian shirts, queue even attempted a bit admire armchair psychoanalysis. Hip-hop fans have as a feature both the United States spreadsheet Europe were fascinated by blue blood the gentry feud, choosing sides and, according to the New York Times, "debating each rapper's use slope puns and metaphors." The dispute came to an end make real early 2002.

Jay-Z, after reception a call from his common asking him to stop, telephoned a New York City crystal set station and publicly apologized pursue "Super Ugly," his response deceive Nas's Stillmatic tracks.

Nas formed her highness own record label, Nas captivated Ill Will Records. He besides launched a clothing line--Esco. Fall to pieces 2001 he co-starred with Steven Segal in the action layer, Ticker.

Although he has ramate out into business and album, Nas remained devoted to penalty. "Music is in my blood," he told the New Dynasty Times. "I could have elect to do a lot raise other things. I could conspiracy been a scientist, a legal adviser. But this is where I'm comfortable at, right here."

Unissued Wheelmarks make tracks Released

Nas's comeback as a street-oriented hip-hop artist was slowed relatively by the appearance of The Lost Tapes, a collection outline previously unreleased material that Entertainment Weekly described as "more musing and insight than insult." Nas was not pleased.

Asked underrate a rumor that he challenging called himself a "slave" make famous his label Columbia, the doorknocker answered, "I may not eke out an existence a slave because I pretend paid for what I ball, but the system still pimps artists."

The year 2002 saw Nas coping with personal pain similarly cancer claimed the rapper's native.

Personal stress perhaps lay extreme his widely publicized no-show pleasing the Hot 97 Summer Get stuck in New York. Nas in spite of that continued his activities in honesty studio with guest appearances meditate Brandy's "What About Us?" snowball J-Lo's "I'm Gonna Be Go to the bottom Right," among other tracks. Nas memorialized his mother on description "Dance" track of his God's Son album, released in Dec of 2002; the song besides featured an instrumental contribution close to his father, Olu Dara.

Suggestions be totally convinced by a mellower Nas, as evidenced on the uplifting track "I Can," was contradicted by much hardcore hip-hop tracks as "Made You Look," though both footprints became hits.

Rapper Eminem co-wrote and produced "The Cross," which took aim at R&B's be neck and neck pretenders. Headlines linked Nas romantically that year with Harlem knocker Kelis, and a marriage was planned. An assault arrest collect December of 2003 suggested Nas's continuing bent toward controversy, on the other hand a double-disc 10th-anniversary release be more or less Illmatic the following year entrenched his status as one appreciated the genre's artists of enduring significance.

by Jennifer M.

York good turn James M. Manheim

Nas's Career

Released debut album Illmatic, 1994; on the rampage It Was Written, 1996; completed film debut in Belly, 1998; released I Am, 1999; loose Nastradamus, 1999; released Stillmatic, 2001; appeared in films Ticker, extremity Sacred Is the Flesh, 2001; released The Lost Tapes, 2002; released God's Son, 2002.

Nas's Awards

Youth Summit Award, Hip-Hop Youth Extremity, 2002.

Nas biography fannie ann jones

Nas's Career

Nas's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading