Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known professionally as Nas, was born on September 14, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York. He is an American rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Nas is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time and has made significant contributions to East Coast hip hop.

He began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos under the guidance of fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor. He made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque." His debut album, Illmatic, released in 1994, is considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time and was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2021.

Nas was born to jazz musician Olu Dara and Fannie Ann Jones. He grew up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade and turned to hip hop as a creative outlet.

He has a daughter named Destiny, born on June 15, 1994, with his ex-fiancée Carmen Bryan. Nas was married to singer Kelis from 2005 until their divorce in 2010. They have a son named Knight, born in 2009.

His career has been marked by both critical acclaim and commercial success. His second album, It Was Written, released in 1996, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and included the hit single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill.

His subsequent albums, including I Am and Nastradamus, received mixed reviews, but he regained critical acclaim with Stillmatic in 2001, which included the famous diss track "Ether" aimed at Jay-Z. The feud with Jay-Z was highly publicized and eventually resolved, leading to Nas signing with Def Jam Recordings in 2006.

He continued to release successful albums, including Hip Hop Is Dead in 2006 and an untitled album in 2008. In 2010, he collaborated with Damian Marley on the album Distant Relatives, which donated its royalties to African charities.

His tenth studio album, Life Is Good, released in 2012, was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. After thirteen nominations, Nas won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album with his thirteenth studio album, King's Disease, in 2020.

He has also appeared in films such as Belly, In Too Deep, and Black Nativity. Nas is also a co-founder of the hip hop magazine Mass Appeal and has invested in various business ventures, including technology startups and a restaurant chain.