Not only has Nas established himself as one of the greatest rappers of all time, in the past couple years, he’s been rejuvenated and now competing with the best of today’s era.
In 2012 he proved he was still in his prime and could fuck with the best of today’s generation – Life is Good was one of the best records of the year and one of the best rap albums in the past five years, period.
As a hip-hop OG, Nas has seen a lot and done a lot. From beefs with the likes of legends such as Biggie, 2Pac and Jay-Z, making history with Illmatic, watching the rap game evolve from an ’80s baby to the billion dollar industry it is now, Nas has been there from the start.
Let’s take a look at the top 15 hip-hop facts about Nas:
1. Hip-Hop Gem: Kendrick Lamar Wanted Nas On “Sing About Me”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Kendrick wanted Nas to feature on “Sing About Me” off good kid, m.A.A.d city?
2. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas’ “Live Nigga Rap” Was Meant For Mobb Deep’s Album
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Nas’ classic joint “Live Nigga Rap” off It Was Written was originally created for Mobb Deep’s Hell on Earth?
3. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Has Never Won A Grammy Award
Hip-hop heads, did you know that in his 20 plus years career and despite being nominated numerous times Nas has never won a Grammy Award?
4. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Wanted To Sample Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit” Before Biggie
Hip-hop heads, did you know that before Biggie used Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit” for his breakthrough hit single, “Juicy,” Nas actually wanted to use the same sample for Illmatic‘s “Life’s A Bitch”?
5. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas’ “One Love” Was Supposed To Be Titled “My Summer Vacation”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that “One Love,” the classic track off Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, was originally supposed to be titled “My Summer Vacation”?
6. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas and Black Thought Were Beefing For A Short Time
Hip-hop heads, did you know about the short-lived beef between Nas and Black Thought?
7. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Wanted Large Professor To Executive Produce Illmatic
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Nas wanted Large Professor to executive produce his classic debut album, Illmatic?
8. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas and AZ Were Supposed To Be On Reasonable Doubt
Hip-hop heads, did you know that before their infamous beef, Nas and Jay-Z were supposed to collaborate on Jay’s first album?
9. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Was Dissing Biggie On “The Message”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Nas was firing shots at the King of New York at the time on “The Message”?
10. Hip-Hop Gem: Tupac Thought Nas Was Dissing Him On “The Message”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Tupac thought Nas was dissing on him “The Message” off It Was Written which led him to start a beef with the Queensbridge rapper?
11. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Fired Shots At Jay-Z On “The Message”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that on the classic It Was Written track, “The Message”, Nas fired a couple of subliminal shots at Jay-Z?
12. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Was The First New York Rapper To Collaborate With Dr. Dre
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Nas was the first New York rapper to collaborate on a song with Dr. Dre?
13. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Was Supposed To Be On The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Nas was planned to appear on Lauryn Hill’s 1998 classic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill?
14. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas’ “I Gave You Power” Inspired Tupac’s “Me and My Girlfriend”
Hip-hop heads, did you know that Tupac’s gun metaphor track, “Me and My Girlfriend,” off The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was inspired by the Nas classic “I Gave You Power” from It Was Written?
15. Hip-Hop Gem: Nas Performed the First Verse of “N.Y. State Of Mind” In One Take
Hip-hop heads, did you know that during the recording of the classic Illmatic track, “N.Y. State Of Mind,” Nas performed the entire first verse in one take?
