Nas

Community biography from

Hip-hop star Nas is best known for his landmark 1994 LP Illmatic, recorded when he was just 19 years old. His debut release, it is often considered to be among the best hip-hop albums ever made, mostly thanks to his sharp lyricism and astute treatment of difficult subjects. Although it didn't do well in the charts upon release, its continued appraisal as a landmark record meant it eventually reached platinum sales in 2001, and still sells well today.

In a sense, Nas has been trying to live up to his debut ever since, and while none of his subsequent releases are celebrated quite like Illmatic, most are worthy of praise and all have been commercially successful. It Was Written, his 1996 follow-up, was given mixed reviews initially, by critics who were disappointed that it wasn't another Illmatic, but its reputation has risen with the benefit of time. I Am.... and Nastradamus were both released in 1999 to mixed receptions, but Stillmatic (2001) was thought by many to be his best album since his debut. God's Son (2002), the double-disc Street Disciple (2004) and the controversial Hip-Hop Is Dead (2006) were all well received by fans and critics alike. In 2008 Nas controversially threatened to name his next album after an unprintable racial insult, but some commentators felt it was a crude publicity stunt and eventually his record bosses persuaded him to release it Untitled.