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Nas

Nas Biography

Rapper

Nas, born Nasir Jones, is an American rapper and music producer. Born on September 14, 1973, he gained prominence in the early 1990s for his influential music style and lyrical content. Nas's career began on the streets of New York, and he quickly rose to prominence in the rap scene. His debut album, 'Illmatic,' released in 1994, is considered a classic in the history of rap music.

Nas, born Nasir Jones, is an American rapper and music producer. Born on September 14, 1973, he gained prominence in the early 1990s for his influential music style and lyrical content. Nas's career began on the streets of New York, and he quickly rose to prominence in the rap scene. His debut album, 'Illmatic,' released in 1994, is considered a classic in the history of rap music.

Related Quotes

“A lot of times it seems like, you ain't gon' make it where you wanna be in life. But, yo if you got a plan, believe me you gon' get there. You gon' get everything you ever wanted”

Ifs Believe Seems Wanted Plans Like You Believe In Me

Author:Nas

“I promise you, if you have a plan, you can accomplish everything you ever wanted”

Ifs Wanted Plans Promise Accomplish I Promise

Author:Nas

“To me, hip-hop's been dead for years. We all should know that. With that being said, then, the object of the game now is to make money off of exploiting it. That's what it's all about - get this money. That's basically what I'm saying.”

Knows Should Years Said Games Objects Hip Hop Hips Making Money Hops

Author:Nas

“It's not just hip-hop that's dead. Mostly every form of American music is dead. It's been dead. R&B isn't really good.”

Form Music Is Hip Hop Hips Hops American Music

Author:Nas

“You got a handful of great guys - Ne-Yo, R. Kelly, Usher. You have a handful of great female artists. But for the most part the music world's changing and change is good. You have to make adjustments if you want to survive in that world.”

Ifs World Want Artist Guy Female Handful Adjustment Great Guy Change Is Good Great Female Female Artists R Kelly

Author:Nas

“With rap music, because it's all so on the street, you get treated like a street cat: "All right, you've been eatin' enough, you're fat, get out of the way now and let somebody else come by."”

Way Enough Streets Music Is Cat Rap Treated Fats Rap Music

Author:Nas

“When I try to sound like the contemporary sound, it never turns out that way. That's just me.”

Way Trying Turns Sound Contemporary

Author:Nas

“I just appreciate what Andre 3000 has done musically - just the bravery. I think Andre 3000 may be one of the bravest artists in rap music.”

Thinking May Done Artist Appreciate Bravery Rap Rap Music

Author:Nas

“You can't count a man out because one record went different direction. You gotta count the things that scored, not the misses.”

Men Different Records Missing Different Directions

Author:Nas

“Hip-hop ain't died because of the South, that's retarded.”

Died South Hip Hop Hips Hops Retarded

Author:Nas

“I expect the hip-hop audience to be avant garde. I want them to be where I'm at or beyond where I'm at.”

Want Audience Hip Hop Hips Hops Avant Garde

Author:Nas

“I want each album to say something different and be accepted better than the last one but I don't have any point to outdo any particular album of mine.”

Want Different Lasts Mines Particular Albums Accepted

Author:Nas

“I'm a storyteller and the Bible is a bunch of stories about life and things that took place here on planet earth. It's a great example to use and a great reason to be happy about being a storyteller because the lessons of the land are always in stories.”

Reason Stories Use Earth Land Example Planets Lessons Bunch Storyteller Planet Earth Reasons To Be Happy

Author:Nas

“I'm a reader, so when I go to bookstores I need (stuff) that's going to help me. There a big emptiness there and I want to help fill that through song.”

Want Needs Helping Bigs Song Stuff Reader Emptiness Help Me Bookstores

Author:Nas

“Dogs live longer than rappers.”

Author:Nas

“Anything that's really good, everybody wants to put their hands on. The multimedia puts their hands on it and everything happens that makes it global. Then people forget the roots of it and people forget why they care about it, and then it gets torn apart and turns so commercial that you don't even know what the essence of this art form is even about.”

People Knows Want Art Hands Happens Care Form Turns Forget Roots Essence Things Happen Torn Torn Apart Multimedia

Author:Nas

“Failure is not an option, and I always felt like I'm a man who doesn't have regrets, and I don't live with excuses. I can't take excuses.”

Men I Can Felt Regret Excuse Failure Is Not An Option

Author:Nas

“I think a lot of us know when it's our time. No matter what profession you're in, you get a feeling. If you worked on it long enough, you know when it's ready.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Long Matter Enough Feelings Ready No Matter What Profession Our Time

Author:Nas

“Rule No. 1 is you can't be fake. If you're fake, you become a gimmick and you're selling a gimmick; a little gimmick is cool, this is entertainment. But when you base your stuff on mostly real stuff, you never run out of it because every day is a different adventure.”

Ifs Littles Different Real Running Stuff Adventure Entertainment Selling Fake Gimmicks Real Stuff

Author:Nas

“Every great person educates themselves.”

Persons Educate Great Person

Author:Nas

“There was a lot of negative that was put on rappers for using the word, and I feel like we're just misunderstood. Most of us are; some of us is just plain wack.”

Feels Negative Rapper Misunderstood

Author:Nas

“I think you gotta always do things that keep you excited in an [rap music] industry that's so bullshit. When you know that you have so much energy and so much to give, it would be a shame if the facilitators of that aren't enthusiastic about you doing it, because you've been doing it for so long. So you just gotta figure out ways in this insane business to keep it fresh.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Way Giving Long Would Be Energy Figures Industry Shame Excited Rap Insane Bullshit Enthusiastic Music Industry Rap Music

Author:Nas

“I'm just flowing through, when I see things, I talk about 'em. And it's cool. I don't want any title. I just say what I say, and hopefully somebody gets it. I'm not perfect, and I'm just here and trying to make a dollar, and being real at the same time.”

Want Trying Real Perfect Dollars Hopefully Titles Ems Being Real Not Perfect I'm Not Perfect

Author:Nas

“Some people work hard to be something that they're not, and I don't work at all, I'm just me. And that can bother anybody I'm not working nearly as hard as the other guys, and they don't like it.”

People Hard Guy Hard Work Bother Other Guys

Author:Nas

“Sunlight and seeing something that was a thought become a thing and materialize - that makes me come alive.”

Alive Seeing Sunlight

Author:Nas

“No temporary chaos is worth your sanity. Just knowing that whatever happens, it happens to the best of them too.”

Happens Knowing Chaos Temporary Sanity Whatever Happens

Author:Nas

“Don't ever give up on yourself. Keep pushing because the change of guards is what life's all about. [...] You've always got to stick with whatever you're into because you're day is going to come. You're day is destined. If you walk away from that, whether it be from fear or whether you're just giving up. [...] The greatest sin is fear and giving up.”

Ifs Giving Sin Walks Giving Up Sticks Pushing Destined Don't Ever Give Up

Author:Nas

“When I write a story, I just wanna tell you what's in my head. It can come from real life and then turn into fantasy, stuff just rhyming. And write about what you know. I just like to tell stories that have not been told or [told] from my perspective.”

Knows Writing Real Stories Turns Stuff Fantasy Perspective Real Life Rhyming

Author:Nas

“Whose world is this? The world is yours.”

World World Is Yours

Author:Nas

“Life is parallel to Hell but I must maintain and be prosperous, though we live dangerous.”

Life Is Hell Dangerous Parallels Prosperous

Author:Nas

“You can't please everybody. You['d] be crazy if you're trying to. So take some time out to do some things for yourself.”

Ifs Trying Crazy Please Being Crazy

Author:Nas

“I want to sound like an instrument. I want my voice and my words to marry the beat. I go with the rhythm of it and the words start to come to my mind and those words could be based on things that's been on my mind for the past year, the past month, the past week, whatever; I write it.”

Want Writing Years Mind Past Sound Voice Week Months Beats Instruments Rhythm

Author:Nas

“Your look reflects whats happening in your mind.”

Mind Looks Happenings

Author:Nas

“Hip-hop artist, especially the older ones, are the ones who new hip-hop was a worldwide phenomenon before the mainstream caught on, so hip-hop artists are forward thinkers. We want to stay with the new.”

Want Artist Caught Hip Hop Hips Hops Phenomenon Thinker Mainstream Hip Hop Artist

Author:Nas

“Jamaican music can be aggressive, soulful, smooth and exciting all at once - just like hip-hop. At the same time, there's nothing like Jamaica in the United States. Jamaica is its own thing.”

States United United States Exciting Hip Hop Hips Hops Aggressive Smooth Soulful Jamaica Jamaicans Jamaican Music

Author:Nas

“It hurts to see anybody in pain, if you've got any kind of heart.”

Ifs Heart Kind Pain Hurt It Hurts

Author:Nas

“No matter where you're from - you can be Native American, Italian, Jewish, Latino, African-American - whatever you are, we're all distant relatives.”

Matter African American Native Italian Native American Latino

Author:Nas

“I'm inspired by people like Nelson Mandela. Can you imagine - you know how racist America was back then - imagine how racism was in South Africa when he had to stand up and say what he had to say. That's bravery beyond comprehension.”

People Knows America Know How Imagine Racism Bravery South Inspired Racist South Africa Comprehension Nelson

Author:Nas

“I sip the Dom P watching Gandhi til I'm charged - writing in my book of rhymes, all the words past the margin”

Writing Book Past Rhyme Margins Doms

Author:Nas

“I talk about Africa and its meaning, being the birthplace of man and all that great history that's been erased and even hidden. I think it's my duty to be proud and to bring about the conversation that allows us to talk about the great history of my people.”

People Thinking Men Duty Proud Conversation Be Proud Birthplace Great History

Author:Nas

“America is a melting pot for all different groups of people, historically. And it's rare that the story of all of these people will be told in the history books. So I always felt I had to find out my history for myself and research my roots.”

People Book Different Stories America Felt Groups Research Roots Pot Melting History Books Melting Pot

Author:Nas

“I've gone through too much, from beefs to divorce to my mom passing which I always expressed in my music, so there's not album that sticks out as more important than the other to me.”

Important Gone Too Much Mom Sticks Albums My Mom Divorce Passing Passings Beef

Author:Nas

“Hip hop started in NY so it's important that New Yorkers realise that to talk about NY music and its sound should not be a small-minded conversation. Music is supposed to evolve. It's supposed to be going through changes, it's not supposed to sound exactly the same as what it did when it started. NY hip hop has to be allowed to move on and grow and expand.”

Should Important Moving Grows Sound Conversation Music Is Hip Hop Hips Supposed To Be Evolve Hops Realising New Yorkers Going Through Changes

Author:Nas

“You're supposed to be who you are. You're supposed to make music that is true to you.”

Who You Are Supposed To Be Be Who You Are

Author:Nas

“There needs to be structures in place to do something about misrepresentation about hip hop. When awards are given out and the media talk about hip hop, they're confused because they haven't done their homework on it so you have a case where there's an award for the most pop song in the world and it's called 'hip hop'.”

World Needs Done Song Given Cases Media Havens Structure Hip Hop Pops Hips Confused Hops Awards Homework Pop Song Misrepresentation

Author:Nas

“In hip hop no one cares. No one stands up for it and it's a mess. We need order so we can all follow the tradition of where we came from. We need to keep referring to the pioneers.”

Needs Care Order Tradition Hip Hop Mess Hips Hops Pioneers Referring No One Cares Where We Came

Author:Nas

“I used to carry a notebook to the studio. I don't do that no more 'cause I don't have the time to write anywhere but right there in the studio on the spot. So when you hear my stuff, know that I wrote it in the studio.”

Knows Writing Used Causes Stuff Studios Spots Notebook

Author:Nas

“There's always going to be space for battle in hip hop. For competition. It's just an inseparable part of the game.”

Games Space Battle Competition Hip Hop Hips Hops Inseparable

Author:Nas

“People have stopped battling in hip hop, in the primitive sense, and the focus of the competitive element has shifted to the music. It's less about bragging and more about being the best lyrically and poetically.”

People Focus Elements Hip Hop Hips Being The Best Hops Primitive Bragging

Author:Nas

“I didn't really do many business ventures throughout my career because I would have an idea and then before I'd have a chance to make something of it, I'd see someone else do it. I just liked to watch my fellow artists become entrepreneurs and be people who can inspire the next generation. I did that more with my songs.”

People Ideas Artist Song Next Chance Careers Watches Generations Inspire Fellows Entrepreneur Venture Next Generation

Author:Nas

About the Author

Born: September 14, 1973
Known for: Rapper
Quotes: 233

Related Topics

Hip Hop Ifs People Rap Hips Hops Knows Want Thinking Men

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

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