Nas, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, is the son of Olu Dara, an unconventional jazz musician. At age nine he was a member of the Devastatin' Seven in the mid-1980s, the fruits of which can be heard on his 1994 debut, "Illmatic," which was released on Columbia/SME later that year. It attracted attention for its depiction of ghetto life and Nas' refusal to include the misogyny and violence evident in some hip-hop. Nas's first appearance on record was on Main Source's classic "Live at the Barbecue." However, his big break came when former 3rd Bass member 'MC Serch' included his verse in "Halftime" on the soundtrack of Zebrahead, which led to a management deal with Serch's management company, Serchlight Productions. Nas's follow-up albums are "It Was Written," "I Am...," "Nastradamus," "Stillmatic," "From Illmatic to Stillmatic," "The Lost Tapes Vol. 1," and "God's Son."
Daughter named Destiny. Her mother is Carmen. Son of jazz musician Olu Dara and the late Fannie Ann Jones. His mom died of breast cancer. At the hospital, he held her in his arms until she passed on. Has a song dedicated to his mother titled "Dance," which can be heard on his latest album, "God's Son." Has recorded eight albums and one EP: "Illmatic," "It Was Written," "I Am...," "Nastradamus," "Stillmatic," "From Illmatic to Stillmatic," "The Lost Tapes Vol. 1," "God's Son," and "Street's Disciple." Met his wife, Kelis, for the first time during an after-party at Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs's bacchanal at the luxurious Cipriani restaurant. Proposed to Kelis in her mom's house on Christmas Eve, 2002. Recorded a hip-hop-blues collaboration with his father called "Bridging the Gap." Grew up with MCs such as Cormega, Nature, The Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z.