Rooted in East Coast hip-hop , he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Nas signed with Columbia Records in , and released his debut studio album, Illmatic , two years later. An inductee of the Library of Congress 's National Recording Registry , it has been regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. From to , Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with fellow New York rapper Jay-Z , popularized by the former's diss track " Ether ". The feud, along with Nas' subsequent releases Stillmatic , God's Son , and the double album Street's Disciple helped him restore his critical standing.
Nas then reconciled with Jay-Z prior to signing with his then-spearheaded label, Def Jam Recordings in ; he adopted a more provocative, politicized direction with the albums Hip Hop Is Dead and his untitled ninth studio album In , Nas released Distant Relatives , a collaborative album with Damian Marley that donated its royalties to active African charities.
Outside of recording, he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine, and co-founded its spin-off division Mass Appeal Records , a record label that has signed artists including Dave East , N. Postal Service worker from North Carolina. His father adopted the name "Olu Dara" from the Yoruba people. As a young child, Nas and his family relocated to the Queensbridge housing project of the Long Island City community area in the borough of Queens.
His neighbor, Willie "Ill Will" Graham, influenced his interest in hip-hop by playing him records. In his early years, he played the trumpet and began writing his own rhymes. Nas initially went by the nickname "Kid Wave" before adopting his more commonly known alias of "Nasty Nas". When they were not in the recording studio, Nas would go into the booth and record his own material. However, none of it was ever released. In mid, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass , who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records during the same year.
In , Nas's debut album, Illmatic , was released. Nas, the poetic sage of the Queensbridge projects, was hailed as the second coming of Rakim βas if the first had reached his expiration date. Illmatic stood on its own terms. The sublime lyricism of the CD, combined with the fact that it was delivered into the crucible of the boiling East-West conflict, quickly solidified [his] reputation as the premier writer of his time. Illmatic was awarded best album of by The Source. The album was chiefly produced by Tone and Poke of the Trackmasters , as Nas consciously worked towards a crossover-oriented sound.
