Nas

Biography

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (September 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and businessman. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones's musical career began in 1989 as he adopted the moniker of "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. He was a featured artist on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque" (1991), also produced by Large Professor. Nas's debut album Illmatic (1994) received universal acclaim upon release, and is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time; in 2021, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. His second album It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200 and charted for four consecutive weeks; the album, along with its single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill), catapulted Nas into international success. Both released in 1999, Nas's albums I Am and Nastradamus were criticized as inconsistent and too commercially oriented, and critics and fans feared that his output was declining in quality. From 2001 to 2005, Nas w…

Movies & TV Shows

1. John Q (2002) — Nas
2. Hawaii Five-0 (2010) — Gordon Smith
3. The Last Dance (2020) — Self
4. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) — Nas
5. Uptown Girls (2003) — Celebrity
6. The Daily Show (1996) — Self
7. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) — Self
8. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) — Self
9. The Colbert Report (2005) — Self
10. Real Time with Bill Maher (2003) — Self
11. Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) — Self
12. Belly (1998) — Sincere
13. Ticker (2001) — Det. Art 'Fuzzy' Rice
14. In Too Deep (1999) — Drug Dealer on Street Corner
15. Monster (2021) — Raymond 'Sunset' Green
16. The Defiant Ones (2017) — Self
17. Sean Combs: The Reckoning (2025) — Self (archive footage)
18. Nas: Time Is Illmatic (2014) — Self
19. Black Nativity (2013) — Street Prophet (Isaiah)
20. The Grammys (1959) — Self
21. All That (1994)
22. Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (2022) — Self
23. Fresh Dressed (2015) — Self
24. Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (2015)
25. Billy on the Street (2011) — Self
26. Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 (2021) — Self - Performer
27. Rhyme & Reason (1997) — Self
28. MTV Video Music Awards (1984) — Self
29. Finding Your Roots (2012) — Self
30. Beef (2003) — Self
31. Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. (2017) — Self
32. Billy Joel: And So It Goes (2025) — Self
33. The Shop (2018) — Self
34. The Chris Rock Show (1997)
35. One Night in Vegas (2010) — Self
36. The Wendy Williams Show (2008)
37. David Blaine: The Magic Way (2020) — Self
38. Rapture (2018) — Himself
39. TMZ Presents | The Downfall of Diddy 2: The Indictment (2024) — Self (archive footage)
40. You're Watching Video Music Box (2021) — Self

Directed

1. You're Watching Video Music Box (2021) — Director