Nas also known as Nasir Jones is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop lyricists of all time but he is also considered one of hip hop’s greatest thinkers. No, he wasn’t educated at a college or university but he is a byproduct of Queensbridge "Houses" or projects in New York City. Nas entered the rap game in 1991 when he appeared on the track Live at the Barbeque with fellow rapper, Main Source. His longevity in an industry that has the attention span of a chihuahua amazes me but if you seriously listen and try to understand his lyrics, you might undertand why he's been in the game for so long.

Since Live, Nas has survived the oversized hoodie wearing, blunt smoking, street corner standing, Jansport backpack wearing early 1990’s, the west coast gangster rap fad of the mid 1990's, and the glitzy shiny suit wearing, obscene bling-bling, hyper-sexualized, post Biggie Smalls period. (Although, Nas fell into the P. Diddybop trap with "Hate Me Now!")  Now, Nas is back full circle. He's doing what Nas does best, speaking the truth about what’s going on in the gritty city streets and what’s going on in the rest of the world.