Nas

Born to jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas", recording demos under the guidance of fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor. He made his recording debut on Professor's group, Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque". Nas later signed with Columbia Records and released his debut studio album, Illmatic, which has been regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Following this success, he released his second album, It Was Written, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and featured the hit single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)". Nas went on to release several albums, including I Am and Nastradamus, before embarking on a highly publicized feud with Jay-Z, which ultimately led to his restoration of critical standing with albums like Stillmatic and God's Son.