Nas is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is the son of Jazz musician Olu Dara. He has sold over 25 million records, released eight consecutive platinum, and multi-platinum albums since 1994. He is an entrepreneur for his own record label, and is an associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine. He is under contract with Def Jam Recordings, and Mass Appeal Records. His debut album Illmatic released in 1994, received universal acclaim from both critics, and the hip-hop community. His follow-up album, It Was Written, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Charts. He was nominated for Best Rap Album for his eleventh studio album Life Is Good at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. He is ranked No.5 on the MTV list of the, “50 Greatest MC’s of All Time” in 2014.