NAS – ILLMATIC: LIVE w/ the Philadelphia Orchestra

Nas is considered by many to be one of the top five rappers, living or dead; he’s a luminary beloved by rap royalty like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Born Nasir Jones in 1973 (his father is jazz musician Olu Dara), he was raised in Queens, New York, at Queensbridge, a housing project whose deep role in hip-hop history would inspire his lyrics. Performing as the teenage MC Nasty Nas, he emerged with a spotlight-stealing guest verse on Main Source’s 1991 single “Live at the Barbeque.” Working with an all-star team of New York beatmakers (including DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor and Q-Tip) his debut album, Illmatic, was a critical sensation. In the 25 years that followed, Nas has released seven platinum solo albums, and one with supergroup The Firm alongside Foxy Brown and AZ. His empowering 2003 single “I Can,” built on Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” broke the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Widely respected as a true hip-hop scholar and lyricist, he’s appeared on songs with everyone from Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Lauryn Hill and Kanye West to Amy Winehouse, Justin Bieber, Jack White and the National Symphony Orchestra.