New York rap legend Nas has finally won a Grammy after three decades of music. While it’s long overdue, many things about the iconic emcee are still unknown. With his recent victory in mind, here’s 5 things you probably didn’t know about the legendary East Coast rapper.
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1. Nas’ Real Name
While everybody knows him from his stage name, many people don’t realize Nas’ birth name. He was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14th of 1973, and in 2013 Harvard even founded the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship in honor of his work in music.
2. About His Nicknames
You might have heard some other names as well though, including his persona Nas Escobar. Around the time of his historic feud with fellow Big Apple legend JAY-Z, he created the “Escobar” alter-ego for his more crime-rhyme and gangster influenced verses. He’s also got the nickname Nasty Nas, something brands like Supreme have capitalized on and marketed (with his permission, of course).
3. Nas’ Different Fashion Ventures
Nas has gone down a whole lot of fashion ventures before. He has collaborated with the famous skatewear brand Supreme, and even founded his own brand Hstry. Hstry recently worked with Hollywood star Eddie Murphy in honor of Coming 2 America‘s cimena debut with a line of sweats, hats, pants and more made to rep Zamunda to Queens.
4. Nas’ Two Children
Nas’ personal life has been in the public eye for basically the entire duration of his fame. He has two children, an 11-year-old son named Knight Jones whom he had with singer Kelis, as well as 26-year-old daughter Destiny Jones. Destiny’s mother is author Carmen Bryan, and Destiny is much more well known than her brother due to her modeling career and presence on social media.
5. What’s He Believe In?
Nas was surrounded by Christians growing up, including his grandmother and whole family. However, as he got a little bit older he learned more about the Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths, that was founded in Harlem in 1964. This brought him closer to Islam, although he technically doesn’t identify with any religion.
“I was surrounded by Christians … my grandmothers, all my family was from the South, Baptist. As I got older I got into the 5 Percent Nation, and then that pushed me toward Islam. But (I’m not any) religion.” (TODAY)
