Nas

Raised in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, Nas grew up surrounded by music — his father was the jazz cornetist Olu Dara — and began writing rhymes as a child.

His 1994 debut "Illmatic" is frequently cited as the greatest hip-hop album ever made for its dense, cinematic portrait of New York life. He sustained a decades-long career through albums such as "It Was Written," "Stillmatic," and the Grammy-winning "King's Disease."

After decades of acclaim, Nas won his first Grammy for "King's Disease" in 2021. He has also become a noted technology investor through the venture firm QueensBridge Venture Partners.

Nas set a benchmark for lyrical storytelling in hip-hop, and "Illmatic" remains a touchstone studied for its poetry and realism.