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Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown
American rapper, model, and actress
1
Ron Browz
Ron Browz
American record producer
2
Memphis Bleek
Memphis Bleek
American rapper from New York
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Rick Ross
Rick Ross
American rapper
4
Jeezy
Jeezy
American rapper from Atlanta
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Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
American rapper from Illinois
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Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
American rapper, singer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur
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DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
American DJ, record executive, record producer, and media personality
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Timbaland
Timbaland
American musician, record producer, rapper, DJ, and record executive
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Jay-Z
Jay-Z
American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and record producer
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The Firm
The Firm
American hip hop supergroup
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T-Pain
T-Pain
American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and streamer
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Lil' Cease
Lil' Cease
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Shawty Lo
Shawty Lo
American rapper from Georgia
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Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
American rapper from New York; member of G-Unit
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Freeway
Freeway
American rapper from Pennsylvania
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Jadakiss
Jadakiss
American rapper from New York
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AZ
AZ
American rapper
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Jim Jones
Jim Jones
American rapper and music video director from New York
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Ali Vegas
Ali Vegas
American rapper
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The Roots
The Roots
American hip hop band
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Beanie Sigel
Beanie Sigel
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Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$
American rapper, record producer, and actor from New York
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Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
American rapper
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Young Gunz
Young Gunz
American hip hop duo
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Jay Rock
Jay Rock
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Prodigy
Prodigy
American rapper
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Fat Joe
Fat Joe
American rapper from New York
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J-Kwon
J-Kwon
American rapper
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Fabolous
Fabolous
American rapper from New York
30
Ja Rule
Ja Rule
American rapper, singer, and actor from New York
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Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur
32
9th Wonder
9th Wonder
American rapper, DJ and producer
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Termanology
Termanology
American rapper
34
Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Jamaican singer
35
Gudda Gudda
Gudda Gudda
American rapper
36
The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
American rapper and songwriter
37
T.I.
T.I.
American rapper, record producer, actor, and businessman
38
Kanye West
Kanye West
American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer
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The World Famous Tony Williams
The World Famous Tony Williams
American singer-songwriter
Nas
American rapper, record executive, entrepreneur and investor from New York

Nas

Intro
American rapper, record executive, entrepreneur and investor from New York
News

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (/nɑːˈsɪər/; born September 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Nas (/nɑːz/), is an American rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Rooted in the New York rap scene, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Nas has released twelve studio albums since 1994, seven of which are certified platinum and multi-platinum in the U.S.

The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones's musical career began in 1989 as he adopted the moniker of "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. He was a featured artist on Main Source's "Live at the Barbeque" (1991), also produced by Large Professor. Nas's debut album Illmatic (1994) received universal acclaim upon release, and is considered to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time; in 2021, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. His second album It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200 and charted for four consecutive weeks; the album, along with its single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (featuring Lauryn Hill), catapulted Nas into international success. Nas's albums I Am (1998) and Nastradamus (1999) were criticized as inconsistent and too commercially oriented, and critics and fans feared that his output was declining in quality.

From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with Jay-Z, popularized by the diss track "Ether". It was this feud, along with Nas's albums Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), and the double album Street's Disciple (2004), that helped restore his critical standing. After quashing the feud, Nas signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam Recordings in 2006 and went in a more provocative, politicized direction with the albums Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and his untitled 9th studio album (2008). In 2010, Nas released Distant Relatives, a collaboration album with Damian Marley, donating all royalties to charities active in Africa. His 11th studio album, Life Is Good (2012), was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. After receiving thirteen nominations, his 13th studio album, King's Disease (2020), won him his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2006, MTV ranked Nas fifth on their list of "The Greatest MCs of All Time". In 2012, The Source ranked him second on their list of the "Top 50 Lyricists of All Time". In 2013, Nas was ranked 4th on MTV's "Hottest MCs in the Game" list. About.com ranked him first on their list of the "50 Greatest MCs of All Time" in 2014, and a year later, Nas was featured on the "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list by Billboard. He is also an entrepreneur through his own record label; he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records.