Beefs (2)
VS
Takeover vs Ether (2001). Greatest technical rap beef. Later friends.
"Ether — you know who did it" · Ether, 2001
VS
50 dissed Nas during the G-Unit beef era. Nas fired back. Brief but notable.
"You did a song with Jada, now you think you're hard?" · Your Life's on the Line, 2002
Discography
Studio Albums
Illmatic
1994
It Was Written
1996
Nastradamus
1999
I Am…
1999
Stillmatic
2001
God’s Son
2002
Street’s Disciple
2004
Napalm
2006
Hip Hop Is Dead
2006
[untitled]
2008
Distant Relatives
2010
Life Is Good
2012
NASIR
2018
King’s Disease
2020
Magic
2021
King’s Disease II
2021
King’s Disease III
2022
Magic 2
2023
Magic 3
2023
Light‐Years
2025
Mixtapes
The Freestyles (Vol. 2)
2003
God's Black
2004
God’s Gift: The Nas/Jay-Z Project
2005
God’s Gangster
2008
The Nigger Tape
2008
Reanimated
2014
Half-Man, Half-Amazing (Mixed by DJ Green Lantern)
2026
EPs
Escobar - The Remix EP
1996
Nas Is Like / Dr. Knockboots
1999
Rule
2001
In My Ghetto
2017
Collab
Jadakiss
Collab
NYC peers. Multiple collaborations.
Steve Stoute
Collab
Steve Stoute managed Nas at key point in career.
Lauryn Hill
Collab
If I Ruled the World — one of the most iconic rap/R&B collabs of the 90s.
RZA
Collab
Nas appeared on Wu-Tang tracks. QB and Staten Island NY connection.
Method Man
Collab
Method Man and Nas collaborated. NY rap peers of the same era.
Ghostface Killah
Collab
Ghostface and Nas have collaborated across multiple projects.
AZ
Collab
AZ appeared on Life's a B**** on Illmatic. Doe or Die. Nas connection.
Wu-Tang Clan
Collab
Verbal Intercourse (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx). Nas on Wu-Tang classic.
Foxy Brown
Collab
The Firm supergroup with Nas, AZ, Cormega. East Coast rap royalty.
Missy Elliott
Collab
Hot Boyz remix and other 90s collabs. Both Def Jam era.
Big K.R.I.T.
Collab
Big K.R.I.T. and Nas collaborated. Both deeply conscious Southern/NY lyricists.
Gang Starr
Collab
DJ Premier/Gang Starr produced multiple Nas classics. N.Y. State of Mind era.
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Collab
ODB appeared on multiple tracks with Nas. NY legends.
Inspectah Deck
Collab
Inspectah Deck and Nas are both considered supreme lyricists of the 90s.
Mentored
Dave East
Mentored
Nas signed Dave East. Dave East is Nas's protégé.
Rakim
Mentored
Rakim is Nas's biggest influence. Both from NY. Spiritual lyrical lineage.
Kool G Rap
Mentored
Kool G Rap directly influenced Nas's storytelling style. Nas has cited him repeatedly.
Slick Rick
Mentored
Slick Rick's storytelling style directly influenced Nas on Illmatic.
Signed
Def Jam Recordings
Signed
Nas signed to Def Jam for Hip Hop Is Dead era.
Produced
Pete Rock
Produced
Pete Rock produced The World Is Yours (Illmatic).
DJ Premier
Produced
DJ Premier produced NY State of Mind (Illmatic). Iconic pairing.
Just Blaze
Produced
Just Blaze produced for Nas. NY producer connection.
Hit-Boy
Produced
Hit-Boy produced King's Disease I, II, and III — Nas's late career renaissance.
Scott Storch
Produced
Scott Storch produced for Nas. Major Miami-NY production connection.
9th Wonder
Produced
9th Wonder produced for Nas on multiple projects. Carolina-NY underground connection.
Bink!
Produced
Bink produced for Nas during the Roc-A-Fella era connections.
Large Professor
Produced
Large Professor produced key Illmatic tracks and early Nas material. The foundation.
The Neptunes
Produced
The Neptunes produced for Nas. One of the most important producer-rapper pairings.
Crew
Nas (Illmatic era)
Crew
The Firm was Nas's supergroup — Nas Escobar, AZ, Foxy Brown, Cormega.
Friendship
The Notorious B.I.G.
Friendship
Friendly rivals in NY. Mutual respect despite different coasts.
Chuck D
Friendship
Chuck D and Nas share political rap DNA. Nas has cited PE as major influence.
Beastie Boys
Friendship
Mutual admiration. Beastie Boys championed conscious and lyrical rap.
Mobb Deep
Friendship
Queensbridge connection. Mobb Deep and Nas from the same QB projects.
Redman
Friendship
Newark and Queens connection. East coast underground hip-hop peers.
LL Cool J
Friendship
Queens rap royalty. Both from Queens, both Def Jam era, mutual respect.
Big Pun
Friendship
NY rap peers of the same era. Both lyrical and acclaimed.
MF DOOM
Friendship
Both lyrical legends of the same era. Mutual respect in hip-hop community.
Big L
Friendship
Both NYC lyrical legends. Big L's death mourned across all of NY.
Capone-N-Noreaga
Friendship
Queens connection. Capone-N-Noreaga and Nas from same QB/Queens world.
Action Bronson
Friendship
Both New York. Action Bronson has cited Nas as one of his biggest influences.
Bun B
Friendship
Both considered GOAT level lyricists. Mutual respect across the South/East divide.
GZA / Genius
Friendship
GZA and Nas are both considered supreme lyricists. Verbal Intercourse together.
Earl Sweatshirt
Friendship
Earl Sweatshirt has cited Nas as one of his biggest influences on his style.
Ab-Soul
Friendship
Ab-Soul has cited Nas as primary influence. Both deeply lyrical and conceptual.
Freddie Gibbs
Friendship
Freddie Gibbs and Nas are lyrical peers. Both considered underrated GOATs.
Joell Ortiz
Friendship
Joell Ortiz is a Brooklyn lyricist in the Nas tradition. NY rap lineage.
Big L
Friendship
Big L and Nas were considered the two greatest lyricists of their generation. Mutual respect.
A Tribe Called Quest
Friendship
Q-Tip and Nas are NY hip-hop legends with deep mutual respect. Q-Tip produced for Nas.
KRS-One
Friendship
KRS-One and Nas are both considered lyrical philosophers. East coast hip-hop legacy.
EPMD
Friendship
EPMD and Nas are connected through the NY hip-hop lineage. Hit Squad influence.
Black Moon
Friendship
Black Moon and Nas are both East Coast underground legends from the same era.
Grand Puba
Friendship
Grand Puba and Nas are both New York lyricists from the golden era who share the same tradition of smooth mic control.
Media
Stretch & Bobbito
Media
Nas' Stretch and Bobbito freestyle launched his career. The most important radio session ever.
The Source
Media
The Source gave Illmatic 5 mics — the first album ever to receive the perfect score.