The Things You Didn't Know About Nas

Nas is a living legend and a true pioneer of hip-hop, especially in New York. His rise to fame came with the release of his first album, Illmatic, which was released in 1994. Illmatic propelled him into the rap Elite and into a life of success.

However, many may remember him for his feuds with other rappers, and even his marriage to Kelis, but most people still don’t know who the real Nasir Jones is.

Here are the things you didn’t know about Nas.

10. Nas's legal name, Nasir, means "helper and protector" in Arabic.

9. Nas smoked his first blunt when he was 11. He has only been in jail once, and that was for smoking weed.

8. Nas composed two songs with 50 Cent, helped him write his verses and even took him on his first tour.

7. Nas's brother Jungle once slapped 50 Cent in the studio for saying he didn't want to smoke weed.

6. Nas cried when 2 Pac and Biggie died.

5. Nas often used to undergo weird episodes where he'd disappear and no one knew where he was. Most of the time, he spent time in a secret apartment he kept in Long Island writing lyrics.

4. Nas's baby mama Carmen, who also dated Jay-Z, once stated that Hov was obsessed with Nas. She said Jay had a huge vinyl collection of rare Nas records in his Manhattan apartment.

3. Nas was suspended from high school in the 7th grade for stabbing a fellow student with a pencil. He speaks about his actions on the song "John Blaze": "I used to pack a No. 2 pencil stabbin' students". Nas dropped out of school in the 8th grade.

2. After the release of Illmatic, Nas wanted to go to film school, but, because of its unexpected success, he decided against his goal. Illmatic was recorded when Nas was 17-18 years old.

1. Nas was close to signing to Bad Boy in 1993 but was having problems with member Craig Mack.

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