Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (/nɑːˈsɪər/; born September 14, 1973), better known as Nas /ˈnɑːz/, is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and sold over 25 million records worldwide since 1994. He is also an entrepreneur through his own record label; he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and is the owner of a Fila sneaker store. He is currently signed to Mass Appeal Records.
His musical career began in 1991 when he was featured on Main Source's track "Live at the Barbeque". His debut album Illmatic, released in 1994, received universal acclaim from both critics and the hip hop community; it is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
Nas' follow-up album, It Was Written, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, stayed on top for four consecutive weeks, went Platinum twice in only two months, and made Nas internationally known. From 2001 to 2005, Nas was involved in a highly publicized feud with rapper Jay Z. In 2006, Nas signed to Def Jam. In 2010, he released a collaboration album with reggae artist Damian Marley, donating all royalties to charities active in Africa. His eleventh studio album, Life Is Good, was released in 2012, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas was released by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records on July 15, 2008 in the United States, with earlier dates in some other countries. Its original title—Nigger—was changed due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet. The album is distinguished for its political content, diverse sources of production and provocative subject matter.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, Nas' fifth to do so. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics; it holds an aggregate score of 71/100 from Metacritic.
The original title of the album—Nigger—was mentioned by Nas several times, as well as on an October 12, 2007, performance at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City where he announced the title and release date.Def Jam made no comment on the title. This was similar to attempts to name his 2006 album—eventually titled Hip Hop Is Dead—both Nigga and Hip Hop Is Dead... The N. On May 19, 2008, it was confirmed that Nas changed the name of the album to an untitled one (although on iTunes, the album is self-titled), stating that "the people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it." The cover of the album shows the back of a shirtless Nas with flagellation scars forming the shape of the letter N, a reference to the racial slur and how slaves were tortured. Fort Greene, Brooklyn assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries requested New York's Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to withdraw $84 million from the state pension fund that has been invested into Universal and its parent company, Vivendi, if the album's title was not changed.
814 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in December 1938 and has been disbanded and reformed several times. Its nickname is "the Flying Tigers", not to be confused with the American Volunteer squadron of WWII.
The squadron was formed on December 1938 as a Torpedo plane Squadron equipped with six Fairey Swordfish aircraft. Originally embarked on HMS Ark Royal, it transferred to HMS Hermes at the outbreak of the Second World War. HMS Hermes helped search for the Graf Spee and taking part in the Battle of Dakar, damaging the French battleship Richelieu on 8 July 1940. HMS Hermes travelled to the Indian Ocean December 1940, providing support for the land forces in British Somaliland and capturing 5 enemy merchant ships. In May 1941 the squadron provided support to the Royal Air Force in Iraq and later providing convoy protection in the Indian ocean. In April 1942, while the squadron was ashore, HMS Hermes was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Ceylon and 814 subsequently disbanded at Katukurunda in December. The squadron was reformed in July 1944, equipped with Fairey Barracudas, to embark on HMS Venerable and headed to the Far East for patrols, although seeing no action.
[Nas]
Pushin drop-tops, Stacy Lattisaw tapes, the 80's had
us all apes
Youngest gorillas up to bat at home plate
That was a uncanny
era, guns in my pants
Yeah X-Clan hair, with dreads at the top of my
fade
Homicide and feds on the blocks where I played, b-ball
That's when I
wondered was I here for the cause, or be-cause
Cause Ray Charles could see
the ghetto
Was told to stay strong and I could beat the Devil
Cause yo, I
used to play Apollo balcony seats
Watchin niggaz swing razors in the front
row, then out in the streets
The car show, 560's, chemical afros
Acuras
pumpin Super Lover Cee and Casanova
Live chicks be, asses bustin out of they
clothes
Wearin lip gloss, big door knockers pealin they earlobes
So where
them years go? Where the old gold beers and cheers go?
But now them shorties
here doe, so
[Chorus]
The doo rags are back, fitted hats,
snorkels and furs
Riker's Island bustin, still packed, what's the
word?
The drinkers stay drinkin, or puffin they herb
And I'm, still
enjoyin life's ride; one mo' time
The doo rags are back, fitted hats,
snorkels and furs
Riker's Island bustin, still packed, what's the
word?
The drinkers stay drinkin, or puffin they herb
And I'm, still
enjoyin life's ride; right?
[Nas]
Political thugs in shark
suits persuade us to pull triggers
in army boots, yellin 'Join the armed
forces!'
We lost the Vietnam War, intoxicated poisons
Needles in arms of
veterans instead of bigger fortunes
There's still a lot of naked crawlin in
the carpet offices
War in the ghetto, we crabs in a barrel, they torture
They won't be servin the beast too long
The murderers wearin police
uniforms, confederate flags I burn
Beat Street breakers were dancin to the
music I chose
And Peachtree Atlantic crackheads was tootin they nose
frozen corners of Chicago, loaded up Llama's children
with fo'-fo's, and
double-revolvers
We devil incarnates, headed for jail
Where Shell gas
company in South Africa be havin us killed
Your paper money was the death of
Christ
And all these shorties comin up just resurrect your life
It's like
a cycle
[Chorus]
[Nas]
Niggaz used to wear rags
on they hair when it was fried up
That's when we were lied to, buyin hair
products
Back before my generation, when our blackness started
disintegratin
'til awareness started penetratin
The styles come from
prison, they used potatoes makin liquor
just to prove we some creative
niggaz
Turnin nothin into somethin, is God work
And you get nothin without
struggle and hard work
War is necessary to my niggaz in chains
From Greene
to Sing-Sing, I'm wantin y'all to know one thing
The hardest thing is to
forgive, but God does
Even if you murdered or robbed, yeah it's wrong, but
God loves
Take one step toward him, he takes two toward you
Even when all
else fail, God support you
I done it, got God sun on my stomach
My heart
and my lungs was affected from Henny's and gettin blunted
Do your body right
and it loves you back
You only get one life, and yo because of that
still blazin, goin out for the cause
Still rockin stockin caps, not for the
waves, obeyin no laws
And it's like that
[Chorus]