Nas

USA, 1991–now

American rapper (b. 1973, Nasir Jones). Illmatic (1994), written from the Queensbridge houses he grew up in, compressed a whole neighbourhood into ten tracks and is routinely named the finest album hip-hop has produced.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Nas and 1 artist Nas influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Nas?

• Rakim — Rakim's internal rhyming and level, unhurried delivery are the foundation Nas built Illmatic on.
• Kool G Rap — G Rap's crime narrative and multisyllabic scheme are the direct precedent for Nas; Def Jam is said to have passed on Nas because he sounded too much like him.

Which artists did Nas influence?

• Kendrick Lamar — The cerebral, image-dense writing Kendrick works in descends from Nas.