Sunday

Nas Mixtapes - The Early Years

Today, anyone who is a fan of hip hop music knows who Nas is and has surely listened to more than one Nas mixtape. However, just like every other hip hop star, he had to pay his dues and work hard in order to make a name for himself in an industry that can be so cut throat. The early years were not always easy, but Nas eventually became one of the biggest stars to ever come out in the rap world.
The artist known to the world as Nas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones in September of 1973. Music was a big part of his life from a very early age and he was influenced greatly by his father, who was a jazz musician. When he was in eighth grade, he dropped out of school to begin working on Nas mixtapes, but he continued to educate himself at home.
By the time he was a teenager, Nas was ready to start making new mixtapes that would really draw some attention. He recruited one of his friends from the neighborhood to act as his DJ and started rapping under the name Kid Wave. Before he would finally settle on his permanent stage name, he would spend time as Kid Wave and then as Nasty Nas.
While he was trying to make a name for himself in the local hip hop scene, Nas met a producer named Large Professor. Large Professor had a studio in the area where he worked with established artists and he would let Nas use it to record his mixtapes. Nas spent many hours in that studio laying down his early music, but none of it was ever released to the public.
In 1991, Nas started getting more attention from the local press and the hip hop community. He was approached by MC Serch, who wanted to represent Nas as his manager. Before long, MC Serch got Nas a deal with Columbia Records and he was ready to go into the studio to make his major label debut.
Nas mixtapes gave the young rapper the opportunity to hone his skills and make valuable contacts in the industry. He was lucky enough to meet some supportive people who could help him record his music and finally land his first major record deal. However, he was now in a position where he had to prove himself to the industry and to everyone who had helped him along the way.

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