Nas is considered one of the greatest lyricists the rap genre has ever produced. His 1994 classic, Illmatic, is on most industry experts’ lists of the very best albums of all time.
As a result of Nas’ indelible contributions to hip-hop and his community, the New York native was honored with “Nas Day” in the Queens borough where he was born and raised and where his career was launched.
Jones officially received the honor after headlining City Harvest’s Concert to Feed NYC at Forest Hill Stadium in Queens, according to NewsOne. The event successfully leveraged the platform to feed 2.5 million New Yorkers and address food insecurity that was exacerbated by the pandemic that began in early 2020.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards paid homage to the legendary lyricist for using his platform to make a difference in the community that helped to empower him.
“September 23, 2021, is now officially Nas Day in Queens, New York,” Franck D. Joseph, who serves as chief of staff and senior advisor for the Queens Borough President, penned on Instagram. “Nasir Jones is not only God’s son, but he’s Queens’ son. That’s why @drichardsqns presented him with not just a proclamation, but also the key to Queens borough tonight.”
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, 48, also posted that he received the plaque and his Queens borough key for his six million Instagram followers on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.
The recognition comes fresh off the success of his King’s Disease II album, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart. And earlier in 2021, Jones’ 1994 era-defining debut album Illmatic was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
“Characterized by the masterful use of multi-syllabic and internal rhyme, surprising line breaks and rhythmic complexity, the album’s technique has been widely copied and proven broadly influential,” read a statement from the Library of Congress.
