Nas, to real Hip Hop fans, is one of the biggest rappers out there. But, I have lost touch with his music somewhere right after his breakthrough album. And can you believe his debut album was actually released last week, 22 years ago. Wow!
Since, Nas has never really dropped off my radar either.
Outside of his music success, Nas is really one of the few rappers that I think of as an interesting business man. I know that many rappers are smart enough to venture out into other areas, like booze, water, head phones or even just in the movies.
Nas has turned to investing though. He, and his partners, have invested in well over 40 startup companies since they started. Each company has receive financial boosts ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. You know, the kind of money that helps dreams come true and changes lives, which is why Nas has remained interesting to me. I like people like that. They help build the world we live in.
Some of these companies have become well known since, like Lyft and Dropbox. Others are still making their way up there.
Currently, it’s the thing to do to invest in tech startups, but Nas invested in literally all kinds of businesses, so it’s really about the numbers game.
Many Hip Hop fans are probably more concerned about the number of tracks he’s putting on his next album. His last album was released 4 years ago. It’s high time to drop something new, but so far only upcoming projects (like the posthumous J Dilla album “The Diary”) have only been announced for his label, Appeal Records.
However, in between all of his projects and ventures, there is one that is probably the most interesting: His involvement in a new Hip Hop drama.
“The Get Down” is currently in production for a Netflix exclusive and will, obviously, target all the fans who’ve enjoyed “Empire” (including myself). Nas won’t be appearing in the series, but he’s one of the creatives behind the series. It’s not the first time he has gotten involved in TV shows. He has co-produced and executive produced a few documentaries before.
Netflix has ordered 13 episodes of “The Get Down”, with the first show arriving to the platform on August 12th. Nas has helped develop one of the characters and helped out with the rhymes used on the show, so if you think it all has a particular Nas flow, you are right.
