Nas refused to ever be a lyricist.
Distant Relatives is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley , released May 18 , 2010 , on Universal Republic and Def Jam Recordings . Illmatic is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas . It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas , released July 2 , 1996 on Columbia Records in the United States . Nas . Nas 's follow-up It Was Written debuted at # 1 on the Billboard 200 , stayed on top for four consecutive weeks , went double platinum in two months , and made Nas internationally known .