Who

Best known for the songs "If I Ruled the World" and "Hate Me Now," rapper Nas is many things: Jay Z's frenemy, Kelis's husband, and Mary J. Blige's former paramour.

Backstory

The son of jazz trumpeter Olu Dari, Nasir Jones (his first name means "protector" in Arabic) grew up in Crown Heights and the Queensbridge projects, dropping out of high school to dabble in drugs and petty theft. Thanks to his clever musical style, though, he soon began making a name for himself on the East Coast rap scene, earning a single on MC Serch's soundtrack for the 1992 film Zebrahead. He landed a record contract with Columbia the same year and released his debut album, Illmatic (on which he collaborated with producer DJ Premier and Q-Tip), in 1994. The record has since become a hip-hop classic, with noted rap authorities Time and the New York Times both praising Nas's honest portrayal of gritty urban life. He's released seven more albums.

Of note

Although at one time he was praised as a hip-hop icon, Nas had a rough time recapturing the spark of Illmatic—critics responded lukewarmly to his subsequent records like It Was Written and I Am... He finally found his groove again with 2001's Stillmatic, which hip-hop 'zine The Source gave a coveted 5-microphone review. Nas's two most recent records have both benefited form their incendiary names: His 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead debuted on the Billboard charts at No. 1, and he ensured attention for his 2008 record by giving it the most provocative one-word title possible—Nigger—although a public outcry later resulted in the name of the album being changed to Untitled.

Personal

Linked to Mary J. Blige in the late '90s, Nas got together with hip-hop singer Kelis in 2002 at P. Diddy's after-party for the MTV Video Music Awards. The couple got married in 2005—wedding guests included Heidi Klum, Maxwell, and Ludacris—and the entire affair was spotlighted on an InStyle Celebrity Weddings ABC special. Nas has a child, Destiny, with hip-hop groupie Carmen Bryan, who wrote a 2006 tell-all book about shagging not only Nas, but also Jay-Z and Allen Iverson.

Grudge

Nas and Jay-Z have had one of hip-hop's most legendary feuds. They traded barbs in their lyrics for years, with Nas claiming Jay-Z was gay and Jay-Z accusing Nas of a "one hot album every ten year average." The feud got extra heated when Jay-Z had a fling with Nas's baby momma Carmen Bryan—and then rapped about it in graphic detail on his song "Supa Ugly." Nas and Jay buried the hatchet in 2005: Nas is now affiliated with Def Jam, which Jay ran until late 2007, and Nas invited his former enemy to record a track on his latest album. But Jay-Z isn't the only rapper Nas has sparred with. Nas also had a feud with Diddy a number of years ago, and it was because of Nas that Diddy stormed into Steven Stoute's office in 1999 and beat him with a champagne bottle. (Stoute was Nas's manager at the time.) Because life is oh-so-boring when you're not tangling with fellow hip hop moguls, Nas recently exchanged nasty words with 50 Cent.

Habitat

Nas and Kelis have a $1.3 million, 1,663 square-foot Chelsea condo, as well as homes in Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

No joke

Ah, young hip-hop love: Nas sports a tattoo of a naked Kelis on his bicep. The newlyweds also bought matching gold grills after their nuptials, plopping down $36,000.