Nas went on to deliver quality street music on albums like I Am... (1999), Nastradamus (1999), Stillmatic (2001), God's Son (2002), Street's Disciple (2004), Hip Hop Is Dead (2006), his Untitled album (2008), Distant Relatives with Damien Marley (2010), and Life Is Good (2012). After 2013, Nas spent a lot of time preparing his 12th studio album. Although it was originally supposed to be a collaborative album with DJ Premier, Nas delivered Nasir, which was his final album on Def Jam, in 2018 with Kanye West as the executive producer.

In recent years, Nas has yet to loosen his grip on the rap game. In 2020, he teamed up with Hit-Boy for his 13th album King's Disease. The 13-track LP features Charlie Wilson, Big Sean, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, Fivio Foreign, ASAP Ferg, Brucie B and The Firm. "Full Circle," was the first song Nas, AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown appeared on together since the group broke up. Dr. Dre also appears on the outro of the song.

Nas' King's Disease album went on to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2021. His chemistry with Hit-Boy was so strong that they teamed up for the sequels King's Disease II and King's Disease III, as well as a surprise project, Magic. He's currently working on his long-awaited joint album with DJ Premier.

Happy 53rd birthday Nas!

Joe Soto