Pharrell Williams isn’t the only legendary artist who seems to have stumbled upon a fountain of youth. For years, fans and followers have pondered about what has kept Nas looking and sounding young. Some people have summed it up to the old adage, “Black don’t crack,” while others have blamed it on the Henny. Either way, a refreshed Nas has been on a roll lately.

Almost three decades after the Illmatic rapper first appeared on the scene, his music (new and old), as well as his business moves, are still being celebrated. The 47-year-old hip-hop legend further cemented his status as not just a great rap artist, but more importantly as a cultural icon with his recent set of accomplishments.

With a recent run like his, is it safe to say Nas is having his best year ever?

Nas wins his first Grammy Award

After more than 25 years in the game and 14 Grammy nominations, Nas finally brought home some Grammy gold. Nasty Nas’ 2020 Hit-Boy-produced album, King’s Disease beat out projects from Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist (Alfredo), Royce Da 5’9″ (The Allegory), Jay Electronica (A Written Testimony) and D Smoke (Black Habits) in the Best Rap Album category. The album featured the single, “Ultra Black,” as well as appearances from Charlie Wilson, Foxy Brown, Big Sean, Lil Durk and others.

Nas’ classic debut album Illmatic is inducted into the Library of Congress

Illmatic is considered to be one of the best rap albums ever made. Nas’ classic debut is also revered beyond the realm of hip-hop. Earlier this year, the 1994 album which housed production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and others was inducted into the Library of Congress.

Nas’ Queensbridge Venture Partners investments are paying off

In the words of DJ Khaled, Nas is talking some major cloth and mogul talk alongside Jay-Z on Khaled’s new “Sorry Not Sorry” track. Nastradamus spits bars about getting Silicon Valley money, being the cryptocurrency Scarface and Coinbase — the cryptocurrency exchange Nas invested in years ago that after going public in 2021, has been valued at over $40 billion. Through Queensbridge Venture Partners, the venture capital firm Nas co-founded, he’s also invested in Dropbox, SeatGeek, Robinhood, Casper, Pluto TV and many other well-known companies.

Nas appears in Heron Preston’s Calvin Klein ad campaign

Throughout his illustrious career, Nas has rapped, invested, acted and modeled. The New York native struts his stuff in Calvin Klein gear for the newly released Heron Preston CK collection.

What do you think? Is Nas having his best year ever?

Photo via Matt Salacuse/The New York Times