Today, Sept. 14, marks the birthday of one of hip-hop's greats, Nas. The legendary Esco turns 45 years of age.

Starting his career at the age of 17 with his legendary appearance on the Main Source's "Live At The BBQ," Nas has been one of hip-hop's most celebrated mainstays, releasing 10 solo studio albums, the most recent of which was 2012's Life Is Good, which garnered a coveted XXL rating.

With so many accolades attached to his name, Nas' greatest achievement perhaps was one of his first. 1994's Illmatic is arguably the greatest hip-hop album of all-time and has influence that is surpassed by few pieces of music in hip-hop. Often credited as one of the greatest lyricists in the history of the game, Nas has become an icon in hip-hop that has set the bar for greatness for those that have followed. To date, Nasty Nas has sold over 25 million records worldwide. In 2016, Nas garnered buzz for his song on DJ Khaled's 2016 album Major Key, aptly named "Nas Album Done."

Despite rookie L.A. Lakers player Lonzo Ball making the controversial claim "nobody listens to Nas" just last year, the Queens legend obviously isn't sweating it. This past June, Nas pulled up with his self-titled latest album, Nasir, a project executive-produced by Kanye West. Recently, he claimed that he's worked with Swizz Beatz and RZA on a new LP. Here's to hoping we get that soon.

Happy Birthday, Nas!

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