Nas hopes hometown mural inspires next generation

Hip Hop artist Nas is honored to be the subject of a mural painted in his hometown.

The American star, real name Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, rose to prominence with his 1994 debut album Illmatic, and has since gone on to sell 25 million records worldwide.

He’s also an entrepreneur, and serves as an associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and is the owner of a Fila sneaker store.

Paying tribute to his success, Nas is the focus of a large-scale mural painted this month (Oct16) on a wall in Queensbridge, New York.

“I got the call, people texting me pictures about it and it scared me because usually when they put a mural up of someone up in the neighborhood, it’s because he’s dead,” Nas said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (12Oct16).

“It’s a huge honor and I hope that the kids out there see it as an example. Like, you could be something y’know, (it) doesn’t matter where you’re from or whatever. If you have a dream go for it.”

The mural was painted by Brooklyn-based Italian artist Jorit Agoch using spray paint. It features a photo realistic portrayal of Nas’ face as well as the word ‘Queensmatic’ in a large font.

Meanwhile, Nas is preparing for the release of a new as-yet-untitled album, which he announced on DJ Khaled’s Major Key record. He’s also executive producing his protege Dave East’s debut project and working on other ventures including the Netflix show The Get Down.