- My thirst for success comes from being born in New York
and just wanting to do all the things I dreamed about.
My goal was to be the best.
To change the game.
If you're a DJ, be a DJ.
If you're a radio personality,
be a radio personality and nothing more.
I don't believe in doing anything halfway.
I believe in going all the way.
- He's an American hip hop recording artist,
record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.
He's released eight consecutive platinum
and multi-platinum albums.
He's often named as one of the world's
greatest hip hop artists.
He's Nas, and here is my take on
his top 10 rules for success.
Rule number one is my personal favorite,
and make sure to stick around all the way
to the end for some special bonus clips.
As always, if he says something that really resonates with
you, please also leave it in the comments below and put
quotes around it so other people can be inspired as well.
(whooshing tone)
- My thirst for success comes from being born in New York
and just wanting to do all the things I dreamed about.
I always had some kind of drive in me,
whether I was going to be a screenplay writer,
whether I was going to be a artist
that illustrated comic books.
I wanted to be a business man and set up my room
like a office when I was 10 years old.
Whatever I got into, I always planned to excel.
I always believed that I could have it.
I always believed that I could give
people my ideas through art.
- [Interviewer] Live at the Barbeque is
the first time you were ever on a song.
What was that like when you first heard that?
- When I first heard Live at the Barbeque on the radio,
I was just walking through my neighborhood
and I saw a bunch of older guys.
It was late night.
As I'm walking by, I hear the song.
I'm like wow.
I'm telling some of the guys that's me.
But you know, they're older, faded.
They're halfway listening to me,
so they're like, yeah, okay, cool,
and they go on back to their conversation.
They're not listening, but it didn't matter.
I heard me.
That walk back to my block,
I was sort of in a daze, like, it's happening.
Okay, it's happening.
I'm in rap now.
I'm a part of this rap thing.
That was my dream.
Just that.
So I'm like, all right, this is perfect.
This is actually perfect.
I've opened the door.
A door has opened for me to have a chance to be heard,
and I will be a name known in this great thing called rap.
(mellow music)
My goal was to be the best, to change the game.
I'd realized I could do that.
At that point I said, "nah, no one
"could tell me anything now.
"I got it, I know what it takes.
"I got what it takes."
And what I'm telling artists is you got to have balls
and got to let these guys know if you're a DJ, be a DJ.
If you're a radio personality,
be a radio personality and nothing more.
We make the music that allows them to have a voice on
the radio, and they took control and tried to say that they
have all the power and going to dictate what we have to do.
I spoke out against it, so they got a dummy
to go up there and be a dummy on the radio
and speak on their behalf and talk about me.
It's really unfortunate because they're using him
and he's not even a part of my fight.
My fight is a big fight.
My fight is against any power structure
that's gon' try to hold back freedom of speech.
And that fight ain't over yet.
My advice for the younger dudes
would be push yourself all the way.
Don't obsess over what anybody else is doing.
(laid back hip hop music)
If you're given a opportunity and you're lucky enough
to have freedom to do what you want to do
in your career, why trap yourself?
Why do something that's not you?
Around Nastradamus, I wasn't motivated like I was before.
Biggie was gone, Pac was gone.
I didn't see a reason to keep making music at that time.
I needed some time off.
- [Male Speaker] It's the beginning, man.
It's like a new beginning.
- It's a new beginning though, for real.
Cheers, my (bleep).
("No Introduction" by Nas)
♫ I never let them though
♫ I just forgive them though
♫ Either that or the pistol blow
♫ West Coast, what up
Today, I have a great appreciation for those
people out there that got me here today.
For the experience I had and the journey that I had.
I want you to acknowledge something.
You know who this is.
Some of you may know, some of you may not.
A lot of you are young.
This brother right here's name is Large Professor.
This brother right here started
a group called Main Source, early 90s.
This brother right here gave a (bleep) about me enough
to give a 16 year old kid a shot in the studio
and put me on that song Live at the Barbeque.
This is my dude.
I feel like I could stop now and I'm totally satisfied.
But I'm really happy that there's something
burning in me still to put out more.
I love music.
Hip hop music, singing, whatever.
I love music.
That's still in me.
That burns in me.
The rest is history.
- Your new campaign, I love.
Never stop, never settle.
What for you means never settling?
- It's like, wanting to be the best at whatever you do.
Never stop until you're the best.
I don't believe in doing anything halfway.
I believe in going all the way.
So it never stops.
Growing up in Queensbridge, hip hop was
the most amazing thing I ever heard.
(laid back hip hop music)
It was nothing more important to me in
the whole world than having a voice.
I wanted to make a big impact on this art form.
I wanted to kick everybody out.
I wanted to open up a doorway for another generation.
One thing I don't ever want to be is mainstream.
My goal is to not be what the mainstream calls a legend.
I just want to do what I do.
Legend's a big, big title.
There's enough legends out there, you know what I mean?
I've just living.
- How it feel to know you timeless, you're forever?
Every time you touch that mic, every time you do a concert,
a show, a club, and you know you can perform
your catalog and it still feel brand new,
and if you didn't want to make another record,
you're forever relevant.
It's important because there's a lot of artists
that only can make one record.
Can't even make an album,
or make it past their first album.
It's a special blessing, you know what I mean?
When I say special cloth alert,
this is what I'm talking about, you know what I'm saying?
- I got you.
Yo, it's euphoric.
Nah, it's the wrong word.
It's...
I don't have the word for it.
I'm grateful most of all because I'm just a fan.
I'm a fan of the music and the art form.
So that's all I want to be is a fan.
If I come out to the stage, if I show up with the records
and not many people show up with me, I get it.
No one owes me anything.
I appreciate people's ears and that's it.
So I just go with the feeling and go with
the vibe, and whatever happens.
It's a learning experience,
and then you come back again stronger.
But every time I'm out there,
I never know who's going to show up.
(eerie lullaby music)
(coughs)
- Hello?
Somebody there?
- [Nas] Don't worry about it.
Just go to sleep.
- Who is that? - It's Nas.
I met you at the party earlier.
- Wait.
Where are you?
- Maybe I'm behind the curtains.
Maybe I'm in the wardrobe behind the ironing board.
Maybe I'm right behind you.
I wanted to charge my cell.
I noticed we had the same phone.
I figured you'd have the charger, so I stole your room key.
- You stole my key?
- Knock knock.
- Who's there?
- It's no joke, man.
I'm just trying to buy time to charge my phone.
- Where are you?
- I should've left at 50%, but I always
like to leave with a full power bar.
- I'm not going to go to sleep until you leave the room.
(warped tone)
- I'm good.
- I don't know what that means when you just say I'm good.
That doesn't mean anything.
♫ Hush little baby, don't say a word
♫ Nas is going to buy you a brand new phone
- I'm not lying, you got to go, pal.
- Guess you don't like lullabies.
- Where are you?
- [Nas] It really doesn't matter.
Just go back to sleep.
- Where the are you?
- I'm in the shadows.
- There are no shadows!
- There's always a shadow.
- Where are you?
- I was never here.
You've been here by yourself the whole time. (laughs)
The whole time.
(eerie music)
- Thank you guys so much for watching.
I made this video because Spikes2108 asked me to.
So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want
me to profile next, leave it down in the comments
below and I'll see what I can do.
I'd also love to know which of the 10 rules
had the biggest impact on you and why.
What are you going to apply to your life or business?
Leave it in the comments.
I'm going to join in the discussion.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
Continue to believe, or whatever your one word is,
and I'll see you soon.
(whooshing tone)
- How do you feel when you're off stage, in general?
How's your self-esteem?
Do you feel like you need to be saying those things
to feel like you're pumped up and ready to go?
- Nah, when I'm on stage, I puff up.
I embody everything my music is.
Once I walk off, I'm chillin'
(beatboxing)
Yo, what up, this is Nas, and this is a crazy party,
a crazy thing I remember from back in the days.
I went to a party in the city for the Shaft
movie premiere with Samuel Jackson.
New York City, night club.
All of a sudden, I'm in the middle
of Wesley Snipes and Grace Jones.
Wesley had on black and he was chillin'.
Grace was chillin', very beautiful.
Grace Jones knocked my drink on my arm
and some of it got on her arm.
She didn't see me there.
She just did it by mistake.
Then I looked.
She looked at me.
She grabbed me.
Her arm, it was sleeveless.
She looked at her arm where the drink had fell
and just licked her arm where the drink had fell.
I was a few things.
I was star struck, turned on.
I thought I was in the twilight zone.
She probably didn't even know who I was,
but I know who she is.
I'm a fan.
Someone else grabbed me.
It's Wesley Snipes.
Oh, shit, he pushed me, boom.
And he asked me, "Are you rapper or a scientist?"
I'm like, damn, Wesley Snipes pushed me kind of hard.
That's Wesley and everything, but he's pushing me.
What's going on?
"I said are you a rapper or a scientist?"
And I'm like, damn, Wesley Snipes
is about to do some blade shit to me.
So I pushed him back, boom,
and I said, "You won't make it out of here alive, man."
Wesley realized why am I pushing Nas,
and I'm like, why am I pushing back Wesley?
And where's Grace Jones at?
It was just a weird little moment right there.
And that was some crazy ass shit from
back in the days around the way.
Love those days.