On a late-summer Wednesday morning, legendary rapper Nas is lounging in a Scandinavian-chic conference room at the lower Manhattan headquarters of the venerable hip-hop media outlet Mass Appeal. Even before he first graced Mass Appeal’s cover in 2002, he was a mainstay in its coverage, one of the most influential hip-hop artists ever.
But he’s not here for another Mass Appeal story. These days, Nas, 44, is a co-owner of the company. It’s part of his sprawling venture capital portfolio that includes stakes in startups from Casper to Dropbox—investments made often through his fund, QueensBridge Venture Partners (named after the housing projects in New York City where he grew up). Pretty good for an artist who rather grudgingly achieved business success and always seemed more comfortable rapping about African history than launching clothing lines.
“I was music guy for years, and then all of a sudden it’s like I hit an age … I guess it was just the age, or just wisdom,” Nas explains in his signature baritone rasp. “Felt like now’s the time.”
Almost 25 years after the release of his first album, Illmatic, Nas lands on our Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning rappers for the first time after raking $35 million last year. That’s thanks to 40-plus shows and a big Hennessey endorsement—and his cut from the sale of Ring, a smart doorbell maker, to Amazon. While Nas may have missed out on the sneaker and streetwear deals of the late 90s, he’s proved to be a later-in-life commercial force and a bit of an unlikely trailblazer with his startup investments.
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But he’s not here for another Mass Appeal story. These days, Nas, 44, is a co-owner of the company. It’s part of his sprawling venture capital portfolio that includes stakes in startups from Casper to Dropbox—investments made often through his fund, QueensBridge Venture Partners (named after the housing projects in New York City where he grew up). Pretty good for an artist who rather grudgingly achieved business success and always seemed more comfortable rapping about African history than launching clothing lines.
“I was music guy for years, and then all of a sudden it’s like I hit an age … I guess it was just the age, or just wisdom,” Nas explains in his signature baritone rasp. “Felt like now’s the time.”
Almost 25 years after the release of his first album, Illmatic, Nas lands on our Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning rappers for the first time after raking $35 million last year. That’s thanks to 40-plus shows and a big Hennessey endorsement—and his cut from the sale of Ring, a smart doorbell maker, to Amazon. While Nas may have missed out on the sneaker and streetwear deals of the late 90s, he’s proved to be a later-in-life commercial force and a bit of an unlikely trailblazer with his startup investments.
MORE
