Personal Life
Nas is a spokesperson and mentor for P'Tones Records, a non-profit after school music program with the mission "to create constructive opportunities for urban youth through no-cost music programs."
In 1994, Nas's ex-fiancée Carmen Bryan gave birth to their daughter, Destiny. Bryan later confessed to Nas that she had a relationship with his then-rival rapper and nemesis Jay-Z, also accusing Jay-Z of putting subliminal messages in his lyrics about their relationship together, causing an even bigger rift in the feud between the two hit rap music giants. Nas also briefly dated Mary J. Blige. In 2005, Nas married R&B singer Kelis in Atlanta after a two-year relationship. On April 30, 2009, a spokesperson confirmed that Kelis filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Kelis gave birth to Nas's first son on July 21, 2009, although the event was soured by a disagreement which ended in Nas announcing the birth of his son, Knight, at a gig in Queens, NY, against Kelis's wishes. The birth was also announced by Nas via an online video.
The couple's divorce was finalized May 21, 2010.
Nas is currently involved in a dispute with a concert promoter in Angola, having accepted $300,000 for a concert in their capital city for New Year's Eve and then not showing up. The promoter and his son were detained by the angry Angolan promoter at gunpoint and taken to an Angolan jail. Only after the US Embassy intervened were the promoter and his son allowed to leave jail—but were placed under house arrest at their hotel. Nas has since returned all $300,000 and after 49 days of travel ban the promoter Patrick Allocco and his son have both been released.
On March 15, 2012, Nas became the first rapper to have a personal verified account on Rap Genius where he'll be explaining all his own lyrics and commenting on the lyrics of other rappers he admires.
In September 2009 the U.S. Internal Revenue Service filed a federal tax lien against Nas for over $2.5 million, seeking unpaid taxes dating back to 2006. By early 2011 this figure had ballooned to over $6.4 million. Early in 2012 reports emerged that the IRS had filed papers in Georgia to garnish a portion of Nas's earnings from material published under BMI and ASCAP, until his delinquent tax bill is settled.
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