Nas at the 2nd Annual VIBE Impact Awards/Photo Credit: GlobalGrind.com
Posted by | Ray Cornelius
VIBE helped kick off some pre-Grammy festivities on Friday Night with its 2nd Annual VIBE Impact Awards. This year’s recipient was hip-hop superstar Nasir Jones better known as Nas. . The beloved rapper was recognized for his ‘immeasurable’ contributions to hip-hop and the indelible mark he has made in music history.
Many of Nas’ family, friends and colleagues attended the private function at L.A.’s Carondelet House including Swizz Beatz, No ID, J. Cole, Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross, who referred to Nas as ‘the complete emcee.’
According to VIBE’S editor-in-chief Jermaine Hall, this year’s event was not the typical ‘lifetime achievement’ salute.
“We didn’t want the VIBE Impact Awards to be a lifetime achievement award. We want to honor someone who has made a lasting contribution to hip-hop and will continue to do so in the future,” said Hall.
For Nas, the recognition from his peers was something he never strived for within his career. Instead, he simply focused on making good music. “One thing I never want to be is mainstream,” says Nas. “My goal is to not be what the mainstream calls a legend. I just wanna do what I do. Legend is a big, big title. There’s enough legends out there, I’m just living.”
Check out some photos below of Nas along with his celebrity friends as well as a VIBE video on how he “changed” hip-hop:
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Busta Rhymes and J. Cole /Photo Credit: missinfo.tv
Nas with Swizz Beatz/Photo Credit: vibe.com