Nas is NOT an "A List Artist?" He is a CLASSICAL ARTIST regarded as representing an exemplary standard; traditional and long-established in form or style. “Anybody can be a rapper, but not anybody can be a classical artist.”-Nas
When you are highly acknowledged by an "A list" Ivy League University by having a Fellowship in your honor "Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellowship" because you are a true visionary artist, and consistently show how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge through your work. Nas was awarded with the W.E.B. Du Bois Medalists Award: Harvard's highest honor in the field of African and African American Studies. A list celebrities, politicians and civil rights leaders" such as: Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, Eric Holder, John Lewis and Harry Belafonte are also recipients of this prestigious award.
Nas is involved in the same industries as his peers: Jayz, Snoop, Cube and 50 Cent that some label as A list.
•Nas narrated 2015 US Open.
•Nas heavily involved in Hollywood: scoring movies, executive producing movies, documentaries, Netflix shows and television shows through his Mass Appeal Media in collaboration with TNT and TBS on a deal to create original content for the television and digital platforms for both outlets.
•Nas Emmy Award winner for narrating/producing ESPN's "Survival 1" documentary.
•Nas multimillion dollar endorsement deals.
•Nas major investor.
This is just a small percentage of Nas' achievements over the past couple of years.
Having your pic displayed on the cover of tabloids does not make you "A list." Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington (who considers Nas his favorite emcee) are rarely in the news outside of their movies, and do not make near as many movies as they used to, but they are still considered A list celebrities. It isn't fair to NOT classify Nasir as an A list celebrity simply due to the amount of media exposure he receives. Nas is not running the race to be the most famous rapper by that outlook alone he will not generate a lot of publicity. There are many great actors and musicians, most of which have won Academy Awards and Grammy's, that are not consider A list celebrities by some, due to their lack of media exposure, but in their own field they are considered A listers, because of their work among their peers.
Being an A list celebrity is not necessarily determined by what the media says. He does not need the media hype to validate his A status in this industry. Nas has established himself as a classical artist because he has continued to evolve throughout his 22 year and counting career.
"Whenever I received too much praise, it just didn't feel right to me - ever.”-Nas
