5 things to know about hip-hop great Nas

With hip-hop great Nas returning to Vegas, here are five things you need to know about the game-changing MC:

He dropped one of the greatest debuts of all time

Nas’ first record, 1994’s “Illmatic,” is a stone-cold classic of from-the-streets East Coast hip-hop. It earned a then-unheard-of five-mic rating from hip-hop bible The Source magazine, a controversial achievement: Back then, The Source prohibited perfect ratings. That changed with “Illmatic.”

He’s a staunch defender of hip-hop’s core values

Nas (aka Nasir Jones) has long been critical of hip-hop compromising its voice en route to mainstream success. “Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game / Reminiscin’ when it wasn’t all business,” he rhymed on the title track to 2006’s “Hip Hop Is Dead.” “Criticize that, why is that?” he continues. “ ’Cuz Nas rap is compared to legitimized crap.”

He remains a crucial role model for successive generations of MCs

On his 2013 single “Let Nas Down,” rapper J. Cole talks about making the mistake of forsaking lyrical depth for commercial appeal. “Yeah, long live the idols, may they never be your rivals,” he raps. “Pac was like Jesus, Nas wrote the Bible.” He then repented for not living up to the standard they set. “Apologies to OGs for sacrificin’ my art.” That apology was formally accepted by Nas himself.

He’s a shrewd businessman

Jones founded a venture capitalist firm, QueensBridge Venture Partners, which has invested in Lyft, Dropbox and other hot commodities. This from a self-educated man who dropped out of school following the eighth grade.

He’s a hip-hop benefactor

In 2013, Harvard created the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, which benefits artists and academics who support hip-hop. Nas won’t be around forever, but he’s taken steps to ensure that the same can’t be said of his legacy.

Who: Nas

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Tickets: $32 and up (702-698-7778)