How to Ignite Your Determination | A Powerful Message from Nas in 12 Minutes

My thirst for success comes from being born in New York and just wanting to do all the things I dreamed about. My goal was to be the best, to change the game. If you're a DJ, be a DJ. If you're a radio personality, be a radio personality and nothing more. I don't believe in doing anything halfway. I believe in going all the way.

He's an American hip-hop recording artist, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He's released 8 consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums. He's often named as one of the world's greatest hip-hop artists. He's Nas, and here's my take on his top 10 rules for success. Rule number 1 is my personal favorite, and make sure to stick around all the way to the end for some special bonus clips. As always, if he says something that really resonates with you, please also leave it in the comments below and put quotes around it so other people can be inspired as well.

My thirst for success comes from being born in New York and just wanting to do all the things I dreamed about. I always had some kind of drive in me, whether I was gonna be a screenplay writer, you know, whether I was gonna be an artist that illustrated comic books. I wanted to be a businessman and set up my room like an office when I was like 10 years old. Whatever I got into, I always planned to excel. I always believed that I could have it. I always believed that I could give people my ideas through art. "Live at the Barbecue" is the first time you were ever on a song. What was that like when you first heard that? When I first heard "Live at the Barbecue" on the radio, I was just walking through my neighborhood and I saw a bunch of older guys. It was late night. As I'm walking by, I hear the song. And I'm like, "Wow." I'm telling some of the guys, "That's me." But you know, they older, faded, they're halfway listening to me. So they're like, "Yeah, okay, cool." And they going back to their conversation. They not listening, but it didn't matter. I heard me. I walked back to my block. I was sort of in a daze, like, "It's happening. Okay, it's happening. I'm in rap now. I'm a part of this rap thing." That was my dream, just that. So I'm like, "All right, this is perfect. This is actually perfect. I've opened a door, or a door has opened for me to have a chance to be heard, and I will be a name known in this great world." thing called rap. My goal was to be the best, to change the game. I realized I could do that. At that point, I said, nah, no one could tell me anything now. I got it. I know what it takes. I got what it takes. And what I'm telling artists is you gotta have balls. They gotta let these guys know, if you're a DJ, be a DJ. If you're a radio personality, be a radio personality and nothing more. We make the music that allows them to have a voice on the radio, and they took control and try to say that they have all the power and gonna dictate what we have to do. I spoke out against it, so they got a dummy to go up there and be a dummy on the radio and speak on their behalf and talk about me. And it's really unfortunate because they're using him and he's not even a part of my fight. My fight is a big fight. My fight is against any power structure that's going to try to hold back freedom of speech, and that fight ain't over yet. My advice for the younger dudes would be, you know, push yourself all the way. Don't obsess over what anybody else is doing. If you're given an opportunity and you're lucky enough to have freedom to do what you want to do in your career, why trap yourself? Why do something that's not you? Around Nostradamus, I wasn't motivated like I was before. Biggie was gone, Pac was gone. I didn't see a reason to keep making music at that time. I needed some time off. Beginning, man. It's like a new beginning. It's a new beginning though, for real. Cheers. Today I have a great appreciation for those people out there that got me here today, for the experience I had and the journey that I had. I want you to acknowledge something. You know who this is? Some of you may know, some of you may not. A lot of you are young. This brother right here, his name is Large Professor. This brother right here started a group called Mase Sauce. Early '90s. This brother right here gave a fuck about me enough to give a 16-year-old kid a shot in the studio and put me on that song, "Live at the Barbecue." This is my dude. I feel like I could stop now and I'm totally satisfied. But I'm really happy that there's something burning in me still to put out more. I love music. Hip-hop music, singing, whatever. I love music. That's still in me. That burns in me. The rest is history. Your new campaign, I love. Never Stop, Never Settle. Yeah.

What for you means never settling?

It's like wanting to be the best at whatever you do. Never stop until you're the best. Like, I don't believe in doing anything halfway. I believe in going all the way. So it never stopped. Growing up in Queensbridge, hip-hop was the most amazing thing I ever heard. There was nothing more important to me in the whole world than having a voice. I wanted to make a big impact on this art form. I wanted to kick everybody out. I wanted to open up a doorway for another generation. One thing I don't ever want to be is mainstream. My goal is to not be what the mainstream calls a legend. I just want to do what I do. Legend's a big, big title. There's enough legends out there, you know what I mean? I'm just living. How it feel to know you timeless, you're forever, every time you touch that mic? Every time you do a concert, a show, a club, and you know you can perform your catalog and it still feel brand new, and if you didn't want to make another record, you're forever relevant. It's important because there's a lot of artists only can make one record, can't even make an album or make it past their first album. This is a special blessing, you know what I mean? This is that— this is when I say special cloth alert. This is what I'm talking about, you know what I'm saying? I got you. Yo, it's, it's, uh, euphoric. Um, no, it's, it's the wrong word. It's— I don't have the word for it. It's, um, I'm grateful most of all because, um, I'm just a fan. I'm a, I'm a fan of the music and the art form, so So that's all I want to be is a fan. If I come out to the stage, if I show up with the records and not many people show up with me, I get it. It's not, it's not per— I don't have to, no one owes me anything. I appreciate people's ears and that's it. So if I get, I just go with the feeling and go with the vibe and whatever happens, you know, it's a learning experience and then you come back again stronger. Every time I'm out there, I never know if who's gonna show up. Hello? Somebody there? Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep. Who is that? It's Nas. I met you at the party earlier. Wait, where are you? Maybe I'm behind the curtains. Maybe I'm in the wardrobe behind the ironing board. Maybe I'm right behind you. I wanted to charge my cell. I noticed we had the same phone. I figured you'd have the charger, so I stole your room key. You stole my key? Knock, knock. Who's there? No joke, man. I'm just trying to buy time to charge my phone.

Where are you?

I should have left at 50%. But I always like to leave with a full Power Bar. I'm not gonna go to sleep until you leave the room. I'm good. I don't know what that means when you just say, "I'm good." That doesn't mean anything. Hush little baby, don't say a word. Now I'm just gonna buy you a brand new phone. I'm not lying. You gotta go, pal. Guess you don't like lullabies. Where are you? Really doesn't matter. Just go back to sleep. Where the fuck are you? I'm in the shadows. There are no shadows. There's always a shadow. Where are you? I was never here. You've been here by yourself the whole time. The whole time.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Spikes2108 asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave it down in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I also love to know which of the 10 rules had the biggest impact on you and why. What are you going to apply to your life or business? Leave in the comments. I'm going to join in discussion. Thank you guys so much for watching. Continue to believe, or whatever your one word is, and I'll see you soon.

How do you feel when you're off stage in general? How's your self-esteem? Do you feel like you need to be saying those things to feel like you're pumped up and ready to go? Nah, I mean, you know, when I'm on stage, I puff up. I become— I embody every That's everything my music is. Once I walk off, I'm chilling. Yo, what up? This is Nas, and this is like a crazy party and crazy thing I remember from back in the days. I went to a party in the city for the Shaft movie premiere with Samuel Jackson. New York City, nightclub. All of a sudden, I'm in the middle of Wesley Snipes and Grace Jones. Wesley had on black and he was chilling, and, and Grace was chilling, very beautiful. Grace Jones knocked my drink on my arm and some of it got on her arm. She didn't see me there, she just did it by mistake. And I looked, she looked at me and she grabbed me. Her arm, it was sleeveless. She looked at her arm where the drink had fell and just licked her arm. And I was a few things. I was starstruck, turned on. I thought I was in The Twilight Zone. She probably didn't even know who I was. I know who she is, I'm a fan. And someone else grabbed me. It's Wesley Snipes. Oh shit. He pushes me, boom. And he's asking me, are you a rapper or a scientist? And I'm like, damn, Wesley Snipes pushed me kind of hard. Like, that's Wesley and everything, but You know, he's pushing me like, what's going on? I said, are you a rapper or a scientist? And I'm like, damn, Wesley Snipes is about to do some Blade shit to me. So I pushed him back, boom, and I said, you won't make it out of here alive, man. Wesley realized, why am I pushing Nas? And I'm like, why am I pushing back Wesley? And where's Grace Jones at? It was just a weird little moment right there. So, and that was some crazy ass shit from back in the days around the way. Love those days.