Nas, the iconic rapper from Queensbridge, New York, has recently been honored not for his music prowess, but for his skills as a filmmaker. The multi-platinum artist was named the recipient of a Sports Emmy for his ESPN documentary, Survival 1, about two young men navigating war-torn Liberia.
Nas produced, directed and scored the film, which aired on ESPN in May 2010. Although the platinum-selling artist is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, prestigious music awards have eluded him throughout his career. Nas has never won a Grammy for any of his nine solo albums.
“After all these years of making music, I am honored to have this be the first award I ever won of this magnitude,” Nas said of the news. “An Emmy before a Grammy. Crazy [bleep]!”
The Illmatic rapper joins his old rival Jay-Z on the list of this year's National Sports Emmy Recipients. Hov was recently honored for his performance at the 2010 Super Bowl.

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