Nas

Year He Turned 30: 2003

Number of Albums Released At The Time: 8

On the heels of a heated feud with Jay-Z, Nas was once again one of the most relevant and well-regarded rappers working. Before turning 30, he proved that Stillmatic's critical acclaim wasn't a fluke and continued to redeem his missteps of the late '90s with the successful releases of both The Lost Tapes and God’s Son in late 2002.

Singles “Made You Look,” “I Can,” and "Thugz Mansion" gave Nas serious momentum heading into his 30s, and even with the ups and downs of the decade since, it's this period that made it clear he'd be respected forever.

RELATED: The 100 Best Nas Songs