African Americans

• At the time, these lines were seen as just another gem in a long line of highly sophisticated, literary Nas lyrics.
• In many ways a verbal successor to Nas, Lamar controversially won an actual Pulitzer prize for music.
• Like Lamar, Nas is as highly esteemed in the street as he is in academic circles.

One Love breaks new ground

• The Illmatic track One Love (1994) introduced the “epistolary narrative”, or written letter technique, to the rap genre.
• As journalist, educator and author Dax-Devlon Ross explains, One Love contains “a series of prison letters set to song”, which “effectively began the epistolary sub-genre” of rap.
• Notable advocates of the technique include one-time rival of Nas, Tupac Shakur, releasing Dear Mama a year after One Love.

Illmatic’s legacy

• Released two years after One Love, Xzibit utilised rap’s newly established epistolary sub-genre to pen an emotive open letter to his young son.
• The Foundation addresses themes prevalent in the male African American experience, such as lineage, loyalty, masculinity and the paternal bond.

Nas today

• In recent years, Nas has reached a purple patch of creativity, and released a flourish of well received albums, including both the King’s Disease (2020) and the Magic series.
• When brought into the running of “top five dead or alive” rap debates, Nas is often quick to deflect from comparison, stating that there “ain’t no best”.
• As Nas said himself in 2022: “I probably don’t need a therapist because I have music.” It’s hard to think of another rapper of his generation who has opened up so many doors for the artform.

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Paul Stephen Adey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• ROCKVILLE, Md., April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and basketball Hall-of-Famer Alonzo Mourning are teaming up on Capitol Hill for a roundtable and policy discussion to highlight the stories of people with APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD) and spread awareness of this rapidly progressive form of genetic kidney disease.
• The roundtable is being held in conjunction with the nation’s first ever AMKD Awareness Day , which AKF is launching on April 30, 2024.
• “For many years, I have publicly shared my personal kidney disease story to help educate people about APOL1-mediated kidney disease,” said Mourning.
• Also participating in the roundtable discussion are:
  Support for AMKD Awareness Day activities, including this roundtable discussion, is provided by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

• Jacksonville, F.L., April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Third annual Jacksonville Mayor’s Masked Ball benefiting Edward Waters University was a smashing success.
• “The Mayor's Masked Ball has once again showcased the unwavering support for Edward Waters University and the UNCF's mission to uplift HBCUs and their students.
• UNCF and HBCUs matter now more than ever as our students and institutions need ongoing support.
• Events like the Jacksonville Mayor’s Masked Ball help us do just that,” said Dr. Lomax.

• In diagnostics, AI enables healthcare providers to make the most appropriate treatment decisions for their patients.
• Mordor Intelligence continued: “The increased prevalence of cancer and the high burden of other chronic diseases are, in turn, increasing the demand for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
• This is likely to increase the adoption of AI for early diagnosis purposes, ultimately boosting the market growth.
• The use of artificial intelligence in the North American healthcare market is being driven by the increasing use of advanced technology in healthcare systems, the growth in funding of AI-based startups, the rising burden of chronic diseases in the country, the growing need to reduce healthcare costs, and the implementation of big data in healthcare.