We were beginners in the hood as 5 percenters
But something must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners

from Nas (Ft. AZ) – Life's a Bitch Lyrics 1 on Rap Genius

The Nation of Gods and Earths aka the “5 Percent Nation” is a popular belief system amongst blacks in its native NYC, and has in particular had a hugely outsized influence on hip hop

AZ himself is a 5%‘er, so the conflict between staying righteous and true to the group’s principles and living the street life must strike him particularly hard

One of the trademarks of the NGE is their “breaking down” of words, and AZ’s rap moniker is a great example. According to author Ted Swedenburg’s exhaustive article on the group’s influence:

The name of rapper AZ, short for Asiatic, which broken down is Age and Attic, broken down again is age = body and attic = mind

As for Nas, he has a long-standing interest in the NGE, but does not consider himself a member. See this 2007 interview:

Nas: When I was about ten years old I got some lessons (in NGE doctrine), so it right there just opened me up. I just been intrigued by the Five Percent Nation, Islam since I was a kid then I started to see the difference between what the Nation of Islam and Islam as a whole was, so I seen the difference. And I just choose my own way

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