Nas Wishes He Had Stayed in School

Nas made an appearance in Pittsburgh, Penn. on Sunday (March 14) where he addressed an audience of 900 high school students at the annual National Keystone Conference for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Queens MC joined several other stars including Ne-Yo, who spoke to the teens about the importance of education during the four-day conference.

Despite releasing nine successful solo albums to date, Nas admitted that he had never completed his goal of receiving a high school diploma. He explained to his underage audience that it was one of the biggest mistakes he made as a teenager, announcing that he still has plans to pursue his diploma. "The reality of it is, you need to keep educating yourself, and I wish I had stayed in school," he said.

Frank Sanchez, VP for corporate relationships for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, told Pittsburg's Post-Gazette that he was thrilled to have someone as influential as Nas stress the importance of education to the kids. "This is an incredible message, to have someone who succeeded so much in their life, but there is still a void." he said.

The theme of the 43rd annual Boys & Girls Club conference was "Beyond All Limits." Nas encouraged budding teens to pursue their dreams, by remembering to "Be your own leader."

Nas and Damian Marley will release their latest project 'Distant Relatives' on May 25.