“When it’s real, you’re doing this even without a record contract.” — Nas “Sparks — when illuminated and nurtured — give young people joy, energy and direction.” — Peter Benson When I was in graduate school, I taped to the wall in my office an image of Nas (from a Rolling Stone illustration) along with the lyric above. To some degree, it mocked me. I often felt that the only reason I chained myself to that desk was for the letters that would follow my name when I was done.