As a lifelong Queens resident, I've always taken pride in where I'm from. That pride exists because people like Nasir Jones showed the world that greatness could come from Queens.

For generations, the Queensboro Bridge has been more than a piece of infrastructure. It's a symbol of possibility. It connects Queens to Manhattan, opportunity to ambition, and for many of us, our roots to our aspirations. No public figure embodies that journey more completely than Nas.

Raised in Queensbridge Houses at the foot of the bridge, Nas transformed his neighborhood into a place recognized across the globe. Through his music, he made Queensbridge a cultural landmark. Through his entrepreneurship and investments, including QueensBridge Venture Partners, he demonstrated what economic mobility can look like when talent, vision, and perseverance meet opportunity.

Today, millions of people know the Queensboro Bridge not because of a politician, but because of the artist who immortalized it. Nas has represented Queens with authenticity, excellence, and pride for more than three decades. He has become inseparable from the bridge's identity and what it symbolizes to generations of New Yorkers.

Millions of people know the Queensboro Bridge because they crossed it. Millions more know it because Nas made it renowned around the globe.

Next month marks the thirty year anniversary of his sophomore album "It Was Written," which is one of the most influential albums in hip hop history. This timing presents an opportunity to honor a living cultural icon whose impact extends far beyond music. Renaming the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge the Nasir Jones Queensborough Bridge would recognize not only Nas's extraordinary contributions to culture, business, and philanthropy, but also the resilience, creativity, and ambition that define Queens itself.

Some people leave their mark on a city. Nas helped define how the world sees Queens. It's time for the bridge that symbolizes his journey to bear his name.