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Since NAS doesn't really put out much new stuff, its easy to catch up on his music. Because when he finished you came out a die-hard fan and a satisfied concert-goer.
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Now of course the die-hard NAS fans knew every word and rapped along with NAS, as for me, I rapped what I remembered, but it didn't matter how much of a fan you were or were not when you saw his performance. Beats spewed out of the speakers with no vocals, NAS actually rapped all his song! No lip-syncing, no background vocalists, just him and the crowd. Coming out and getting the crowd pumped by saying, "Put Your Hands Up" and, "I love the smoke ya'll putting up in the air" often. Wearing a blue and white shirt and jeans, with a tiny bit of bling and his shades, he electrified the stage. Crowd was buzzing with lighters in the air, speakers blasting and NAS putting all he had into that mic. It was a chilled summer evening, at Summer Set Music Festival back in 2012. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That), my most memorable song from his set. NAS's performance simply-put, is a flash-back throughout the years and albums. I was ecstatic to get two albums signed that I brought in anticipation but realistically did not think I would. This came after the lyrist caught sight of an Illmatic vinyl, stopping him in mid-sentence and proving that he had real supporters over in London.
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He even took the time out to sign CDs and other memorabilia during his sold out 90 minute performance. The New York native gave a surreal performance of the 2001 hit ‘One Mic’, closing his eyes as he poured out the lyrics to a mesmerised audience. At one point he took requests, giving us the power to decide what we wanted to hear. Nas displayed his humble, witty demeanour in the scattered intervals of the show where he shared stories with the crowd. He tested his fans by holding out the mic on various occasions to see if we knew the lyrics - don’t worry Nas, we got you! We recited the lyrics as we bounced to the beat of each track with nothing but love and energy in the atmosphere as Hip Hop took back the night. Going as far back as ‘Illmatic’, his first studio album to perform classics like ‘Represent’ ‘If I Ruled the World’ and ‘Hate Me Now’. Nas ran through tracks from his eleventh studio album ‘Life Is Good’ but it was clear his intent was to take us on a journey back to where it all started. Supported by DJ Green Lantern, the intimate show was filled with Nas fans young and old in a basement like setting, giving the illusion of an old school underground Hip Hop show. It was my first time seeing him perform live after years of listening to his music from the other side of the world, so I was stoked to finally get the opportunity. I caught my favourite rapper Nas at XOYO. He has maintained this success through follow up albums and huge festival appearances and in 2014 a documentary was released documenting the importance of ‘Illmatic’ and Nas on Hip Hop’s history. Nas countered Jay’s ‘The Takeover’ with the lethal diss song ‘Ether’ which fuelled the release of the ‘Stillmatic’ album and re-secured Nas’ place as one of Hip Hop’s premier talents.
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It took a now legendary beef with fellow New York rapper Jay Z to set him back on the right track. The album however, did not translate into commercial success and with mounting pressure from his label, Nas began to slide towards a more mainstream sound for the next run of albums which included ‘I Am…’ and ‘Nastradamus’. The album received five mics from ‘The Source’ and is now considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Nas’ complex and insightful rhymes met with world class production and made for a hip hop album unlike anything before it. With the hype building, Nas was hailed as the best MC since ‘Rakim’ and delivered a certified classic album with his debut, Illmatic. At just 18, Nas recorded a stand-out verse on Main Source’s ‘Live at The Barbeque’ propelling him to new heights and even securing him a record deal from Columbia under the management of 3rd Bass’ ‘MC Serch’. Even after dropping out of high school, Nas continued to educate himself, utilizing his intellectual life view in his rhymes as he began to garner attention from the likes of producer Large Professor. The son of a Jazz musician, Nas was born with a musical thirst, one that was channeled into hip hop under the influence of neighbor and friend ‘Ill Will’.