Nas @ Madison Square Garden
Designed by Casma
A train is on its way to Penn Station. Though it's late, it will soon be stationed underneath Madison Square Garden where the anticipation and amount of Timbs in attendance is reaching astronomical levels. The reason? It's February 24th, 2023 and a historical hip-hop moment is about to take place in front of an (unsurprisingly) sold-out show. Nas, the legendary rapper from Queensbridge, one of the greatest of all time to ever step behind a mic is performing for his first time at The Garden. In a celebration of one of the undeniable top 5 rappers of all time, this one-night-only event was the living breathing embodiment of one of the most important musical genres to date.
In an almost revitalization of his career since the release of the grammy-winning King’s Disease album, Nas has dropped 3 projects in close collaboration with producer Hit-Boy. Each one has received more love and praise than the last from critics and fans alike. It is far easier for someone in Nas’ situation to get labeled as “falling off,” being “irrelevant” or “stuck in the past.” But that's what separated the greatest from the rest. For “30 Summers'' Nas has stayed such a prominent and important figure in the culture. Now for this night, which was stated as being a celebration of the historical and impressive King’s Disease run, playing tracks from all 4 projects (King’s Disease I, II, III & Magic), was the perfect cap for this unprecedented success and journey.
Spanning multiple decades, Nasir Jones has put his blood, sweat and tears into the culture. He poured every ounce of his focus and intellect into his craft as well as the respect and love it deserves. Now New York got to give it all back.
The stage design resembled the 3 gold bars on King’s Disease 3. It represents not just the 3 King’s Disease albums, but the 3 decades he's been through thus far. The merch was basically emptied and there was still over an hour before Queens’ own would grace the stage. DJ Green Lantern started everything off with a set of cuts from all over the 5 boroughs over the years and even to the west coast. Playing the likes of Big, Snoop, Lil Kim, A Tribe Called Quest, and Eric B & Rakim to name a few. As the sold-out seats were filling in, you could feel the anticipation in your chest. It was almost time.
Suddenly the lights went out, the last track faded into silence, replaced by the roars of 20,000 people. It was time. The cover of the first Kings Disease is displayed on the jumbotron accompanied with harmonizing and bells that warn all in attendance that something incredible is about to take place. Then rising from the ground just like he rose from the project grounds he used to walk, Nasty Nas had finally arrived. The crowd erupted even louder than before. The chills I felt were unparalleled. This being my first time seeing Nas and I couldn’t believe the man who started my pure love for Hip-Hop was right in front of me. I have thought it about countless times since the first time I pressed play on Illmatic, like millions before and after me. Even after every iteration that crossed my mind, nothing was like standing in that building seeing Esco in the flesh.
Starting with the titular King’s Disease track I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect introduction. It was hit after hit. You almost got a sense of self-containment from Nas at the start. It was as if he himself couldn’t believe the stage he was walking on and the crowd in front of him. His place and his legacy was on full display at that moment. It's something at least 90% of the world will never experience. But as the setlist went on, so too did the performance bring out more of Nas. He was coming into his own as everything continued to great success. Every little problem can feel more intense and serious with something like this. But the night couldn’t have played out more perfectly.
Hearing these songs live solidified just how incredible they are. It made me even more of a fan of these projects and songs. You don’t know just how songs like Death Row East, Car #85, and Store Run really hit until you’ve seen them in that environment. Songs that if you looked inside my mind “go to the center, enter with caution, past the brain cell graveyard” have set up shop until my brain can no longer hold in all that information.
Songs like “27 Summers,” “Spicy,” and “Thun” by this point, had the crowd at insane levels. After 35 minutes or so, the man walked off stage leaving a good majority of the crowd confused. Was that all? But in a scene of Dejavu, the lights went out and rose again, this time in a new mink coat, Nas rose again. This time he would not be the only one to come out for this 2nd part of the setlist. In a huge surprise the one and only, Mary J. Blige herself rose from the stage performing, all the way back from her first album, You Remind Me. The crowd was in an absolute frenzy. New York was in there and loved every second of it.
King’s Disease has 3 albums by name. The stage was split into threes. It was only right that the concert itself was split into 3 parts. After getting the crowd hype with the hard-hitting track “30” he stepped off the stage again. This time the jumbotron showed something that could only be described as instantaneous goosebumps. Displaying every album cover from Illmatic to KD3, accompanied by the beginning instrumental of “Loco-Motive” from Life is Good. The sound of the subway wheels on the track was the perfect metaphor for the journey we were about to take through the discography of one of the greatest artists NY has ever produced.
Out from the ground again for the 3rd and final time, in the perfect 90s-looking orange sweatsuit and beanie, rose Nas. And in perfect symmetry, the start of one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time began to play, “N.Y. State of Mind.” Nothing will ever prepare you as a fan, for that moment. It would be like Christians hearing Jesus read the bible to them live. Or, fittingly, watching Marlon Brando’s live take for THAT Godfather scene. Impeccable and life-changing. In a moment that I will forever be grateful for, Queens’ other native son, AZ came out and the 2 performed my favorite Nas song of all time “Life’s a Bitch.” I would be lying if I said I didn't shed one singular tear from feeling like I was on Cloud 9 and the next 47.
He performed damn near every song you could ask for: “The World is Yours,” “Hate Me Now,” “One Mic,” even “Oochie Wally” and “You Owe Me.” In an incredible Hip-Hop moment, none other than Slick Rick the Ruler himself joined the legend on stage in true Slick Rick fashion; eye patch over the left eye and bigger and thicker chains than any will ever see in their life, worth more than any amount of student debt and money I’ve accumulated in my life up to this point. The important hip-hop figure performed “Hey Young World” with Nas as his hype man. The life of New York Hip-Hop was in full force on that stage. In one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen, Nas performed the last verse on “The World Is Yours” a cappella to the sold-out crowd with some of the greatest breath control delivery I’ve ever witnessed, in maybe one of two breaths. It was incredible.
To cap off this piece, I wanted to reference the standout moment of this show for me. Near the end of his set, Nas had the music stopped and took a moment to speak to the crowd. He stated how his Mom, Fannie Ann, used to work in the post office right across the street from The Garden. It was a moment of reflection of the journey he has been on, from his early years in Queensbridge to the stage he was now standing on, and thinking of all the trials and tribulations he and his family have been through. You could see him thinking about how far he’s come. The man himself was brought to tears. Though she passed away in 2002, she is one of the most important people in Nas’ life. You can tell how much she meant to him and how proud he was that he was able to do so much for her after all the sacrifices and work she did for him to become the man he is today. Stated how though she was not here physically, he said that her presence could still be felt and she was still with him at that moment. Just as all of us standing in that moment were also there for him.
It was one of the greatest concerts I've ever had the privilege to attend.
Click here, and you can find our playlist of the best songs Nas has to offer as well as our playlist of the setlist for the special one-night on our Spotify page and get as close as you can to hearing how it played out, at least until they maybe add it to a VR.