The War Report
NewNewYork
It has nothing do with that. Illmatic is his masterpiece.
The Nas Documentary "Time is Illmatic"
- Thread starter Responsible Allen Iverson
- Start date
Down under leg of tour
ROBIN FERNANDO, MAI FM AND UNDER THE RADAR PRESENT NAS ILLMATIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR WITH DJ GREEN LANTERN
Robin Fernando, Mai FM and Under The Radar are psyched to announce the Nas Illmatic 20th Anniversary tour, bringing the hip hop legend to New Zealand’s shores for two shows, in Auckland and Wellington on 17 and 18 January 2015.
Amidst the fickle, ephemeral beast that is popular hip-hop, Nas has remained a vital and relevant force across 10 albums and 20 years. With music in his blood, Nas wrote his first verse at age 7 and, with 1994’s Illmatic, created one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time before he could legally drink. 2014 sees the 20th anniversary of the seminal Illmatic; the release of a special edition, titled Illmatic XX, as well as a worldwide tour.
It seems almost trite today to discuss the universal impact and acclaim that Illmatic had on
rap. Put simply: the album has long been considered a masterpiece not just in hip hop,
but music as a whole, inspiring countless subsequent rappers and establishing Nas as the
most vivid storyteller of urban life since Rakim and Chuck D. Whether it’s rhyming about politics, hip hop, race, religion, other artists or personal relationships, Nas has consistently brought unparalleled and unprecedented levels of honesty wrapped up in his signature poetic wordplay.
Bringing his epic and universally acclaimed back catalogue to New Zealand shores (2011’s Life is Good was hailed as his ‘most emotionally raw record’ since Illmatic by MTV), this is a chance to see the hip hop heavyweight in his element, spitting the rhymes that saw him begin an upwards trajectory that shows no sign of slowing. Taking the stage at Auckland’s Powerstation (17 January) and Wellington’s James Cabaret (18 January), this is a chance to see one of rap’s finest in two of the country’s finest venues. Get in quick to see hip-hop’s greatest poet in his element celebrating twenty years of Illmatic and beyond. Nas’ catalog speaks for itself.
Nas is joined at both shows by esteemed hip-hop producer DJ Green Lantern, who has served as DJ of the Shady Records family and produced tracks for the likes of Ludacris, D-Block, and a noted remix of the Nas and Tupac collaboration Thugz Mansion. As a radio host Green Lantern a renowned personality, helping to break new underground hip-hop including Ghostface Killah. He curated the fictional radio station “The Beat 102.7” on Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring as a host to millions of gamers worldwide. Nas and DJ Green Lantern are joined in Auckland by DJ Sir Vere and in Wellington DJ Raw and Dam-G.
NAS ILLMATIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Saturday 17 January 2015
The Powerstation, Auckland
With DJ Green Lantern
Support from DJ Sir Vere
Tickets are on sale 16 October from WWW.EVENTTICKETING.CO.NZ
Sunday 18 January 2015
James Cabaret, Wellington
With DJ Green Lantern
Support from DJ Raw and Dam-G
Tickets are on sale 16 October from WWW.DASHTICKETS.CO.NZ & RPM Cuba St
ROBIN FERNANDO, MAI FM AND UNDER THE RADAR PRESENT NAS ILLMATIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR WITH DJ GREEN LANTERN
Robin Fernando, Mai FM and Under The Radar are psyched to announce the Nas Illmatic 20th Anniversary tour, bringing the hip hop legend to New Zealand’s shores for two shows, in Auckland and Wellington on 17 and 18 January 2015.
Amidst the fickle, ephemeral beast that is popular hip-hop, Nas has remained a vital and relevant force across 10 albums and 20 years. With music in his blood, Nas wrote his first verse at age 7 and, with 1994’s Illmatic, created one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time before he could legally drink. 2014 sees the 20th anniversary of the seminal Illmatic; the release of a special edition, titled Illmatic XX, as well as a worldwide tour.
It seems almost trite today to discuss the universal impact and acclaim that Illmatic had on
rap. Put simply: the album has long been considered a masterpiece not just in hip hop,
but music as a whole, inspiring countless subsequent rappers and establishing Nas as the
most vivid storyteller of urban life since Rakim and Chuck D. Whether it’s rhyming about politics, hip hop, race, religion, other artists or personal relationships, Nas has consistently brought unparalleled and unprecedented levels of honesty wrapped up in his signature poetic wordplay.
Bringing his epic and universally acclaimed back catalogue to New Zealand shores (2011’s Life is Good was hailed as his ‘most emotionally raw record’ since Illmatic by MTV), this is a chance to see the hip hop heavyweight in his element, spitting the rhymes that saw him begin an upwards trajectory that shows no sign of slowing. Taking the stage at Auckland’s Powerstation (17 January) and Wellington’s James Cabaret (18 January), this is a chance to see one of rap’s finest in two of the country’s finest venues. Get in quick to see hip-hop’s greatest poet in his element celebrating twenty years of Illmatic and beyond. Nas’ catalog speaks for itself.
Nas is joined at both shows by esteemed hip-hop producer DJ Green Lantern, who has served as DJ of the Shady Records family and produced tracks for the likes of Ludacris, D-Block, and a noted remix of the Nas and Tupac collaboration Thugz Mansion. As a radio host Green Lantern a renowned personality, helping to break new underground hip-hop including Ghostface Killah. He curated the fictional radio station “The Beat 102.7” on Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring as a host to millions of gamers worldwide. Nas and DJ Green Lantern are joined in Auckland by DJ Sir Vere and in Wellington DJ Raw and Dam-G.
NAS ILLMATIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Saturday 17 January 2015
The Powerstation, Auckland
With DJ Green Lantern
Support from DJ Sir Vere
Tickets are on sale 16 October from WWW.EVENTTICKETING.CO.NZ
Sunday 18 January 2015
James Cabaret, Wellington
With DJ Green Lantern
Support from DJ Raw and Dam-G
Tickets are on sale 16 October from WWW.DASHTICKETS.CO.NZ & RPM Cuba St
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Queensbridge rapper Nas.
By Chris Schulz
If you're a major Nas fan, you've had two opportunities to see the celebrated rapper perform in New Zealand: once as Kanye West's opening act in 2008, and again alongside Damian Marley with their joint rap-reggae side-project Distant Relatives in 2011.
But ask anyone with even a passing knowledge of hip-hop what kind of show they really want to see from the Queensbridge rapper, and they'll give you just one response: his debut album Illmatic in full.
Kiwi hip-hop fans got to tick that off their bucket list in emphatic fashion as Nas kicked off the second of two sold out nights at Auckland's Powerstation, winding back the clock to celebrate his debut album, a record many consider to be hip-hop's bible.
Released in 1994 and consisting of just nine songs,Illmatic was an instant classic and has cast long shadows ever since, across both hip-hop and Nas' career: last year's film fest doco Time is Illmatic proved it's as much revered by fans as it is by his peers, an album so good he's never been able to top it.
But Nas' wayward mid to late career output wasn't on the minds of his fired up fans as he emerged on stage in a hat, gold chain and sunglasses, beaming from ear to ear during Illmatic's mission statement NY State of Mind, with many in the crowd rapping those iconic lines - "I never sleep / Because sleep is the cousin of death" - with him word-for-word.
Backed by DJ Green Lantern and a gigantic video screen spanning the entire stage, it was pure hip-hop nirvana, with Nas proving why Illmatic is one of the most lyrically dense hip-hop albums around: the tongue-twisting antics of Halftime, the soul-drenched lope of Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park), the schoolyard battle cry of Represent, and the Michael Jackson-sampling It Ain't Hard to Tell, all delivered with bass tuned so loud it rattled rib cages.
Tellingly, the second half of the show was a greatest hits set that didn't include anything past Nas' 2002 album God's Son, running through a quickfire medley of Hate Me Now, If I Ruled the World, a fired up One Micand a reworked Made You Look, before a one-song encore of the bombastic Got Ur Self A Gun. It's unlikely Nas will ever tour any of the albums those songs are from in full, and even he struggled to remember their names when he tried to list them.
But it was Illmatic that was the star of the show here, and if you were looking closely, there was a telling moment during lighter-waver One Love as Nas briefly took off his hat and sunglasses, wiped his face with a towel and stared at the frenzied crowd singing the song's hook for him.
The satisfied smile spread across his face was the complete opposite of the gruff, determined little boy from Illmatic's album cover who would go on to change hip-hop forever; a smile that said simply: 'Job done'.
Nas
James Cabaret
Sunday 18 January 2015
Last time Nas played in New Zealand he was touring with Damian Marley promoting their collaborative album Distant Relatives. The time before that he opened for Kanye West.
Nasty Nas, widely considered one of the greatest emcees ever, opening for Kanye? Why wasn’t he headlining? I’d suggest it’s because Kanye gets radio play, and Nas doesn’t.
But fans at the Nas show last night knew better and turned out in force to witness the rap legend in the flesh. Nas may not get the mainstream radio play that Kanye does, but he has still more than earned a loyal following. And two sold out shows was enough to prove it.
And the fans were richly rewarded. Not only did they get to see one of their favourite rappers, but they got to see him perform his most acclaimed album. As advertised, Nas played his groundbreaking début album Illmatic from start to finish, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. DJ Green Lantern oversaw the music and provided backing vocals, while Nas tore through the hit-heavy set.
The setup was fairly unimposing. Nas wore a plain camo green tshirt, a discreet necklace and sunglasses. There was a screen at the back of the stage with videos. But the emphasis wasn’t on showy gimmicks, it was on the music.
The songs from Illmatic were firmly imprinted in the minds of everyone in the audience, most of whom were singing along. They best sing along moment was during “NY York State Of Mind” when everyone shouted “I never sleep, because sleep is the cousin of death!” The crowd had showed up to relive that enduring album, and Nas delivered exactly what they wanted, playing it all, followed by more songs from later in his career.
The set was a trip down nostalgia lane. The Illmatic singles all featured, like “The World Is Yours”, “One Love” and “Halftime”. There was a shout out to the late Michael Jackson for allowing his music to be sampled on “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”, as well several other late rappers on “Represent”
The second half of the set was less exciting. Nas gave an impressive cross-section of his career through the ages, but Illmatic was the attraction that had set the benchmark.
Nas clearly loved what he was doing. “I’ve been doing this for twenty years, and I’ll keep doing it for 20 more, because you guys keep coming back!” he shouted. “I need to keep coming back here more often.”
A number of fans had brought their LP copies of Illmatic to the show and were waving them in the air. “You want me to sign that?” Nas asked, “Help me out and take the plastic off. You got a pen?” After 20 years of touring he still appeared stunned at his fans devotion “A real vinyl record!” he muttered in disbelief as he scrawled his signature of the cover.
JuvenileHell
Veteran
Illmatic really is the crown jewel of rap brehs 
As is often the case with “great” albums, it becomes difficult to separate the facts from the overstatement and hyperbole that perniciously find their way into the op-eds and academic vivisections that come around like clockwork should the album endure long enough to have a 10th or 20th anniversary. In the case of Illmatic, Nasir Jones’ 1994 hip-hop classic, the artist himself, who it bears remembering was only 20 years old when the album was released, ascribes the record’s legacy to its unrivalled roster of producers.
Indeed, perusing the production credits of Illmatic is like reading through a who’s who of hip-hop production, with such revered names as DJ Premier and Pete Rock sitting alongside Large Professor and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. But while Nas may credit the lion’s share of the album’s impact to its dream team of production talent, others, like academic Marc Lamont Hill and fellow musician Alicia Keys, understand that Illmaticwas a seed that grew inside the mind of one teenager from Queensbridge, Queens, who unleashed it as an album of previously unheard-of lyrical grace and thematic complexity.
It’s that humility and graciousness that characterised Nas’ performance at The Forum tonight. The hip-hop icon, now a veteran of show business at 41, displayed an exceptional professionalism as he imbued his performance of Illmatic in its entirety with a palpable energy and dynamism. He commandeered the stage like a boxer letting his opponent know that he had now entered his domain. Nas left a legion of lesser rappers and indeed performers to wilt in his wake as he signed vinyl copies of his debut whilst continuing to spit the imperishable words of ‘The World Is Yours’.
Before he took the stage, the sold-out crowd gathered in the Forum witnessed the Melbourne debut of MC Dusk, whom readers would know by her far more recognisable moniker, Abbie Cornish. Joined by DJ cum hype man DJ Butcher, a visibly nervous Cornish displayed a knack for in-your-face rhyme-spitting, admirably trying to make a name for herself in a genre where authenticity is everything. While Dusk’s inarguably poppy brand of rap music was something of an awkward choice to open for one of the vanguards of ‘hip hop in its essence and real’, she did not falter and was adamant about getting a supportive but disinterested crowd moving.
Following a moment of darkness, the Forum came to life with a lightning bolt of city soundscapes and urban visions. As a New York City subway train zoomed unto infinity on a screen behind the one and only DJ Green Lantern, whose decks sat atop a glowing Nas logo, feet began to move and the front row came into intimate contact with the crowd barricade. Thick plumes of weed smoke ascended above the crowd as Nas unassumingly crept onto the stage amid the thumping, unyielding beat of ‘New York State of Mind’. Bodies moved and heads began to nod – this is hip-hop.
As Nas worked his way through his timeless hip-hop totem, the album that Clipse’s No Malice famously described as the embodiment of “everything that was right with hip-hop”, he filled the interim moments with genuinely funny and charming stage banter. Suggesting that the one fan who thought it sporting to throw a joint on to the stage opt for a bigger one next time. “Don’t throw a little tiny one, go for a big motherfukker,” Nas said, jokingly chiding the fan. “Don’t worry, we’ll smoke up later.” When he wasn’t joking around or shaking hands, he was reflecting.
“20 years, man. Not many artists get to tour an album they released 20 years ago, it’s amazing. It feels like yesterday,” he remarked early in the show, later recounting the story of what brought him to Australia. “I was sitting in my crib, trying to write some new shyt, looking for inspiration, thinking to myself: ‘Everything’s been done, music is dead then it’s alive and then it’s dead again, US police are out of their minds.’ Then I got a call, ‘Yo, Nas, we want you come Down Un-duh to celebrate Illmatic, so get your black ass on a plane,’ and that’s what I did.”
Having concluded the celebration with a electrifying rendition of ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’, which he prefaced with a tribute to Michael Jackson, whom the track samples, Nas ventured forward with a journey through his extensive and renowned discography, beginning with ‘The Message’, the opening track from his Illmaticfollow-up, It Was Written. He followed through with the mafioso dream haze of ‘Street Dreams’, the utopian call to arms of ‘If I Ruled the World’, the youthful rallying cry of ‘I Can’, through to a somber, powerful closer with ‘Stay’. Afterwards, the icon remained on the stage, offering a simple but genuine “Thank-you very much” to a crowd that was equally grateful.
Indeed, perusing the production credits of Illmatic is like reading through a who’s who of hip-hop production, with such revered names as DJ Premier and Pete Rock sitting alongside Large Professor and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. But while Nas may credit the lion’s share of the album’s impact to its dream team of production talent, others, like academic Marc Lamont Hill and fellow musician Alicia Keys, understand that Illmaticwas a seed that grew inside the mind of one teenager from Queensbridge, Queens, who unleashed it as an album of previously unheard-of lyrical grace and thematic complexity.
It’s that humility and graciousness that characterised Nas’ performance at The Forum tonight. The hip-hop icon, now a veteran of show business at 41, displayed an exceptional professionalism as he imbued his performance of Illmatic in its entirety with a palpable energy and dynamism. He commandeered the stage like a boxer letting his opponent know that he had now entered his domain. Nas left a legion of lesser rappers and indeed performers to wilt in his wake as he signed vinyl copies of his debut whilst continuing to spit the imperishable words of ‘The World Is Yours’.
Before he took the stage, the sold-out crowd gathered in the Forum witnessed the Melbourne debut of MC Dusk, whom readers would know by her far more recognisable moniker, Abbie Cornish. Joined by DJ cum hype man DJ Butcher, a visibly nervous Cornish displayed a knack for in-your-face rhyme-spitting, admirably trying to make a name for herself in a genre where authenticity is everything. While Dusk’s inarguably poppy brand of rap music was something of an awkward choice to open for one of the vanguards of ‘hip hop in its essence and real’, she did not falter and was adamant about getting a supportive but disinterested crowd moving.
Following a moment of darkness, the Forum came to life with a lightning bolt of city soundscapes and urban visions. As a New York City subway train zoomed unto infinity on a screen behind the one and only DJ Green Lantern, whose decks sat atop a glowing Nas logo, feet began to move and the front row came into intimate contact with the crowd barricade. Thick plumes of weed smoke ascended above the crowd as Nas unassumingly crept onto the stage amid the thumping, unyielding beat of ‘New York State of Mind’. Bodies moved and heads began to nod – this is hip-hop.
As Nas worked his way through his timeless hip-hop totem, the album that Clipse’s No Malice famously described as the embodiment of “everything that was right with hip-hop”, he filled the interim moments with genuinely funny and charming stage banter. Suggesting that the one fan who thought it sporting to throw a joint on to the stage opt for a bigger one next time. “Don’t throw a little tiny one, go for a big motherfukker,” Nas said, jokingly chiding the fan. “Don’t worry, we’ll smoke up later.” When he wasn’t joking around or shaking hands, he was reflecting.
“20 years, man. Not many artists get to tour an album they released 20 years ago, it’s amazing. It feels like yesterday,” he remarked early in the show, later recounting the story of what brought him to Australia. “I was sitting in my crib, trying to write some new shyt, looking for inspiration, thinking to myself: ‘Everything’s been done, music is dead then it’s alive and then it’s dead again, US police are out of their minds.’ Then I got a call, ‘Yo, Nas, we want you come Down Un-duh to celebrate Illmatic, so get your black ass on a plane,’ and that’s what I did.”
Having concluded the celebration with a electrifying rendition of ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’, which he prefaced with a tribute to Michael Jackson, whom the track samples, Nas ventured forward with a journey through his extensive and renowned discography, beginning with ‘The Message’, the opening track from his Illmaticfollow-up, It Was Written. He followed through with the mafioso dream haze of ‘Street Dreams’, the utopian call to arms of ‘If I Ruled the World’, the youthful rallying cry of ‘I Can’, through to a somber, powerful closer with ‘Stay’. Afterwards, the icon remained on the stage, offering a simple but genuine “Thank-you very much” to a crowd that was equally grateful.
jog my memory..was mc search in this??
BulletProof
Just a B@stard Living in a Suit
Briefly.
I just saw it the other day and it was really good.
I thought I knew everything about that album but I was surprised by what got Ill Will merked.
yeah i saw it too but forgot if he was featured>?
BulletProof
Just a B@stard Living in a Suit
They got his take on Nas's beginnings and show a clip of Serch's Back to the Grill.
oh yeah yeah..i remember now. thanks.
BulletProof
Just a B@stard Living in a Suit
No problem.