Nas Headlines MSG: It's About Damn Time
By: Jake Delforte
On February 24, I was one of the lucky people in attendance watching Nas headline Madison Square Garden for the first time in his storied career. The energy in the arena was electric as we watched one of the greatest rappers of all time grace the stage. Nas played hits that spanned the duration of his three-decade career, starting with newer selections from the ‘King’s Disease’ trilogy before rewinding to classic joints from Illmatic and his earlier albums. We also got appearances from Hit-Boy, the producer and architect behind the trilogy, longtime Nas collaborator AZ, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, and even Slick Rick the Ruler. This was a homecoming of epic proportions for Nas; however, this late in his career, the homecoming king was crowned long after graduation.
When I heard that Nas would be headlining the Garden, two thoughts raced through my head: I NEED to attend this event, and how the hell is this Nas’s first time playing the Garden? Although the show’s timing was perfect after dropping the KD trilogy, this concert should have been Nas’s victory lap in the Garden, not an inauguration.
Within the first decade of his career, Nas released multiple certified classic albums in Illmatic, It Was Written, and Stillmatic (sound off in the comments). Additionally, he collaborated with the biggest rappers and producers in hip-hop as he simultaneously defeated the other biggest name in New York hip-hop, Jay-Z, on the track “Ether” back in 2001. Jay headlined Madison Square Garden for the first time in 2003.
For even more context, Nas has been rapping professionally, for as long as Travis Scott has been alive. Scott had performed at the Garden as a headliner three times before Nas rocked the arena once. Even the prominent jam-band Phish from Vermont played Madison Square Garden OVER 80 TIMES prior to Nas headlining in his home city.
I say this all with nothing but admiration and respect for Jay, Scott, and Phish; it is a milestone to play the Garden even once. Although Nas is arguably more relevant now than ever due to this incredible run with Hit-Boy, Esco has been a household name in hip-hop for over two decades. I don’t know whose representatives are to blame for the delay of this performance, Nas’s or the Garden’s.
My point here is this: we need to do a better job celebrating our cultural icons and heroes in a timely manner. Hip-hop’s legends deserve to see the fruits of their labor and receive their flowers in good health and wellbeing. Most recently, hip-hop mourned the loss of Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, just weeks before the group’s catalog hit streaming services after years of turmoil with their label.
At the end of the day, I can’t really complain. I was fortunate enough to see the GOAT (in my humble opinion) do his thing and absolutely rock the Garden. For the time being, this concert was better late than never. For the future, we need to do a better job of appreciating the greats and their artistry while they can celebrate with their fans.