NAS' CROWNING GLORY: KING'S DISEASE - THE ONE NIGHT ONLY CONCERT
"Thirty Motherf**kin Years!" screamed Nas at his sold-out One Night Only Show. 30 years in the Music business, and 2/24/23 is the first time Nas Headlined at Madison Square Garden.
The Virgo energy was in full effect as the crowd's attention was directed to the stage when DJ Green Lantern shifted from "Party & Bullshit" energy to a dramatic interlude. At 9:14pm, the events commenced, which is also Nas' Birthday. Coincidence? I don't know, but I witnessed a rebirth, a resurgence of momentum, that made me feel like Nas was now entering his 2nd lifetime in Hip Hop.
As Nas arose from below the stage, everyone stood on their feet as if we were pledging allegiance to the flag, but that night it was to the Queensbridge representative. Stepping out to "I'm On Fire", he was, along with some of the crowd lighting up that fire. That loud lingered in the air, making as much noise as the music. He paused before he put the mic to his lips, allowing you to soak up his presence. It was picture-perfect as he stood still while the imagery of a spinning crown haloed in the background. 6 min read
Running through his 34-track set, he made us relive moments like partying at the Tunnel with "Blue Benz" from the Grammy-winning King's Disease I Album, paid homage to Black History Month with a set filled with black leaders from Nina Simone to Frederick Douglass as he spit "Ultra Black", and took us to the graffiti era of Hip Hop with "Get Light". He introduced King's Disease II with the opening track "Pressure", whose lyrics over the beat are so heartfelt that Nas indeed feels like he is channeling our thoughts and voice on stage. As he recites the line, "Release the confetti," the same pour onto the crowd providing a 3D moment.
"Store Run", which plays on the O.G./Y.G. rites of passage, resonated with the audience, as a concertgoer next to me yelled, "Send them little ni@@s on a store run!" See, the concert wasn't just about the songs. It was about everyone in the building relating to the life and words presented in Nas's rhymes. It took me back to Illmatic "Project Windows", Nas playing the street reporter, and that's why we love him. He is so eloquently able to describe everything we experience and see in life.
He hit us with Wave Gods, where everything was wavy baby, a cut from the Magic Album as a segway to the King's Disease III Album, where he opens with "Thun". He brought out Hitboy, the Producer of the King's Disease Trilogy, to perform "Michael & Quincy" while a video montage of the legendary greats played in the background.
As he vocalized, "Cuz I don't like to reminisce, cuz what we doing tonight is really lit. It don't matter what you did 30 years ago, what the f*k are you doing now!," the song "Reminisce" drops, allowing us to enjoy the good R&B and Hip Hop Mix. After his verse is complete, it loops to the hook, and Mary J. Blige pops out in all her Queendom to grace the stage with her vibe in signature knee-high boots, blond hair, and of course, the Mary "Diddy walk".
Right after this, he drops "30", where his energy feels larger than life, the instrumental horns give that triumphant sound, and the crowd is still on a high from the surprise guest, and then just like magic, he disappears off of the stage.
DJ Green Lantern, who had entertained the crowd, played beats while all 15 covers of Nas's albums flashed on the screen. The sold-out arena, patiently waiting, screams for their favorite. (I believe Illmatic got the loudest applause).
Suddenly the 5 Heartbeats infamous scene with Duck playing the Piano for "Heart Is A House For Love" hits the backdrop, and Nas pops out in the chinchilla draped to the floor just to remind us just how fly Queens cats get and dipped right back underground.
After about a 10-minute intermission, Nas emerges in an Orange scheme reminiscent of Stillmatic cover, letting us know he's about to get back to business. He spits the first bar, "Straight out the dungeons of Rap," and we realize we're about to go back in time as he performs "N.Y. State Of Mind" from the album that ushered in a new energy to Hip Hop, Illmatic. Excited to be in this time machine, Nas stepped it up a notch to perform "Life's A Bitch" with his Co-D (and my H.S. Crush) AZ. Keeping that Sugar Hill energy AZ popped out in a Pelle Pelle bomber, piling on the nostalgia (I seriously need a 2023 album with these two powerhouses).
I wanted more, but getting that one track would have to suffice. Before we could recoup from this, Nas smacked us upside the head with a Legend, Slick Rick, performing "Hey Young World ." The crowd exploded as he came in the expected fashion with his Polar Bear Iced out Chain. In paying homage to the legends, Nas takes a minute to play "Buddy" and show love to the recently passed Truegoy The Dove from De La Soul.
Whatever set you claim or borough you're from, we were all Bravehearts that night. Nas left his heart on the floor during this concert and got emotional revisiting his mom working days at the Post Office across the street from MSG, who is now watching her son headline for the first time in this grand arena. The cracked voice insinuates that some tears may have dropped as he shouts, "I got my mom with me here tonight," then reminds us, "Don't get it F*d up, I'm still that Ni$$a. Aye mom, we did it! Every Project Ni@@ we did it!"
That would have been an easy moment for him to exit, but he continued saying, "I'm not ready to leave," and we weren't ready for him to leave either. He took us from being emotional to party mode bouncing from "Hot Boys" to "Hate Me Now" to "Oochie Wally" and more club anthems. After taking us down memory lane, he gave us a signature real MC performance, forgoing the instrumentals to spit the bars to "Memory Lane" acapella.
Everyone asks me how the concert was, and my response is, "Spiritual." The Merriam-Webster definition of Spiritual is "Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things." Nipsey Hussle said in an interview, "Music is spiritual. The words, the vibrations, if you don't miss it, music is spiritual." Indeed the One Night Only MSG King's Disease Concert was a Hip Hop Service. Watching someone I took their career journey with, who influences me creatively and musically, who used to look out their project window and is now looking out into the crowd of a sold-out show 30 years into their career, who came from where I came from, damn, if that doesn't make you feel something, I don't know what will.
So on this last day of Black History Month, we regard Nas in the ranks. With his longevity, Ultra Blackness, unwavering approach to music, growth, and business franchises, "Nas is like Half Man, Half Amazing," indeed. They say rapping is a young man's sport; tell that to Nas.
If you were not able to dip into this Concert pool of inspiration to cleanse your aura and rejuvenate your soul, I'll leave you with an important word from Nas that was simple, but I needed to hear from him that night. "Do what you do to the fullest, stand on your square and be who you are, and in the meantime, have a good fuckin time." Salute to you, Nas.
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