“1994 to 2024 it’s a dream. Thank y’all for getting me here,” Nas told the Encore Theater crowd on Saturday night (Aug. 31) for the second of three sold-out shows at Wynn Las Vegas as part of his Labor Day Weekend residency with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and AEG Presents, who provided accommodations for Billboard to be on-site.
Most of the 1,400-plus on hand – including special guest Ceelo Green – for the intimate Sin City show basked in the nostalgia as couples and groups of friends took a time machine back to the first time pressing play on Esco’s Illmatic debut in 1994 as teenagers.
Nas stepped to the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m. PT in front of the 25-piece live orchestra. Rocking a slick black tux, God’s Son looked as timeless as his legendary debut. He hasn’t aged as much as a day in the 30 years since Illmatic shook up the East Coast and landscape of hip-hop.
Esco sported his signature fade with braids tied into a bun without a speckle of gray hair and a hairline that hasn’t flinched an inch. Just weeks shy of his 50th birthday, Nas’ raspy and resonant vocals translated live with a stage presence that runs laps around rappers half his age. No backtrack here, kids.
New York was definitely in the building as plenty of NYers made the cross-country trip to support the hometown hero and the album that changed the way hip-hop records were made. West Coasters and a contingent of native Las Vegas residents also rounded out the rest of the predominantly Generation X/Millennial audience.
The Queensbridge rap prodigy kicked things off with Illmatic opener “The Genesis,” and then a classical rendition of “N.Y. State of Mind.” Nas took a moment to thank DJ Premier for working with him on the album. It might seem obvious now, but at the time, beat maestros like Preemo and Q-Tip took a chance on the neophyte MC. “I was lucky to get these producers on the album as a nobody,” he said, while showing his appreciation.
Looking back, It’s still amazing that Nas boasted this kind of profound perspective as just a teenager, while detailing the “bullet holes in the backboards” of the unforgiving environment that raised him. “I just tried to see if I was good enough. Talk about the society that I was living in,” Nas reflected. “It came out raw – the language is raw – you gotta be that way. That’s what rap is. You gotta say the things that people could relate to.”
The album’s lone feature appearance was made by AZ, who popped out in a dapper silver metallic tux during the show to join his The Firm running mate for their “Life’s a Bitch” collaboration, which brought the crowd to its feet again. Nas’ father Olu Dara’s cleansing trumpet outro was done justice by the Philharmonic.
Pete Rock’s “The World Is Yours” drums were traded out for a jazzier soundscape from the Philharmonic, as Nas ran through more Illmatic cuts, like the vivid storytelling of “Memory Lane” and the poignant letters penned to incarcerated homies from the Q-Tip-assisted “One Love.”
Ahead of album closer “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” Nas shouted out Michael Jackson for clearing the sample for his use of his 1983 hit “Human Nature.” “I was happy and grateful he cleared the sample,” he said. “That’s what really put me on the map, because I think MTV played it.”
While the curtain came down on the Philharmonic, that didn’t mean the show was over — as burlesque dancers briefly hit the stage. “This has been a dream; life is good,” Nas said while taking in the moment. “I didn’t know I’d still be making records to this day.”
Nas and DJ Green Lantern then took fans on a subway ride through the decorated MC’s catalog with plenty of hits over the years, including “Made You Look,” “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World.” Finally, they wrapped the 70-minute set up with Stillmatic anthem “One Mic.”
The celebration of Illmatic’s 30th anniversary might not be over in Las Vegas, which Billboard‘s staff ranked as our No. 1 greatest rap album of all-time. Nas continued to tease keeping the Sin City residency alive. “I could get used to doing this Vegas thing,” he admitted. “I might extend it.”
