Nas announces epic Vegas takeover for Illmatic anniversary concert series.
According to Billboard, the iconic New York rapper is bringing the beats to Sin City in celebration of 30 years of Illmatic, with three shows featuring the Las Vegas Philharmonic. The shows — featuring a mashup of hits from his discography — are slated to be held at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on Aug. 29, Aug. 31, and Sept. 1 over Labor Day Weekend.
“Las Vegas has always served as a creative outlet for my music, and these performances will take that to the next level,” Nas tells the outlet in a statement. “I am excited to partner with the Las Vegas Philharmonic to bring this first-of-its-kind performance to Encore Theater and to showcase my music to my fans in Las Vegas in a whole new way.”
In April, nearly three decades after its release, Nas’ groundbreaking debut album, Illmatic (1994), featuring ten timeless tracks, was honored by New York Senator Jamaal T. Bailey.
“What were you doing when you were 20 years old?” said Bailey, during a State Senate meeting. “Many of us were in college. We were finding who we were. Nasir Jones, poetically known as Nas, was making the greatest Hip Hop album of all time, Illmatic.”
The senator described the project as “the soundtrack” of his youth. “Nas has been a Hip Hop griot — the rapid response system for the streets, for lack of a better term,” he added. “And if you have a top five without Nas in it, you shouldn’t listen to rap music.”
The album, which includes classic hits like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park),” and “Represent,” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2001. It features production work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, and Pete Rock, among others.
Mark your calendar, tickets go on sale Friday, May 24 at 10 a.m. PT on Ticketmaster, starting at $69.95 plus fees.