Live Review: Nas, MC Dusk

Illmatic is undeniably one of the most (if not the most) influential hip hop albums of all time.

To those who don’t know, Illmatic would be the equivalent of Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue, or Sgt. Peppers… by The Beatles, released in 1994 alongside some of the greatest hip hop records, such as Wu-Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers, Notorious BIG’s Ready To Die and A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders. It’s incredible that 20 years on some of these artists would still be touring regularly, and even celebrating the anniversaries of their albums.

For such an incredible night, it’s a shame that MC Dusk even be mentioned. It was obvious that people were there purely to see Nas and had not a care in the world for any supporting acts. It’s also disappointing that an “artist” who hadn’t even released one single song at the time of the tour announcement would be supporting one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time. MC Dusk came on stage to silence, apart from the odd heckle from audience members who had presumably heard her poorly-received single, produced by Suffa of Hilltop Hoods. She was uncomfortable talking between songs, and had a terrible stage presence and an outfit that looked like a middle-aged mum trying to dress ‘hip’; her set can best be described as when a random artist comes into a high school and all the kids are forced to sit down and listen to their awkward music. Awful, just awful.

The lights dimmed over the full Thebarton Theatre as the intro to Illmatic played over the PA, samples from the film, Wild Style, transporting the crowd back to the early ‘90s. The beat of N.Y. State Of Mind started as hands flew into the air and cheers filled the venue. Nas appeared as a silhouette in the middle of a blue circle background, his presence met with applause as he launched into the first verse, his stage presence incredible, his delivery amazing and the crowd shouting back every lyric he wanted to hear. Clips from The Warriors played behind him, a classic NYC movie for a classic NYC album. The end of the first track barely finished as the bells of Halftime began, the beat dropping in the middle to allow Nas to do a verse a cappella, finishing with a shout-out to AZ, who was sadly not present on the tour.

Every track was delivered like it was, if not better than, on the original record. It seemed as if everybody in the room knew every single word to the whole album, singing along to the crooning voice of Q-Tip in the chorus of One Love, or the gang vocal start of Represent. Nas paused throughout the set to tell short stories and praise people who had passed, who had been an influence or with whom he’d been involved with some way, such as Michael Jackson, Notorious BIG, DJ Premier and Large Professor. Fittingly, of course, he finished the Illmatic part of the show with the last track off the album, It Ain’t Hard To Tell, to applause that filled the entire venue. Nas moved around the stage like he owned it, his lines hitting hard and never faulting. 21 years on, Nas performed Illmatic like it was the early ‘90s again, with the power and expertise that made the album what it’s still known for today.

The second half showcased a variety of songs released after Illmatic, beginning with The Message and working through songs that included Street Dreams, Nastradamus and If I Ruled The World. A crowd favourite, Made You Look, had hands in the air and the crowd moving as soon as the gun shot at the start of the track was heard. Finishing with the intimate One Mic, the crowd demanded an encore before Nas was even off the stage.

The first track of the encore, Got Ur Self A..., was met with loud applause, the crowd jumping and moving as Nas once again performed without a fault. Launching into the hard-hitting track off his latest record, The Don, the bass was felt throughout the venue as the crowd still responded well after the 20-minutes-something long encore set. Finishing with the soulful Stay, the horns and soft singing filled the Thebarton as Nas sent the Adelaide crowd off.

Nas may not have known how to ‘start this shit’, but he showed that even 21 years on he’s still one of the best rappers in the game. Unfuckwitable.