Watch Nas Perform “Illmatic” With National Symphony Orchestra

    PBS aired Nas Live From the Kennedy Center: Classical Hip-Hop on Friday night (February 2) as part of its Great Performances series. The special television event revisited Nas’ 20-year anniversary performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center in 2014.

    Throughout the evening, the Hip Hop luminary executed symphonic renditions of classics like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The World Is Yours,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in Da Park),” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.” The special is also peppered with interview clips featuring the Queens-bred MC and provides insight into his journey that started at the Queensbridge projects.

    “I worked on my thing,” he said in a clip. “I worked on my craft and I stuck to it. I hope that you can look through the dream with me and see the journey I took to be on this stage with an orchestra.”

    Watch “One Love” above and find the full video here.

    (The original version of this article was published on January 12, 2018 and can be found below.)

    Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, has become a bona fide Hip Hop classic since its 1994 release. Now, a new PBS special will revisit its 20-year anniversary performance where Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 2014.

    PBS will broadcast the special event on February 2 as part of its Great Performances series. Titled Nas Live From the Kennedy Center: Classical Hip-Hop, the Mass Appeal production is directed by Jason Goldwatch, and executive produced by Nas, Anthony Saleh and Peter Bittenbender.

    Throughout the set, expect the Queens Hip Hop icon to perform songs like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The World is Yours,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park)” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.”

    Nas Live From the Kennedy Center: Classical Hip-Hop will air on PBS on February 2 at 9 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on February 3 on PBS’ website.

    Watch the trailer above.

    61 thoughts on “Watch Nas Perform “Illmatic” With National Symphony Orchestra

    1. Broke ass Nas stays stuck on his overrated debut since that’s all everyone knows from him. King HOV has multiple classics and keeps progressing his music every year.

      1. I applaud your consistency. And yes, Nas leans heavily on his debut, but it’s the greates Hip-Hop album of all time. What classics does Jay have?

      2. Hov does not nothing over Nas! The Greatest Hip Hop album of all Time Nas, illmatic. The greatest diss record of all time “Ether”, the Greatest Rapper and Lyricist of all Time Nas, the best dress rapper of all time, Nas and the most influential rapper of all time by google, Nas, now tell us how can Jay Z F with Nas. Jay only has more money than Nas but who gives a F about who has the most money. It is called rapping and style and not who has the most money in this rap hip hop! Nas will always be better than Jay in this Department and Jay Z even knows this… Remember your boy idiolized Nas and held Nas’s picture up back in the day! Know your hip hop fool! PBS i’ll Be watching this classic! The GOAT Nas

      3. still cant understand why this bitch has so much for Nas ? everytime theres a Nas news or something this guy comments shyt about Nas wtf ?? and Nas aint broke u idiot

      1. Shut the F up and enjoy this classic fool! There will never be another Nas or an illmatic album. Appreciate my nukka! The album is coming…

    2. The G.O.A.T Nas. This is when you know you have made it. PBS wow! Unbelievable man…Nas is stamped forever! We have to appreciate Nas man because this is crazy. If anyone does not know about PBS, please look it up. We are talking about a public funding tv station, with orchestra and a black rapper from Queensbridge, New York. This is monumental just mind-boggling. Nas is the Greatest Rapper ever, man!

      1. I guess you are one of the ones that listen to Migos and Lil Uzel… You are a punk B that like D in your anal. Nas is the Greatest Rapper dead or live fool.

          1. What’s even more predictable is all you butthurt Nas stans that keep replying to me whenever I post. How about YOU sit down?

            1. Least we can sit down..only thing you can manage to sit your ass on is Jay Zs dick. Talk about a stan

      1. Who? A no name rapper! Ha ha ha ha! Nukka get the F out of here with that lame ass statement. No one does it last Nas.

    3. Last night this was unbelievable man! Nas did his thing…. he the the greatest rapper ever! The G.O.A.T bar none… Classic shit right there son…

    4. Yes, you are a clown ass nukka! Who are those dude that you are talking about? Nas is the greatest homie… you cannot compare!

        1. Works perfect to seal the windows til spring. Step your game up, move out of your little sister’s room (the one that used her KFC wages to show you up and move out) and rent or buy a home and you’ll find out caulk does more than slide easily down your throat. Best of luck to you.

      1. You are just a young punk hater that has no respect for your elders and great performance and music! Go kill yourself like ya’ll young people do… lifeless loser!

    5. As a Nas fan its truly annoying that this dude keeps reselling the same album over and over again. Drop the follow up to “life is good” or retire. I don’t want to see you in your 2nd childhood lol make New shit and remind us why your one of the top lyricists ever if you want to stay in this rap shit

      1. Dude as a Nas fan, you should appreciate his perfect art and hard work through the years. Nas did not ask for this, it is what the people wanted. They came to Nas. You guys get it through your think heads! When you do something great in your life people do want to hear the same story over and over again. That is what history is about. “You cannot learn the future if you do not know the past” Name a rapper that Nas has not influence after he came out. This is why we call Nas the People’s Champ he does it for his people and fans. That performance right there will be in a vault for life….think about this shit man from an African American perspective this shit was on PBS. Look it up fool! A rapper rapping during an orchestra set… on PBS… are you serious fool? Do you know your history? Guys like you blow my F mind because you do not read enough nor pay attention to achievements and greatness! Nas is the greatest rapper ever!

      2. I would normally agree with your comment, however, we are talking about an album that many consider the greatest rap album of all time, not only HIS personal best album, though it’s both

        1. Do you really think these guys can smoothly spit lyrical fire like Nas? This was iconic man. You can hear every single syllable in words! You cannot F with that brother! Nas is the only rapper that speaks clearly when rhyming. Nas is the Greatest ever man , bar none! You need to check this performance out and then “reply” back! I saw the entire perfect performance, no one is touching Nas brother! He is just too damn good.

          1. It’s hardly a controversial claim; both are widely considered two of the GOAT. Nas is a top 5 emcee, but he comes in after them.

    6. When they talk about who is the greatest rapper that ever touched a mic, if they do not state Nas’s name end that stupid conversation.

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