Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Nas is running a victory lap tonight. During the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the rapper took the stage to perform solo at the ceremony for the first time, donning a grey suit while flowing through select hits. Backed by a band, including Robert Glasper on piano, he opened with “I Can.” Nas also performed “Made You Look,” “One Mic,” and “Rare”, with a snippet of “New York State of Mind” from his 1994 classic debut Illmatic.
Earlier in the evening, the rapper lost Best Rap Album to Tyler, the Creator for CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Also in the category was J. Cole (The Off-Season) and Kanye West (Donda). Nas was also nominated in the Best Rap Song category for “Bath Salts” with JAY-Z and the late DMX, losing to Ye and JAY-Z for Donda track “Jail.”
The medley makes his second time performing at the Grammys, last hitting the stage in 2020 alongside Lil Nas X for “Rodeo (Remix)”. In 2021, Nas won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album with Hit-Boy for their inaugural collaborative album King’s Disease.
Nas’ last album Magic arrived on Christmas Eve of last year as his third collaborative effort with Hit-Boy. Prior to the album’s release, last August, the rapper gave Hit-Boy a shoutout and subtly teased their third album on The Ebro Show.
“He’s like my Quincy [Jones], you know what I mean?… So I feel like the next thing I do, if I was to work with Hit-Boy on the next thing I do, I think that we might do something that is going to be magical. I think what we have is magic.”
Your real-time guide to all the winners at the 2023 Grammys ceremony, updated throughout the… Read More
The Round-Up is Okayplayer’s weekly playlist of the best songs in the worlds of hip-hop… Read More
JAY-Z will perform alongside DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne and more during an all-star live performance… Read More
On Thursday, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott and Sylvia Rhone were honored as new… Read More
In the new Rick Rubin book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, it's unclear… Read More
The city of Miami was mocked on social media on Thursday after Mayor Francis Suarez… Read More