Maxwell And Nas Jam Out For The Lovers At Valentine's Day Concert In Brooklyn [Review + Video]
Photos by Victoria Ford / Sneakshot for Okayplayer
Ladies and gentlemen, going into the Valentine’s Day holiday you could have done something sexy like run a bubblebath, or you could be dickish and stay at home and watch the NBA All-Star game.
If you’re like me, then you know that you can’t go out like a chump on one of the biggest holidays of the year. So, with Kobe Bryant‘s last hoorah playing on screens in bars all across America, we here at OKP decided to take my talents to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to see two legends put on a great show for lovers of all ages and backgrounds.
Maxwell, announcing after five years that he’d be returning home to Brooklyn to perform, brought Queensbridge’s own Nasir Jones to set out the concert venue stadium and brought UK singer-songwriter Emeli Sande for the ride. Arriving just shortly after her opening performance, we took our seats and awaited the awesomeness to blare from stadium speakers.
Nas, who is no stranger to New York audiences, came out dressed to kill in a black-and-white tux, which showed off a hint of bling underneath the collar. The Illmatic star was shown nothing but love by Gotham’s own, and flipped their collective lids when the man known as Nasir Jones performed “Represent,” a standout cut from his 5-mic classic offering.
Watch him perform the track below:
Nas shared his headliner status masterfully with Maxwell, performing as an MC who can still scorch a mic or two with no sweat at all. With this year marking the 20th anniversary of his It Was Written album, Nas made sure that people knew his credentials. As he laced the crowd with “If I Ruled The World” with the late Natalie Cole‘s nephew, Eddie Cole, providing backing vocals.
Lovebirds were saluted by the great Nasir Jones, which was a nice touch being Valentine’s Day and all. Yet, with ex-lovers scratching in the background, Nas showed them the exit when he performed “Bye Baby” from his last Def Jam album, Life Is Good. Even while trotting out the heavy hits, Nas couldn’t help but pay homage to the fallen during his lengthy set. It was then that we witness just how deep his love for Amy Winehouse is when he performed “Cherry Wine,” which featured the late, great songstress on the hook.
Watch the performance below:
20-plus years of experience, a catalog of hits and oodles of charisma, Nas left Brooklyn a teetering rubble of masses. Leaving messages for the lovers and haters, the hip-hop legend proved that he is still one of the best to ever grace the stage and hold the mic.
The elegant maestro of R&B, Maxwell, has provided loving tunes for audiences for over 20 years. A fixture of the mid-1990s neo-soul wave, the Brooklyn-born singer has not performed in the city that raised him in almost five years. So, how would he be received when he finally took the stage at last night’s Valentine’s Day concert?
Despite dipping in visibility the past few years, Maxwell remains a legendarily strong performer with a genre influence on par with the Erykah Badu’s and D’Angelo’s of the world. As a representative of the music gods, Maxwell definitely brought that old, sensual feeling that left women weak in the knees and fellas with a sly word to place in their ear.
After celebrating the 20th year anniversary of his debut album, Urban Hang Suite, Maxwell upped the ante a bit by performing one of his certified hits from his elegant, BLACKsummers’night album, which was released in 2009. The six-time Grammy nominated project fueled the love in the air, as Maxwell admittedly crooned his “Badhabits” to the willingly frisky audience.
Watch Maxwell bust out some pretty smooth moves and notes below:
The artist known as Maxwell received plenty of love from the hometown audience, as friends and family cheered him on happily throughout the night. The singer was also engaging with the audience, making the rounds from stage left to stage right and creating a bit of fun throughout the night. This came in the form of the “Kiss Cam,” which allowed lovers of all colors and backgrounds to smooch it up as Maxwell rocked the night away.
Throughout it all, Okayplayers, we had a great time witnessing two legends performing at a high level. The East New York native regaled us with tales of when he was a teenager working at Pizza Hut, and as he laced hit after hit, that old-school R&B feeling was there greatly. It was impressive to see Maxwell work the crowd into a sweaty fervor, as he even managed to drum up awareness about his new, as-yet-to-be revealed album. How did he do it? Well, as anyone does the days… in the form of a surprise song from out of nowhere.
Maxwell and Nas will once again grace the stage tonight at New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Get your tickets if you haven’t already!
