Nas Presents Time Is Illmatic in Oakland

It was back in 1994 when the groundbreaking album from New York rapper Nasir Jones better known as Nas, released his Illmatic debut, and over the years has been critically acclaimed as the best hip-hop album of all time. I was a kid in kindergarten when Illmatic was dropped and I didn’t become accustomed to Nas’ music until a couple years later. Fast-forward to the year 2014 and Nas is celebrating the 20^th anniversary of his staple album with a nationwide tour. On October 21st, hip-hop heads filled the Fox Theater in Oakland to show their appreciation for the MC who helped change the music game.

This wasn’t just an ordinary concert, but a cinematic story of the creative process behind the album and how it has inspired artists, educators, and activists. The night began with a screening of the documentary, Nas: Time is Illmatic. The film’s director and producer One9 along with writer Erik Parker gave a brief introduction thanking Nas for making the album and telling a story that needed to be heard across all cities. Nas narrates the film along with his brother Jabari “Jungle” Jones and his father Olu Dara. The film gives insight to Nas’ childhood growing up in the Queensbridge housing projects, encounters with inner-city violence and the drug epidemic, his fascination for the New York hip-hop music scene, and landing his first record deal. The film breaks down the making behind each Illmatic track with talks from the album’s producers including Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and DJ Premier. Tales are told from his fellow music peers such as Pharrell, J. Cole, Alicia Keys, and Erykah Badu of how the album inspired their lives. It’s a refreshing account depicting how hip-hop music has evolved over time and Nas helping to pave the way for future artists.

To top off the night was after the film screening when the rapper came out to perform the Illmatic album in its entirety. The backdrop showed images of city living and events that captured a New York essence with the Bay Area audience. He also switched some of his lyrics around to mention the city of Oakland. As the crowd rapped every line to each song, he encouraged them on his inspirational track, “The World Is Yours.” Nas concluded his Illmatic set with a vintage picture of the late Michael Jackson as he sampled the “Human Nature” hit on “It Ain’t Hard To Tell.” This album is still highly praised in the music world, not just for the artistic production, but the inspirational lyrics that are pertinent to the culture of today. After he performed the album, he went into a couple of his latter hits like “Hate Me Now” and “Made You Look.” At the end of the show, he brought his brother Jungle on stage to join him in performing “One Mic” as everyone in the audience put one hand in the air.

I was already a fan of Nas’ music, but after this show I have so much more appreciation for him as an artist and his legacy. Nas was a kid who grew up in the projects and never gave up on what he believed in. After being a veteran in the industry for 20 years now, he’s being recognized by prestigious organizations such as Harvard University. Anyone who is a fan of hip-hop will appreciate the documentary and if you didn’t get a chance to catch the tour, the film is now available on iTunes and On Demand. Nas thanked the Oakland crowd for supporting him on his journey, “We’ll be back next year and the next 20 years after that.” So what’s the melody behind Nas: Time is Illmatic? The classic hip-hop album tells Nas’ story about searching for his voice in America and how everyone can live out their dream.