By Shaheem Reid of MTV News
NEW YORK — Nas in New York equals special. That's the belief of every fan of Nasir Jones who has been faithfully riding with him since he was a 16-year-old MC rhyming about getting into a physical confrontation with the original God's son, Jesus.
Nas doesn't perform in his hometown that often. The most memorable show he did here in recent years was in summer 2004 in Central Park. At the free park jam, he tore off the proverbial roof — well, not really; it was outdoors, after all — brought out Mobb Deep, demeaned the G-Unit and the Diplomats, and performed selections from his coveted catalog.
On Wednesday night, Nas played his second rare show at a major venue in NYC in recent weeks. He performed at the Hammerstein Ballroom, which is smaller than the venue he played several weeks ago, the Roseland Ballroom.
"I'm hyped right now," the usually laid-back MC told MTV News backstage approximately an hour before showtime. He was itching to get onstage, especially since he was trying a couple of new additions to his show: a small live band, and legendary producer Marley Marl backing him as the show DJ.
"We've been practicing out in California," Marley — showing no sign of having suffered a heart attack earlier this year — said as he waited to get behind the ones and twos.
As showtime grew closer, Nas revealed he wanted to do a very short run of venues across the country — he's performing New Year's Eve in L.A. — because he did not put out an album this year as promised. He didn't want to leave his fans with nothing. (continue)
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