Nas | Wu-Tang | De La Soul at Climate Pledge Arena

If you grew up in the 90s and loved the hip-hop/rap music scene, then this show was going to be one you wanted to attend. A lot of the hip-hop hits were put together by the three artists that we would see tonight at the Climate Pledge Arena. Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan, and De La Soul were in town as part of their New York State of Mind tour, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. This was one of my bucket list shows as I loved hip-hop /rap as a 90s kid and it brought a smile to my face being able to catch some of my favorites from that decade.

First up were De La Soul taking the stage and for their special guest they brought out Black Star legend Talib Kweli. Kweli played “Get By,” with them and It was so great to see them go at it, the energy was incredible. When they played “Me Myself and I,” the crowd went wild, all the arena was singing along. The night was off to a powerful start as De La Soul and Kweli finished with tracks, “Ain’t Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie,” and “The Magic Number.”

After a very quick break, the lights dimmed and where a podium with a Wu-Tang logo stood, with the video screens displaying New York City, the legend RZA appeared. He stood on the second level of the stage with his black glasses, Park Hill cap, wearing a leather jacket with studs reciting from his book of words that he has so carefully written. As he played the tracks, slowly one by one members of the hip hop collective joined the show to contribute their part.

First up was Inspectah Deck, then it was Cappadona, and then came out Raekwon for all of us old-school people. After the crew was joined by Ghostface Killah, they played their first set which excited everyone as people were chanting Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang! all through the arena. How amazing it must feel to be up there and being recognized for 30 years of work.

Short break after the set legendary Nas came on the floor accompanied by Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, as he went into a medley of all his hits that everyone loved. People display their excitement for all these legends being together on the floor, are were constantly singing along to the words, waving their hands, and bobbing their heads.

After Nas finished his set, Wu-Tang made their way back to the stage slowly and introduced RZA back on the floor. This time he came out holding a bottle of booze and he gave a shout out to 50 years of hip-hop as he took a sip from the bottle, this time dressed in all red. The highlight of the second set was Method Man joining and playing one of my favorites, “All I Need,” his Grammy Award winning song with Mary J. Blige. His solo record Tical, was on repeat on my discman when it came out in 1994. They took us back to 36 Chambers, and introduced Young Dirty Bastard, (Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s son), as he sang his dad’s part for “Shame on A Nigga.”

After that round, Nas returned to the floor for a very powerful “Hate Me Now,’ and “Got Ur Self a Gun.” His second set was a never ending hit list as he went through “Street Dreams,” “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Made You Look,” and ended with “If I Ruled the World,” a track we all remember singing to when it first came out and have never forgotten the words. Imagine that.

After all the emotions that followed the hit single Nas brought out RZA to the floor and he took a moment to give props to some of the departed that helped shape hip-hop over the last 50 years. The list included Coolio, MCA, Easy E, Biz Markie, DMX, Tupac, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and of course Biggie. Then the rest of the Wu-Tang members came out again and finished the night with “Got Your Money,” “Triumph,” and all together with Nas, “One Mic.” What a night to experience at Climate Pledge. It’s so amazing how a single concert can bring back so many past memories and ignite a fire within us again.