Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Busta Rhymes & guests brought NY rap classics on tour (pics, videos)
The Wu-Tang Clan and Nas just wrapped up their N.Y. State of Mind Tour with special guest Busta Rhymes at San Diego’s Petco Park on 10/6, a show that was added after the tour had already kicked off. It happened right after the one at LA’s Hollywood Bowl on 10/4, which was especially epic, with Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Jadakiss, and Redman coming on stage during Wu-Tang’s set. (Redman also came out at the hometown-area Newark show too.) Here’s an excerpt of Rolling Stone’s review of the Newark show:
During Wu-Tang, Nas, and Busta Rhymes’ roughly two-hour tour through their vast catalogs, there were no signs of generational fracture. Everyone — including 52-year-old Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who RZA announced had extended the show past its 11:00 p.m. curfew — was on the same page. The mayor of the city across the river from Newark should take note.
Wu-Tang opened the show, with RZA individually introducing the eight members who were on the tour like prizefighters taking the ring. Method Man previously said he wasn’t performing on the tour, but he made a surprise appearance later in the night, during “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin to Fuck With,” and rocked out for the rest of Wu’s final set. Initially, however, eight members ran through a medley of their extensive catalog. Six Wu members left the stage, which left Rae and Ghost to perform songs from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, including “Verbal Intercourse,” which was a smooth pathway to bring Nas out.
The show ran in relay-race fashion, with interspersed collaborations being strategically used to bring the next man out. Wu opened the show, then Nas did his set, then Busta Rhymes performed, then Nas again, then Wu-Tang closed. This allowed the audience to get their fill from each act without feeling like any artist upstaged the other. Nas’ initial set was solid, as the weight of beloved songs would have kept the crowd engaged no matter how he performed.
We’ve got a set of pics from the Petco Park show by Mathieu Bredeau, and you can check those out below alongside fan-shot videos from the tour and a mini-documentary about the tour.
Also of note: Pitchfork just reviewed five classic Wu-Tang group and solo albums yesterday, including Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which got a 10. (Check them out here.) This follows Pitchfork’s ’90s week, which included a new list of the best albums of the 1990s, which had 36 Chambers at #5 and Nas’ Illmatic at #22.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN_z4Di_uec&t=226s
Took my girl to see #Nas / #Jadakiss/ #MethodMan / #Wu-Tang/ #BUSTARHYMES 😮💨😮💨😮💨😮💨🛸🛸🛸 #90shiphop #hiphop #rap #goat pic.twitter.com/KWcwdb8LZb
— MIKEE ROXX (@MikeeRoxx) October 5, 2022
https://twitter.com/web3superhero/status/1577688672027037696
