Nas announces ‘Illmatic’ 30th anniversary UK and European tour

Nas has announced details of a new UK and European tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his iconic album ‘Illmatic’. Find ticket details below.

• READ MORE: Nas – ‘King’s Disease III’ review: hip-hop great delivers compelling conclusion to his album trilogy

The dates will see the hip-hop legend embark on a number of shows across the continent later this year to mark 30 years since he dropped his iconic debut album.

Set to run throughout October and November, 15 shows are lined up, and each live date will see the American rapper and East Coast legend perform the breakthrough album in its entirety.

The dates kick off with the run of European shows, starting at the House Of Culture venue in Helsinki on October 22. From there, Nas will perform at B-K in Stockholm on October 24, followed by dates in Copenhagen (25), Cologne (27), Milan (30) and Switzerland (31).

A second leg of shows across Europe is lined up for the beginning of November, including gigs in Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris, before they wrap up with a slot at the Stadthalle Offenbach in Germany on Friday, November 8.

The final part of the 2024 tour will comprise of four shows in the UK, beginning with a stop at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on November 10, followed by shows in Edinburgh and Wolverhampton. The stint wraps up with a closing performance at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London on November 15.

Tickets are on sale at 10am on Next Thursday (April 25) and will be available here. Check out a full list of upcoming tour dates below.

Nas’s ‘Illmatic 30th Anniversary’ tour dates are:

October
22 – House of Culture, Helsinki (Finland)
24 – B-K, Stockholm (Sweden)
25 – Kb Hallen, Copenhagen, (Denmark)
27 – Palladium, Cologne (Germany)
30 – Fabrique, Milan (Italy)
31 – Halle 622 – Zurich (Switzerland)

November
2 – Gasometer, Vienna (Austria)
3 – Berlin, Uber Eats Music Hall (Germany)
5– AFAS Live, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
7 – Le Zenith, Paris (France)
8 – Stadthalle Offenbach, Offenbach (Germany)
10 – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester (UK)
11 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh (UK)
14 – University Wolverhampton at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (UK)
15 – Royal Albert Hall, London (UK)

Originally, ‘Illmatic’ was shared in 1994 by a then 20-year-old Nas as his debut LP, and quickly gained momentum for painting a vivid picture of what it meant to grow up in New York in the 90’s. It contained modern-day classics including ‘N.Y State of Mind’, ‘Halftime’, ‘The World Is Yours’ and ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’.

Since its release, it has gone on to be certified RIAA platinum and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop albums of all time.

As well as announcing the upcoming tour dates, Nas has also commemorated the 30th anniversary of ‘Illmatic’ with the release of a new track, ‘Define My Name’. Produced by DJ Premier – who worked on a handful of tracks on the timeless classic, the song is out now via Mass Appeal. Check it out below.

Last September, Nas surprised fans by announcing the release of his latest album, ‘Magic 3’ –the follow-up to last July’s ‘Magic 2’.

The LP marked the final instalment of his ‘Magic’ trilogy, which started when he shared the first album on Christmas Eve 2021.

Ahead of his headline dates, Nas will also be performing at The Roots’ annual Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia. The line-up for the two-day music festival was announced earlier this year, and the 2024 edition see the event return to its usual home of The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA on June 1-2.

Others on the bill include Lil Wayne, Jill Scott and André 3000. The latter will be performing a special set in support of his recently released debut solo LP ‘New Blue Sun’.

Aside from the Roots Picnic Festival, Nas will also be headed to All Points East 2024, as he joins Ezra Collective and headliner Loyle Carner. Find remaining tickets to all of his upcoming dates here.

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