Nas is back!
Nas’ 11th solo album Nasir was debuted in full late last night (June 14) at a listening party near Queensbridge Park in Queens, New York, and I had the pleasure of joining the VIP party!The Kids Are Our Future. NASIR out everywhere tomorrow! Executive Produced by @kanyewest #NASIR pic.twitter.com/gpRUBT7FPU— Nasir Jones (@Nas) June 14, 2018
Celebrity guests included Kim Kardashian, La La Anthony, Chris Rock, Swizz Beatz, 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Pusha T, Victor Cruz, Lil' Mama, DJ Clue, and many more.
I love how many artists came out in support of Nas!
The event was outside, the weather was perfect and everyone roamed around like there was no care in the world. The celebrities were accessible and there was no crazy security separating the celebs once you entered the gates.
I knew about the event before word got out on other blogs and social media, but I was lowkey with my invite because the venue kept changing and it was all put together at the last minute at a secret location (even though it was expected because Kanye had his listening party in Wyoming not too long ago ... and they had BBQ!).
I knew about the event before word got out on other blogs and social media, but I was lowkey with my invite because the venue kept changing and it was all put together at the last minute at a secret location (even though it was expected because Kanye had his listening party in Wyoming not too long ago ... and they had BBQ!).
I chatted with Lil' Mama, Victor Cruz, some guy who worked on the "Mean Girls" movie, a "Champs Vs. Stars" reality star, and other media personalities.
I walked up to Victor Cruz and said, "Hey, do you remember me from Rutherford, NJ when I met you the first time at that Thai restaurant and your daughter was playing with my car keys?"
And, he remembered me!
Let me tell you, Victor is such a sweet and humble dude. I didn't see his girlfriend, Karrueche, at the event.
Of course, the event didn't start on time so my friend and I mingled in the crowd until finally, I got word that Kim and Kanye pulled up. Then, Nas pulled up. The talent was finally in the building.
The crowd started gathering down closer to the water, right by Queensboro Bridge where huge speakers were set up and Nas' album started playing.
"ESCOBAR SEASON BEGINS!," blares loudly from the speakers.
The crowd went wild!
2 Chainz, Swizz Beatz and Kanye started bumping their heads up and down to the beat. The crowd was feeling it, the vibe was like one huge block party. Everyone just huddled together and was feeling the bars that Nas was spittin' in his new songs.
One of my favorite songs on the album is "Adam & Eve" -- that joint goes HARD, trust me.
One dope song played after another and a couple of times the crowd would yell, "RUN THAT BACK! ... RUN THAT BACK!"
Since the album only has seven tracks, they replayed the songs more than once. Someone else in the crowd yelled out, "KANYE! YOU'RE A F*CKIN' GENIUS!"
Kanye was literally in arms reach of where I was standing. In that moment, your title didn't matter. It didn't matter if you were an A-list celeb or a social media influencer or a regular ol' fan who knew somebody with the hook up. We all stood there, outside, and rocked out to the beat. I was just blessed to be invited.
We waited six long years for another Nas album. I needed this. Hip hop needed this. The culture needed this.
Stream Nas' album below and check out more clips and photos from his listening party last night:A post shared by Johnny Nunez (@johnnynunez) on
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