Photo by ur.LIFE Files

A small selection of lucky, loyal Nas fans who weathered yesterday’s unusual torrential downpour were treated to a free album release concert in New York City courtesy of the MLB Fan Cave. Even in the face of emergency weather reports, Nas delivered exactly what his fans expected: a grand slam performance.

While the venue was both cramped and crowded, the small, intimate setting allowed Nas to wild out at his own discretion, making the one-room cave feel as though it were ten times larger. Starting his set with “The Don” and ending with “One Mic,” Nas channeled the nasty to its fullest. New tracks off of Life is Good were brought out as well, leaving Nas emotional as he showcased songs from his new album for the fist time. “Bye Baby” struck a nerve especially. “This is probably the most important story on the album,” he said. Even those unfortunate enough to not get into the venue could feel Nas’s energy from the glass walls on West 4th. One fan remarked during the performance, “He looks so happy.” Nas couldn’t agree more. “That’s why I had to made this album,” he told the Fan Cave audience. “It had to have meaning.”

Unfortunately, Nas’s usual lyricism was slightly stunted during the show by censorship, as he was careful to stay clean for his PG-13 crowd. Of course, that certainly did not stop loyal fans from replacing deleted lyrics with their own explicit shouts on “The World Is Mine,” “Made You Look,” “Represent,” “Hip Hop Is Dead,” and other classics. Check out videos below!

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