Nas / The Roots review â NY rap legend is in a nostalgic state of mind
Crystal Palace Bowl, London Nas performs his gritty but intricate 90s classics, sharing the bill on the first London edition of the Roots Picnic festival
Crystal Palace Bowl, London Nas performs his gritty but intricate 90s classics, sharing the bill on the first London edition of the Roots Picnic festival with Questlove and coâs exuberant funk Looking out over the audience at the Crystal Palace Bowl, Nas feels moved to reminisce about his first visit to London. It was in 1994, around the time he released his landmark debut album Illmatic; he remembers performing on pirate radio stations and âeating good Jamaican foodâ.
It seems unlikely that he ever thought heâd be back in the capital sharing the stage with a man playing a sousaphone, but such is the power of the Roots Picnic, a US institution for nearly 20 years. Its famously eclectic bill has regularly featured great rappers backed by hip-hopâs premier live band, sousaphone player and all: Lilâ Wayne, the Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z.
Before Nas appears at the festivalâs first London iteration, the Roots play their own set, augmented by a guest appearance from Yasiin Bey, the rapper formerly known as Mos Def. It plays out almost as one long medley which shifts restlessly between their own back catalogue and old funk, soul and disco covers. They do a killer version of James Brownâs The Payback.
Awesomely tight, driven by the relentless crack of drummer Questloveâs snare and heavy on jazzy brass solos, itâs a perfect demonstration of the unique musical space theyâve carved out over the years, somewhere between hip-hop and jam band: the Grateful Dead of rap, if you like. Continue reading...
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