Watch Nas, Q-Tip & The Roots Revisit Illmatic On The Tonight Show
Nas’s beyond-classic debut Illmatic turns 20 this year, and he’s celebrating by releasing a 20th-anniversary reissue and doing the album in full on tour. Last night, he appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s rebooted Tonight Show, performing the Illmatic track “One Love,” which Q-Tip produced, with Tip himself sitting by his side and playing hypeman. And of course the Roots backed him up; this was the sort of thing they were practically created to do. As an online bonus, they also did the Pete Rock-produced “The World Is Yours.” Nas was intense and locked-in, and the songs hold up even better than you remember. Watch both performances below.
The Illmatic XX reissue is out 4/15 on Sony Legacy.