When seeing an artist with a legendary status as established as Nas’, it’s impossible not to walk in with high expectations – expectations that can be hard to meet.

Yet, opening with the acclaimed ‘The World Is Yours’, you could feel the exhilarating atmosphere from the first line, showing that the rapper has not lost any bit of his stamina, the crowd enthusiastically singing back from Nas’ first “who’s world is this?”

Nas at Electric Picnic 2024. Copyright Maya Solanki.

With the rapper calling back to his “OG fans” and his “day one family”, and the audience responding with twice as much energy every time, you could physically feel the love emanating from the ground of the Electric Arena – and it was given back ten folds by the man of the hour, his joy of being on stage so contagious that the whole show felt like a massive celebration.

No matter the exhilarating quality of Nas’ presence, the bottom line of his music stays angry, by nature of being political – and the rapper never lets you forget how mad you should be, immediately following a cheeky “happy birthday, everybody!” with the most ferocious, gut-wrenching version of ‘Represent’ he could possibly perform, reaching deep within your chest and leaving a burning trail there.

But being angry is not all that Nas can do, as represented by his performance of ‘If I Ruled The World’ and the relentless backup vocals offered by the crowd, the song hopeful, heart-warming and boisterous as the rapper shared his dreams for a utopian world. Nas can also be emotional, paying tribute to his long-time friend Amy Whinehouse before singing their classic duet ‘Cherry Wine’.

Nas felt right at home on the Electric Arena stage – or perhaps in Ireland as a whole, his band accompanying the audience’s shouts with drums and bass lines as if they were a vital part of the set.

Nas at Electric Picnic 2024. Copyright Maya Solanki.

At the end of Nas’ hour-long performance, it was hard to pinpoint what, exactly, made it so wonderful – perhaps it was the man’s charisma, forcing your eyes to stay right on him the whole time, or his incredible talent as a songwriter and performer, demanding your relentless attention, love and excitement. No matter the response, one thing was clear: Nas is an absolute hip-hop legend, who has nothing to prove to anyone anymore, and yet still does it every time.