On Saturday, December 13, Nas transformed the area outside T-Mobile Arena into a full cultural moment. Between the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal games, the Queens legend pulled up for a special Amazon Music In the Paint performance during NBA on Prime. Fans were exiting the arena, still coming off the games, when the music started, and the focus shifted outside.

This was an outdoor setup, open-air, with lights reflecting off the Strip and a crowd that knew precisely who they were about to see. Backed by a live band, Nas ran through records that sit at the core of hip hop culture. “Got Urself A Gun” made everyone reminisce on a more solid time in Hip Hop, “New York State of Mind” had people rapping bar for bar, and of course, “Oochie Wally” pushed the momentum higher, with heads nodding and phones raised.

He did not keep the set stuck in the past, though. Nas made space for what he is doing now, sliding in new records from “Light Years,” his latest album with DJ Premier, released Friday via Mass Appeal. “Git Ready” and “Welcome to the Underground” fit perfectly into the set, grounded and intentional. The connection between Nas and Premier remains central to his story, a partnership that traces back to “Illmatic” and continues to shape his legacy.

Keeping connection at the forefront, the crowd responded immediately when the Grammy Award-winning rapper brought out longtime friend and collaborator AZ. Seeing them together again felt unreal and nostalgic. They performed “Life’s A B*tch”, followed by “Affirmative Action” and “Phone Tap.” It was one of those moments people will talk about later and mean it when they say they were there.

Amazon Music’s In the Paint series brings basketball and hip hop together in a courtside setting, and Nas fit the moment perfectly. One performance airs during the NBA on Prime broadcast, with another available exclusively in the Amazon Music app. The series debuted on December 5 with Clipse, and Nas added his own chapter. If you missed it, you can now catch his performance of “Welcome to the Underground” streaming on Amazon Prime and relive this legendary moment in sports and entertainment.