[Nas, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica at Canopy Club in Urbana, Ill. on 8/30/08]

Click the jump for a bunch of photos, a review, and three videos from the show! 

Photos:

[Ed. note:  there's some Talib Kweli photos, but they're blurry. Secondly, there's some solid video of both Talib and Nas (both of which aren't shaky!), but YouTube is miserable and keeps uploading them and pooping out. So, technology isn't on my side with this one, so hopefully, more will be coming soon.]

It was billed as the “Biggest Hip Hop Show in Canopy Club History,” and frankly, it was. Nas, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica drew a crowd that was so excited to be there, which isn’t usually the case at, say, something like The Mountain Goats. But, when Nas started one song by referencing back to ‘94, it was a quick reminder of how long he’s been in the game, and how many classic songs are by him. As someone who became a fan upon the first listen of his recent, rock-infused, album-namesake track “Hip Hop Is Dead,” it’s easy to forget that he’s a hip-hop institution, and paired along with Talib, it was a hefty bill.

Making slight political commentary while smoothly avoiding the issue — “I don’t believe in the politics, I believe in the people,”  he said — the strongest statement Nas made was a throwaway; one he probably didn’t even notice was notable. “Everybody who believes in God, raise your voice right now,” he shouted, as people screamed back to show their love for the Lord and I grew uncomfortable.

Regardless, Nas’ performance well-eclipsed the last hip-hop show I’d seen on campus —  Lupe Fiasco in Foellinger Auditorium, which had as much atmosphere as a frat boy’s dorm room. This, though, a dark club full of people standing in a clump, was completely different from that spread out, disconnected setting, and was the way a hip-hop show should be seen. Hopefully, they’ll be reusing this show’s “big” tagline for something even larger second semester, considering the assumed success of this show.

Video:

Talib Kweli performing “Hostile Gospel Part 1 (Deliver Us)” at Canopy Club on 8/30:

Talib Kweli performing “Get By” at Canopy Club on 8/30:

Nas performing “Hate Me Now” at Canopy Club on 8/30:

Live Vicariously:

Talib Kweli MySpace

Talib Kweli’s Website

Nas’ MySpace