Hip Hop icons Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have announced the 2023 co-headline run of their N.Y. State of Mind Tour, which will be hitting multiple continents this year including a stop off at The O2 Arena in London on the 13th of June.
On O2 or Virgin Media? Secure your Priority Tickets for the London leg of the tour HERE this Wednesday 1st March from 8:30am ahead of the general sale.
The 2023 tour comes on the heels of the sold out 2022 N.Y. State of Mind Tour run that hit 25+ cities last year, including an iconic show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The tour was also recently nominated for Pollstar’s 2022 Hip Hop Tour of The Year.
Considered by many to be the greatest hip-hop group of all time, Wu-Tang Clan have been touring as a unit since their debut record — Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — came out in 1993. The now triple-platinum release vaulted the New York City group with songs like “C.R.E.A.M.” (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) and “Protect Ya Neck” that are about as recognizable as anything in the rap canon.
Their live sets are a family affair, with every member of the crew representing their lyrical contributions to the Wu’s eight studio albums, as well as notable cuts from the Wu-Tang solo discography. With the omnipresent Wu-Tang “W” flanking all angles of the stage, there’s a familiarity to Wu-Tang Clan’s music that gives their shows unique mass appeal.
Whether they’re delivering the 36 Chambers record front to back on the album’s 25th Anniversary Tour, or tracks from GZA’s seminal Liquid Swords and Raekwon’s mafioso-minded Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, or honoring the legacy of their departed brother, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, every Wu-Tang Clan show is a celebration of prolific careers as individuals and especially as the most storied group in hip-hop history.
Nas (Nasir Jones) first reached an international audience when his track “Halftime” was tapped by producer MC Serch as the opening cut on 1992’s Zebrahead movie soundtrack. Signed to Columbia Records, the first full-length album by poet and rhyme-master Nas arrived in 1994, Illmatic. The RIAA platinum hip-hop landmark featured “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” “The World Is Yours,” and “One.” 1996 brought the breakthrough double-platinum It Was Written (#1 R&B for 7 weeks, #1 pop for 4 weeks), with his first major crossover singles “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).” Success continued with the double-platinum I Am in 1999 (again #1 pop and #1 R&B), with the chart singles “Nas Is Like,” “Hate Me Now” (featuring Puff Daddy), and “You Won’t See Me Tonight” (featuring Aaliyah).
Subsequent albums by Nas included: the RIAA platinum Nastradamus (1999, #2 R&B, #7 pop, with “Nastradamus” and “You Owe Me,” featuring Ginuwine); the platinum Stillmatic (2001, #1 R&B, #5 pop, with “Got Ur Self A…,” “ “One Mic,” and “Rule”); the platinum God’s Son (2002, #1 R&B, with huge R&B/pop crossover hits “Made You Look” and “I Can”); and the platinum double-CD Street’s Disciple (2004, #2 R&B, #5 pop, with “Bridging the Gap” and “Just a Moment”). And his 2012 album, Life Is Good earned him 4 Grammy nominations including Rap Album of the Year and is certified RIAA gold.
Produced by Live Nation, the 32-date global tour kicks off on Tuesday, May 9th in Auckland, New Zealand at Spark Arena, with additional stops across New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe before wrapping up on Sunday, October 22nd at Yaamava Theatre in Highland, CA.
On O2 or Virgin Media? Secure your Priority Tickets for the London leg of the tour HERE this Wednesday 1st March from 8:30am ahead of the general sale.
