Nas has announced that he’s set to head out on a North American tour, and his collaborator and long-time friend, Lauryn Hill will be joining him.
A couple of weeks ago, the Queens rapper shared on Instagram that his new album is almost ready. To make the wait more entertaining, he announced dates for a North American tour alongside the soul singer Lauryn Hill. They will be joined by comedian Hannibal Buress and reggae singer Chronixx on select tour stops.
The announcement comes after the rapper celebrated Hill’s 42nd birthday together on May 26. He shared a photo on Instagram of the two having a good time, cutting the cake. “Singing Happy Birthday Stevie Wonder style to my soul sister Ms. Lauryn Hill blessings and blessings love. (Free the Big Bro Lord),” he wrote in the caption.
The ‘Ms. Lauryn Hill & Nas’ tour will kick off in Chicago on September 7, and the last stop will be in Vancouver on October 11. They will be visiting a total of 17 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
The pair has collaborated several times in the past
The rapper and Fugees frontwoman did a collaboration together years ago, and they have remained close ever since. Back in 1996, Nas featured Hill in the track “If I Ruled The World” off his ‘It Was Written’ album, and the song became a classic.
Later, in 2012, the singer joined forces with Nas for the ‘Life Is Good/Black Rage Tour,’ named after Nas’ 2012 album and “Black Rage,” a single released by Ms. Hill about racial inequity, abuse, and its consequences. “This is history,” Nas said at the time.
Throughout the years, the pair has also done surprise appearances together, like a duet at 2014 Coachella.While Ms. Hill hasn’t released a new album since her 1998’s classic ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ Nas’ upcoming album will be the follow-up to 2012’s ‘Life Is Good.’
Everyone is expecting Hill to arrive late to the shows
During the past years, a lot of uncertainty has grown around Ms. Hill live shows. In 2016 the singer showed up two hours late for a concert in Atlanta. She arrived just half an hour before the venue’s 11 p.m. closing time. She later took her Facebook page to explain herself: her energy wasn’t aligned with the time, and she didn’t want to deliver her fans a show that would lack “spontaneity” and “vitality,” because she couldn’t force the artistic process.
Earlier, in the 2011 edition of Rock The Bells, Nas and Hill were set to share a stage in Toronto. The rapper was the opening act, but fans had to wait two hours for Hill to show up. By the time, many people from the audience had already left.
It is not clear yet whether Nas or Hill will perform late, but people on Twitter are expecting the worst:
Check out the full tour dates
- Sept 7 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
- Sept 8 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
- Sept 10 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
- Sept 12 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
- Sept 14 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
- Sept 15 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
- Sept 20 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
- Sept 22 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater
- Sept 23 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
- Sept 27 – Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
- Sept 28 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory*
- Sept 30 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
- Oct 3 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
- Oct 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
- Oct 7 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
- Oct 10 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
- Oct 11 – Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum