He had just rhymed "I leave the microphone split" and it actually happened in real life right there and then. I microphone malfunctioned!!! Street's disciple indeed, lol
U can see nas exiting stage left after his verse, thus began a producer manhunt for a high school dropout who decided to read the dictionary and change the game
!!! I swear my headphones started buggin at the same time the mic starts buggin!!! the FCK !! no wonder, my head nerly exploded after hearing this after a looong time !!:]
Just for the record all of this classic footage comes from one man! Ralph McDaniels of Video Music Box. He deserves the utmost respect. A true unsung hero of the culture.
We're indeed very lucky that he was there and made such a good quality footage, lots of respect! I will add his name to the description. How did you get this information ?
That crowd was really paying attention to what he was saying. I’m sure they never forget that night seeing Nas the first time and not knowing he’d become the GOAT.
"my mic check is life or death, breathing a snipers breath.." And he was not playing. Put him around a microphone and his lifes opportunities and goals were riding on it. No time for anything other than precise rhymes that kill.. the whole legacy has unfolded beautifully
Never paid as much attention to that line until you've drawn me to it just now. A clever metaphor for baited breath. I love coming back to shit and hearing more than I had previously. His verse here is one of the best of all time.
Nas was around 17 or 18 yrs old. This was the Marc Ballroom in Union Square. I remember this show and it's definitely the first time Nas hit the stage. This brings back memories.
I WAS THERE!!! I used to promote that nightclub da old “Country Club” up on the upper east side WOOOW takes me baaack!!! That night was ca’raaazy SWV, BIGGIE, PUFF, ERR’body!!!
“Swim in in in women like a lifeguard….” Guarantee u no nigga in America heard that line at that time….like if you break down the lyricism it’s unheard of for that time..it was the time big daddy Kane and takin was nasty don’t get me wrong and was heavily influenced by the god but this freestyle is on another level
@@TommieGun71 not everyone heard it. Or did you forget back in the day tapes released slowly on the streets, especially the underground scene. Some people heard it yes, but others heard it for the very first time.
@@Blackfeet Pac was charismatic and died early and is thus wrongfully hailed as the greatest nowadays, when he shouldnt even crack top 10 in terms of lyrics, flow, inventiveness, etc. Nas, rakim, biggie, big L, pun, dmx, guru, kurupt, andre, g rap, scarface, eminem, ghostface, gza, and others all had as good or in most cases better skills on the mic than pac. And Im sure more will come to me, this is just off the top of my head. Hell, take spice1, he did exactly what pac did and arguably just as good but didnt get nearly the same recognition.
I got Illmatic on CD and the single I love it Nas is a legend I was born in 1991 the early 90s all day my mother graduated in 1991 that same year and had me I love my mother and I am from Maryland I am I will be 26 yrs old.
Was recently listening to this at work. When you have ear phones on you can really hear the youthhess in Nas voice. Scary to be so young spitting like that.
Bad isn't it. He's a architect of that whole 90's golden era of rap. Yet we have lil Nas or lil this or that on now for the kids with silly amounts of likes . Personally I think Nas is a better person at rapping nostalgically over what he observes than any other rapper. He gets the story over like Biggie, PAC, etc he's up there and jay ain't got the edge
"Before stepping to me, you'd rather step to Jehovah" WOAH! Jay-Z "Jay-Hova" subliminal diss even before their beef materialized!!! Street's disciple indeed, lol
Man, those 90s crowds you just don't see shit like that anymore. Check out a live performance of You Know my Steez Live 1998. Even small crowds had the place shaking. Everyone's too busy pissing about with their phones now.
i had this entire show on vhs - i cant exactly remember but i think its kilamanjaro with brand nubian , biz , g rap , main source and nas and a tribe called quest i taped 45 min on friday and the rest on saturday afternoon , it was shown on video music box ....unfortunately i lost my vhs copy and no one seems to have the entire full uncut taping ...except probably ralph mcdaniels ... im not 100 percent sure but i think its brand nubian album premiere
"i melt mics till the sound waves over / before stepping to me you'd rather step to Jehovah" (JAYhovah) given how time unfolded and the series of events this unexpectedly aged incredibly really well 😂💯. It was written 😁
And thus, a legend was born
Exactly that!
I agree. The 2nd coming of Rakim.
Greatest of All Time
@@basro22 facts
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣
He had just rhymed "I leave the microphone split" and it actually happened in real life right there and then. I microphone malfunctioned!!! Street's disciple indeed, lol
+Tradutor dawg I don't know what's better u pointing that out or that shit actually happening!!!! anyway much respect
God's Son
wtf hahah
I think that was set up. But it's Nas who knows.
Was gonna comment the same. He split that shit
90s crowd were live as fuck.
No screens in the crowd, people actually lived in the moment
@@teerilla facts bro they were shocked
Anything seems live compared to the crowds in America today go to Europe and you’ll see the difference
And tbh it don’t even look like they was moving that much🤦🏾♂️😂😂 it’s just the ENERGY! Them niggas was focused on watching young Nas up close 👌🏾 🔥🔥🔥
@@Creakytomcat333 facts , over seas they go harder for hip hop.🤦🏾♂️👀😂😂 they making us Look spoiled and spoon fed. Niggas don’t appreciate the art
This verse is insane, especially considering how young nas was at the time.. NASTY NAS!!!
If i was Hearin this shit back in 91. Mffs mind woulda been blown
It’s even crazier because his rhyme scheme were years ahead - he really did birth a style for these guys . By 95 this was the norm
@@JBC02Nas the GOAT, but Rakim birthed the style. you can even hear Rakim's influence in this verse.
@@jeanmarie1824and Kool G Rap. You can hear clearly hear his influence too
Dude was 17 spitting rhymes like this!
I love how he awkwardly went straight to the back like he didn’t do what he just did.
lol
That’s Nas!! Not really a fan of the camera.
He was featured on that track but the show is for Main Source so his part was done
he is just a shy little goober
@@The-Enigma-S7!!.
U can see nas exiting stage left after his verse, thus began a producer manhunt for a high school dropout who decided to read the dictionary and change the game
this is proof that Nas is the greatest rapper of all time
Jimmy Two-Times you better not say that again
+Jimmy Two-Times Nigga lie again
nas is the best
he was great but lacked consistency
personally my favorite rapper is Rakim.
When he says "i leave the microphone split" the mic starts bugging
wow. lol
!!! I swear my headphones started buggin at the same time the mic starts buggin!!! the FCK !! no wonder, my head nerly exploded after hearing this after a looong time !!:]
he wasn't joking i guess.
The mic got ofended
Just a legend
If Nas has a biopic movie, this scene should be in it when he first raps.
Why would they use prerecorded footage for a biopic instead of recreating it?
@@solitary2 he said scene not footage
@@solitary2why would they recreate it when an iconic original video already exists?
@@alexk1367because its a biopic of his life dipshit 🤦🏻
This is the first time Nas rapped onstage
Just for the record all of this classic footage comes from one man! Ralph McDaniels of Video Music Box. He deserves the utmost respect. A true unsung hero of the culture.
We're indeed very lucky that he was there and made such a good quality footage, lots of respect! I will add his name to the description. How did you get this information ?
Absolutely
This comment aged well because Nas himself just a show about Ralph McDaniels and video music box.
Indeed!
The channel where I get all my videos from ?
"time is illmatic keep static like wool fabric" - always loved that.
wrong song.
Pack a 4matic to crack your whole cabbage
@@47negus wich song?
@@yassinemy9175 nas - life's a bitch
Split you’re whole cabbage
That crowd was really paying attention to what he was saying. I’m sure they never forget that night seeing Nas the first time and not knowing he’d become the GOAT.
You can tell Nas is going in on the microphone he was hungry as hell back then to go in the rap game
He was 16 when he made that verse not 18. Just saying.
Yea he was 18 when he released illmatic and this was 3 years before that.
Whysoserious he was 20
major league gamming when illmatic was released
spacejam480 I know
spacejam480 when I said he was 20 i meant when illmatic was released
I still can't believe he was 16 and sounded this cool.
Nigga hasn't age in 30+ yrs
17
@@muhaisfromqueenshe was 16
@@bassboosteddrill bro it literally says 18 at the start 😂
he wrote the verse at 16-17
“Poetry attacks, paragraphs punch hard, my brain is insane, I’m out to lunch God” filthy.
At 0:16 he indeed melted the mic .. Nas The GOAT ... Greatest MC that ever touched the mic
69 likes
KRS RAKIM G RAP AND KANE MIGHT HOLD UP THEIR HANDS
"my mic check is life or death, breathing a snipers breath.."
And he was not playing. Put him around a microphone and his lifes opportunities and goals were riding on it. No time for anything other than precise rhymes that kill.. the whole legacy has unfolded beautifully
Never paid as much attention to that line until you've drawn me to it just now. A clever metaphor for baited breath. I love coming back to shit and hearing more than I had previously. His verse here is one of the best of all time.
Wow Nas' first recorded verse ever, a legend from the start
Nas verse was ground breaking at the time.
Nas was around 17 or 18 yrs old. This was the Marc Ballroom in Union Square. I remember this show and it's definitely the first time Nas hit the stage. This brings back memories.
I WAS THERE!!! I used to promote that nightclub da old “Country Club” up on the upper east side WOOOW takes me baaack!!! That night was ca’raaazy SWV, BIGGIE, PUFF, ERR’body!!!
U witness something special
Big too? When did he drop his first album? I know Nas dropped Illmatic 1991.
He sounded like Kool G Rap.. 28 years now, he's the greatest rapper of all time, Lyrically. He took the G Rap flow, Rakim Lyricism to another level.
This verse was sooo hard, I think people at the time still didn't digest what they had heard. Nas was so ahead of his time it ain't even funny.
Most of the people in the crowd had already heard in the streets..... you think this is the 1st time they perform this song?
“Swim in in in women like a lifeguard….” Guarantee u no nigga in America heard that line at that time….like if you break down the lyricism it’s unheard of for that time..it was the time big daddy Kane and takin was nasty don’t get me wrong and was heavily influenced by the god but this freestyle is on another level
@@TommieGun71 not everyone heard it. Or did you forget back in the day tapes released slowly on the streets, especially the underground scene. Some people heard it yes, but others heard it for the very first time.
They definitely digested it…verse made him a early legend
"I'm iller than an aids patient" will go down as one of the greatest lines I've ever heard
Ash Dewhirst that’s cute look up Big L and his lyrics 🤣
@@CrackerBarrelkid555 pfft. Listen to capital steez.
Like an aids test what’s the result
NOT POSITIVE, WHOS THE BEST PAC NAS AND BIG
@@CrackerBarrelkid555 Nas, Big L, Steez and Kool G Rap are all worthy of being in the same sentence. 4 GOATS
Fuck, I wish I was there.
You were, if you’re down you’re down.
the beginning of greatness
pac was a great artist but nas had pac on lyricism even at 16-17 that's why nas is considered "greatness"
no nas got his own style
@@Blackfeet Pac was charismatic and died early and is thus wrongfully hailed as the greatest nowadays, when he shouldnt even crack top 10 in terms of lyrics, flow, inventiveness, etc. Nas, rakim, biggie, big L, pun, dmx, guru, kurupt, andre, g rap, scarface, eminem, ghostface, gza, and others all had as good or in most cases better skills on the mic than pac. And Im sure more will come to me, this is just off the top of my head. Hell, take spice1, he did exactly what pac did and arguably just as good but didnt get nearly the same recognition.
GOAT
The joint that had labels goin crazy over him. Who woulda thought he would become arguably the greatest of all time
So THIS was Nas FIRST verse? A PROPHET was born!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
The rest is history !!
One of the most important moments of hip hop history
when nas said "step to me you'd rather step to jahovah", the crowd got louder but that verse was dope
Thank you Main source for putting one of the greatest rapper ever on
I got Illmatic on CD and the single I love it Nas is a legend I was born in 1991 the early 90s all day my mother graduated in 1991 that same year and had me I love my mother and I am from Maryland I am I will be 26 yrs old.
Wow I was in this crowd at this show! it was in Manhattan on 11th Avenue!
What's the date?
Just like that the god of Rap was born
This video is pure proof why Nas is one of the greatest rappers ever
Was recently listening to this at work. When you have ear phones on you can really hear the youthhess in Nas voice. Scary to be so young spitting like that.
Nasty Nas his verse gave me chills 🥶🥶🥶🥶🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
21 Average could never!!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I saw this as well on time is illmatic documentary
45k views what a disgrace
Yeah I know... the whole world needs to see this vid ! Share it with your friends :p
Bad isn't it. He's a architect of that whole 90's golden era of rap. Yet we have lil Nas or lil this or that on now for the kids with silly amounts of likes . Personally I think Nas is a better person at rapping nostalgically over what he observes than any other rapper. He gets the story over like Biggie, PAC, etc he's up there and jay ain't got the edge
"I'm iller than an AIDS patient".Jesus Christ!!!. Nas is amazing
Look how shy and coy Nas was. You can tell he was nervous. Clearly before he became a true “Master of the crowd” Nas is the G.O.A.T!!!!
"Before stepping to me, you'd rather step to Jehovah" WOAH! Jay-Z "Jay-Hova" subliminal diss even before their beef materialized!!! Street's disciple indeed, lol
+Tradutor LOL Jay was wearing Hawaiian shirts when Nas dropped this.
+Elvis Maduro lol
+Elvis Maduro & had whiskers like a rat!
and selling drugs on AZ's high school haha
come on guys, nas is better but old jay-z was fire
Kæft Du Tyk ,.LAUGHABLE...have you heard Jay Z's 1st raps...😁😂🤣😃😅
Crazy its now 31 years ago and dude still nice
trying to memorize these lines. the entire verse is legendary!!
Nas killed it 🔥🔥 🔥
Man, those 90s crowds you just don't see shit like that anymore. Check out a live performance of You Know my Steez Live 1998. Even small crowds had the place shaking. Everyone's too busy pissing about with their phones now.
He was saying some wild shit at 17 just like the old odd future songs were
Thank you for this! Played this for my gf... she just bugged out and I'm sure she now understands why I'm such a Nas stan
he was born to be different, legit
i had this entire show on vhs - i cant exactly remember but i think its kilamanjaro with brand nubian , biz , g rap , main source and nas and a tribe called quest i taped 45 min on friday and the rest on saturday afternoon , it was shown on video music box ....unfortunately i lost my vhs copy and no one seems to have the entire full uncut taping ...except probably ralph mcdaniels ... im not 100 percent sure but i think its brand nubian album premiere
The legend was born
Yo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤯 🤯 Classic True Skool🔥🔥
Thank you for posting this! 👊🏽
They so need to make a film about him from hood life to good life!
So ahead of his time 🔥🔥 NASSIR!
& the rest was HISTORY
The day the greatest MC of all time was birthed.
that is some rare shit! Awesome.
Buddy rockin Arrest the president shirt hard need one ASAP
I never saw this until now 7/23/20..🔥🔥🔥
0:16 he wasn't lying, the microphone started messing up not even halfway through his part
One of the coldest debut verses ever
Fast forward 31 years later.. little kids calling him irrelevant!
damn, cant believe i was actually 19 going on 20 Years Old in 1991 , lol
DAMN !!!!, Im OLD !!!! :(
16?!?! Nas is only 16 years old here ??? 🤦🏻♀️ Goat 🐐 ❤💯👀
The G.O.A.T. Since he was a kid, he just throws boom nuclear paragraphs incrementally. He is anger n attacker.
And the Legend was born
And A star was born..
Man Nas was mad young &’sounded like he been in the game for ten years & up!
The Legendary Nas Was Born
and since then nothing has been the same
They just did a live playing of Nas's new album Queen Bridge , Kanye and all types of heads out listening.
This verse 🔥
Its crazy nobody knew who he was at this point and how classic this verse would be
A legend is born
Nas so cold
They don't call him Nasty Nas for nothing
Nas just went to the back smooth. That's dope.
greatest cameo verse of all time
When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus. Can't think of a harder line than that one! OMG
1991 man i wish i was there
"I leave the microphone split" and the mic fucks up
The microphone malfunction did not stop him he just switched
Before the internet energy is unmatched
I'm out to lunch, God.
And a young king is born👑
Your favorite rappers favorite rapper... Where it all started
"i melt mics till the sound waves over / before stepping to me you'd rather step to Jehovah" (JAYhovah) given how time unfolded and the series of events this unexpectedly aged incredibly really well 😂💯. It was written 😁
One of my favorite raps EVER
just chills and smiles its sooooooooooo gooooooooood
GOATED 🐐👑🏅
Nas killed this shit!
Legendary 🔥🔥🔥🔥
A God was Born
Man the attire is on point so are bars!
Literally saved rap
And so a legend was born...
ahh this gives me chills everytime