Nas to Headline Amazon Music’s ‘In the Paint’ Series During NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals

Las Vegas is only getting hotter, as Amazon Music has enlisted Nas to deliver a special performance between the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals. Live from the Toshiba Arena Plaza, Nas will headline Amazon’s “In the Paint” concert on Saturday (Dec. 13.), as he’s coming off his hotly anticipated collaborative project, Light Years, with DJ Premier.

Fans attending Saturday’s games will have access to watch Nas’ performance in person, while viewers at home can experience a sample-size version of his set during Prime’s Emirates NBA Cup broadcast. The whole performance will be available online post-coverage on Prime Video, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and in the Amazon Music app. Nas enthusiasts interested in purchasing tickets can buy them via the NBA Events website. This will continue Amazon Music’s “In the Paint” series, which began Dec. 5, when it recruited Grammy-nominated duo Clipse for a performance of “So Be It.”

On Friday (Dec. 12), Nas will unleash his first album since September 2023’s Magic 3, which capped off his epic 18-month run with his Grammy-winning partner, HitBoy. For Nas and Premier, their relationship dates back to the MC’s 1994 debut album, Illmatic, where they teamed up on “New York State of Mind,” “Represent” and “Memory Lane.” Since then, Premo and Nas have collaborated on a bevy of hip-hop classics, including “I Gave You Power,” “Nas Is Like” and more.

Light Years will punctuate the yearlong celebration of Mass Appeal’s affinity for New York City legends. Earlier this year, Nas helped release albums for Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L and, most recently, De La Soul.