Las Vegas continues to heat up as Amazon Music taps Nas to headline a special “In the Paint” performance during the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals. The concert will take place Saturday (Dec. 13) at Toshiba Arena Plaza, marking a major moment in the lead-up to the release of his new collaborative project, Light Years, with DJ Premier.
Fans attending the semifinals will be able to watch Nas’ set live between games, while those tuning into Prime’s Emirates NBA Cup broadcast will catch an abbreviated version during the telecast. After the broadcast ends, the full performance will be available on Prime Video, the Amazon Music Twitch channel, and inside the Amazon Music app. Tickets for those looking to attend in person are available through the NBA Events website. The event continues Amazon’s “In the Paint” series, which launched Dec. 5 with a performance from Clipse.
The concert arrives one day after Nas releases Light Years, his first album since 2023’s Magic 3, the finale of his acclaimed run with Hit-Boy. His renewed collaboration with DJ Premier extends a partnership that began with 1994’s Illmatic, where they crafted classics like “New York State of Mind,” “Represent,” and “Memory Lane.”
Their work since has included favorites such as “I Gave You Power” and “Nas Is Like,” helping define multiple eras of East Coast hip-hop.Light Years also caps a yearlong celebration from Mass Appeal highlighting New York icons. Throughout 2025, Nas supported releases from Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul, reinforcing his long-standing commitment to the city’s legacy and culture.
