Iconic New York hip-hop Wu-Tang Clan have announced a joint world tour with NYC rap veteran Nas for this summer.
The NY State Of Mind tour will take in dates in Australia, before heading to Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm, Paris, London, Glasgow and Dublin before heading to North American to round out the 32-date tour.
The Dublin gig happens at the 3Arena on Friday June 9th with the rap double header.
Tickets from €69.50 plus fee on sale this Friday 3rd March from ticketmaster.ie, and a pre-sale begins Thursday March 2nd through MCD.
It’s always hard with the Wu-Tang to know who exactly of the members will be turning up.
Last year, the N.Y. State of Mind Tour went on 25 tour dates and they made a little video to go with it.
Wu-Tang Clan members RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, GZA, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna were on the US tour last year.
About Wu-Tang Clan
Founded in New York City’s Staten Island in the early 1990s, the Wu-Tang Clan is comprised of members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and the deceased Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB). Their name is a reference to a 1983 martial arts film.
Led by the production of RZA, samples from martial arts films have thematically appeared throughout the group’s music, as have samples of classic funk and soul tracks from artists like Rick James, James Brown, and Syl Johnson. As a group, Wu-Tang Clan have three platinum albums among their eight LPs, and the group’s complete anthology (including solo albums) has more than 85 full-length releases. More than just rappers, Wu-Tang Clan are entrepreneurs and successful cultural influencers, with an empire that features everything from clothing lines and video games to books and acting credits.
Wu-Tang Clan on Tour
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.
About Nas
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.
Over the years, Nas has also been the featured guest on a number of crossover hits by other artists, among them: Allure (“Head Over Heels,” 1997); Missy Elliott (the #1 “Hot Boyz,” 1999); fellow Queensbridge rapper Mobb Deep (“It’s Mine,” 1999); Jagged Edge (“I Got It 2,” 2002); J-Lo (“I’m Gonna Be Alright,” 2002); Kanye West (“Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been),” 2006); DJ Khaled (“Nas Album Done,” 2016); Swizz Beats (“Echo,” 2018); Jhene Aiko (“10K Hours,” 2020) and others.
In August 2020, Nas released King’s Disease. King’s Disease marked Nas’ first new album in 2 years. The album was entirely produced by Hit-Boy, and Gabriel “G Code” Zardes serves as the albums co-executive producer. The album won “Best Rap Album” at the 2021 GRAMMYs, marking Nas’ first ever GRAMMY win.
In August of 2021, Nas released King’s Disease II, a sequel to the GRAMMY Award winning album. King’s Disease II was executive produced by Nas and Hit-Boy and features collaborations with Eminem, EPMD, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, YG, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Hit-Boy & more. The album earned a nomination for “Best Rap Album” at the upcoming 64th GRAMMY Awards. Most recently, Nas released a surprise album titled Magic featuring A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier.
In addition to his successful career in music, Nas has pursued a career in motion pictures that began with his co-starring role (alongside DMX) in 1998’s cult classic crime drama Belly, a film by director Hype Williams (with whom Nas has done several music videos). Most recently, he was the executive producer of the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down.
Nas is also the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records.
2023 N.Y. STATE OF MIND TOUR DATES:
AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND
Tue May 9 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
Fri May 12 – Brisbane, AU – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sat May 13 – Sydney, AU – Qudos Bank Arena
Sun May 14 – Melbourne, AU – Rod Laver Arena
EUROPE
Fri June 2 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
Sat June 3 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
Mon June 5 – Berlin, DE – Parkbuhne Wuhlheide
Tues June 6 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Wed June 7 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Fri June 9 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
Mon June 12 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tue June 13 – London, UK – The O2
NORTH AMERICA
Wed Sep 20 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Fri Sep 22 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
Sat Sep 23 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place
Sun Sep 24 – Tampa, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino^
Tue Sep 26 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Wed Sep 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Fri Sep 29 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Sun Oct 01 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Mon Oct 02 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Wed Oct 04 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Sat Oct 07 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Sun Oct 08 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Tue Oct 10 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
Fri Oct 13 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
Sat Oct 14 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
Mon Oct 16 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue Oct 17 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Wed Oct 18 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sat Oct 21 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sun Oct 22 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theatre*
^ Daytime Pool Party Performance
*On-sale: Monday, March 6th at 10am local
