Nas Set to Light Up Las Vegas With “In the Paint” Performance During Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals
Written by b87fm on 12/10/2025
Nas is closing out 2025 with a major cultural flex. The rap legend will headline the next installment of Amazon Music’s “In the Paint” series in Las Vegas, taking center stage during the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals. The special outdoor concert hits T-Mobile Arena’s Toshiba Plaza on Saturday, Dec. 13, unfolding between the back-to-back semifinal matchups.
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Fans watching from home won’t miss out—two songs from Nas’ performance will air during the live broadcast on Prime Video’s NBA coverage. After the show, the full set will be available across all Amazon platforms.
This Vegas takeover arrives as Nas caps an extraordinarily active year for his label, Mass Appeal, which has rolled out releases from icons including Slick Rick, Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, along with projects tied to Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Nas drops Light-Years—his newly announced collaborative album with legendary producer DJ Premier—on Dec. 12, just one day before the Vegas show. The project extends one of hip-hop’s most enduring creative partnerships, a lineage that stretches back to their work on Illmatic and includes classics like “New York State of Mind,” “Represent,” “Memory Lane,” “I Gave You Power,” and “Nas Is Like.”
The event will also spotlight Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who recently joined “NBA on Prime” as a player contributor. Haliburton made his on-air debut Tuesday night during “NBA Nightcap,” offering a player’s POV on how the league is discussed.
“I’m going to be talking about the games, talking about the season, talking about the NBA as a whole,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “I think sometimes the people giving us criticism and the way our game is talked about is something that’s always bothered a lot of players.”
With a new album dropping, a massive Vegas performance, and a moment in the NBA spotlight, Nas is closing out 2025 with unmistakable momentum—and he’s doing it on his own terms.
