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Nas must have caved and broke out his old Illmatic cassette tape in preparation of the massive press run he’s set to embark on coinciding with the album’s 20th anniversary.

As SXSW 2014 was nearing its twilight hours on Friday March 14, the legendary rapper gave the audience of Mass Appeal and GrooveShark’s #SXSWTakeOver an experience to cherish for a lifetime as he mixed some of his signature classic records in between an Ilmatic mash-up.

Acts such as B.o.B and Future, A$AP Mob, Bishop Nehru, Fashawn and Boldy James and a non-performing Jay Electronica all graced the stage beforehand but it was Nasir who was destined to steal the show.

Backed by DJ Green Lantern, Nas resurrected “The World Is Yours,” “Represent” and “New York State Of Mind” for a younger generation as well as diving into equally respected hits like “Made You Look,” “Got Yourself a Gun,” and “If I Ruled The World.”

It’s going to a busy year for Mr. Jones. Not only is he performing the entire LP at Coachella in chronological order (look for the inevitable AZ sighting), his Illmatic documentary will be a likely hit at the Tribeca Film Festival. Oh, and there’s a re-release of the storied album in April as well.

Check out a bulk of the Nas’ performance in the video below and more focused shot of “The World Is Yours” on the flip.

Photo: Karlo Ramos

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