Check out photos from the show here.

Nas hit The Tivoli in his first headline tour of Australia – seven-piece band in tow, giving eager fans who missed him supporting Kanye West last year a chance to see the hip hop pioneer up close and personal (at least when he took his sunnies off).

Sydney’s L-Fresh kicks the night off. Fresh is one of Street University’s first “graduates”. Street University was launched in January Public Enemy to help-out some of Australia’s poorest and most disadvantaged youth through hip hop art, music and culture. Twenty year-old Fresh aka The Lion – cue the roaring sample – gives a very energetic set, with songs ranging from club tracks to raw hip-hop. All include meaningful lyrics covering everything from love to the struggles of just getting by.

The first half of Qbert’s set is mind-blowing – though the audience don’t quite seem to get it. It’s a little disappointing to see the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm, as Qbert is one of the world’s most respected hip hop DJ’s, and with reason. This guy scratches like he has eight arms. His hands move so quickly you wonder how he manages to keep it all together, blending tracks seamlessly, working them back and forth at a sickeningly fast pace. Then up comes MC Supernatural to join him, and voila – the world’s number one turntablist and a US freestyle battle champion are paired up to bring us a freestyle battle set like no other. Supernatural lives up to his name, giving the audience the ABC’s and 123’s of hip hop past and present – not to mention a fine demonstration in the art of freestyling. Our first lesson begins with a little game involving three words from the crowd – tonight’s three? Procrastination. Infinity. Obstruction. The aim of the game? To see how well Supernatural can work these words into some epic freestyling. The second lesson is called “the three MC’s” – we’re given clues by Supernatural rapping as Supernatural, before he does a little twirl and transforms into one of the three MC’s – first he’s Slick Rick, then Busta Rhymes, and finally Notorious B.I.G.. It’s like learn-with-me hip hop! Later on we’re treated with a sentimental song for Supernatural’s “lost friends” – a tribute to stars including Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes, and Notorious B.I.G.. Another number sees him take objects from the audience and work them into his freestyling – a French passport, blueberry bubblegum, a mobile phone… he makes it seem effortless, but it’s impossible to ignore how ridiculously good a freestyler this man is.

“Nasty Nas”, “Escobar” or just plain Nas, whatever you want to call him – the self-appointed King of East-Cost hip hop gets things rolling with Hip Hop Is Dead. Nas has brought his band all the way from New York, including a Lil Wayne look-a-like bassist and a guitarist sporting an “I love Brisbane” singlet. Newer material in the form of Sly Fox – a song “about bullshit news networks like Fox News” goes down a treat, before hit single I Can from 2002’s God’s Son. Nas then goes on an Illmatic bender – pumping out Represent, The World is Yours, Life’s a Bitch, N.Y. State of Mind, and It Ain’t Hard to Tell one after the other. Unsurprisingly, the crowd loses it for these tracks from his classic debut, especially N.Y. State of Mind and Life’s A Bitch. We’re brought forward from ‘94 with If I Ruled The World. This is followed by a bit of an instrumental jam that really shows off Nas’ charismatic band, including an impressive trumpet solo. Meanwhile, Nas himself is nowhere to be seen. The crowd and band alike really get into it, before Nas returns for Get Down. America brings us back to his latest release, Untitled, while Live at the Barbecue and Escobar ‘97 make the crowd go more than a little crazy. Speaking of crowd pleasing, Nasty Nas even manages to sign a lucky fan’s record before You Can’t Stop Us Now. The only Nastradamus track to make it into tonight’s set – Shoot ‘Em Up – fires up the crowd, as does Made You Look. Street’s Disciple track Bridging the Gap leads us into One Mic – Nas telling us that “music can tell you stories”, and about lo-fi hip hop and taking it back – accompanied by his bongo-drummer and a spot-light. Eventually the rest of the band comes in for an epic ending.

Nas didn’t disappoint tonight, playing songs spanning his fifteen year career – indeed, playing more songs from his earlier days. It may have taken him a while to do a full-scale tour here, but it was certainly worth the wait.