Author: Desire Thompson and William Ketchum III / Source: Vibe
The timeline leading up to Nas’ album release was rather quiet. Just days before the album we know now as NASIR’s release, it was revealed a party similar to the vibe of Kanye West’s ye would take place in a remote area in Queens, New York on Thursday (June 14).
There were blended assumptions on how it would go down and what the album would sound like. Would it happen at Nas’ restaurant Sweet Chick? Would his music address the domestic abuse claims from Kelis? All we knew was Kanye’s role in the album as the executive producer, and that it would also follow the formula of a seven-song stimulus package.
The album would be played last night under the starry lights of the Queensboro Bridge. Project Wyoming was now in a nearly gentrified Queens and the aura was anything but serene. The finesse gods were in effect, where a few guys embodied Keyser Söze to the fullest for the thrill of being on the scene. Kanye was all smiles as the rest of the G.O.O.D music ensemble like Pusha T and 2 Chainz came out to support the veteran rapper.
Two VIBE writers arrived at the event and ended up on both sides of the large green plated gate.
Below, check out two very different tales of how it went down.
Inside (William Ketchum III)
8 p.m.: I arrive at the location given to attendees in the RSVP email. A few hundred people are waiting inside of a large, fenced off lot, with two lines. One line is getting wristbands, the other is standing alongside the fence, taking turns piling into buses at 15-20 at a time.
Once I’m inside my bus, we’re driven around the corner, where we wait. Our News Editor, Desire, texts me and says that she and Billboard Hip-Hop Editor, Carl Lamarre, are on their way.9 p.m.: After waiting inside a stationary bus for one hour– at 9 p.m. on the dot–we finally take off for a 15-minute drive. We arrive at another outdoor area that’s fenced outside, and we line up along the fence. Peeking through the holes, we see that there are already several hundred people inside.
10 p.m.: I see the rapper Kyle waiting by us outside, and with his permission, FaceTime my girlfriend’s daughter so she can meet him and have a few words with him. She was listening to him moments before I called. A highlight of my night.
10:10 p.m.: We begin to see a few celebrities arrive as we’re waiting in line. Swizz Beatz and Steve Stoute get to the venue and are welcomed inside.
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10:26 p.m.: I finally get inside (and stub my toe on the door of the fence in the process). The environment is an army vibe; military green and light brown tents, and stones on the ground (horrible look for sneakerheads).
I briefly speak to Desire, and get an update of her whereabouts outside by the gate, waiting for her to get inside. I begin to spot other celebrities: DJ Clue, Wale, radio host Big Boy, Consequence. I see a green hummer, which I learn that Nas rode in to make his grand entrance. There’s…
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