Nas: Illmatic | Chicago Philharmonic
Wed, Jul 02
|Ravinia Festival
Time & Location
Jul 02, 2025, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035, USA
About the event
Experience hip-hop history reimagined as Nas makes his Ravinia debut, joining forces with the Chicago Philharmonic for a powerful symphonic performance of his groundbreaking debut album, Illmatic. More than three decades after its release, this genre-defining masterpiece—ranked by Billboard as the #1 Greatest Rap Album of All Time—takes on a new life with lush orchestration, elevating Nas’ poetic lyricism and raw storytelling to epic proportions.
Since his 1994 debut, Nas has shaped the sound and soul of hip-hop, releasing 14 subsequent albums—8 of which have gone platinum or multi-platinum, including Nastradamus, Stillmatic, God’s Son, and Street’s Disciple. A 16-time GRAMMY nominee, he secured his first win with King’s Disease in 2020 for Best Rap Album, followed by two sequels and his Magic trilogy, produced alongside Hit-Boy. His most recent release, Magic 3, marks the final chapter of this prolific creative partnership, closing an extraordinary era of innovation and influence.
Beyond…