Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Diddy & More Celebrate Nas’ 50th Birthday In NYC

Hip-hop elites hit the town for Nas’ 50th birthday. On Thursday night (September 15), the Queensbridge emcee hosted a New York City event attended by top music artists and entertainment power players including Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Q-Tip, Styles P, DJ Premier, AZ, Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Raekwon, The Roots, N.O.R.E, Big Hit, Hit-Boy, and more. Also that evening, Nas and Hit-Boy released their final collaboration album, the third and last installment of their Magic series.

Videos from the night show guests enjoying the festivities and taking photo-ops. Those who weren’t able to attend, like Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled and Swizz Beatz, sent birthday wishes to Escobar via social media.

“Bless up, my brother Nas. Nasir. Nas. Escobar,” Khaled said to his “Sorry Not Sorry” collaborator. “Nas season every year. Every year’s our season. Brother, happy birthday. Remember, it’s your birthday every second, every day, every breath. But yes, we gotta bless you on your birthday. Congratulations on your blessings. Keep inspiring all of us… Thank you for what you’ve done for me; thank you for what you’ve done for hip-hop. Speaking of hip-hop, 50 years of hip-hop and you turning 50? Come on, it was written.”

Magic 3 also ends Nas and Hit-Boy’s collaborative album streak, which began in 2020 with King’s Disease. The following year, King’s Disease earned Nas his first Grammy Award, winning in the Best Rap Album category. In total, Nas and Hit-Boy have released six albums together.