Wu-Tang Clan and Nas announce Glasgow show

Hip Hop stars Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have announced the 2023 co-headline run of their N.Y. State of Mind Tour, which will be hitting multiple continents this year. Produced by Live Nation, the 32-date global tour kicks off on Tuesday, May 9th in Auckland, New Zealand at Spark Arena, stopping in Glasgow on Monday 12th June at the OVO Hydro, before wrapping up on Sunday, October 22nd at Yaamava Theatre in Highland, CA.

The 2023 tour comes on the heels of the sold out 2022 N.Y. State of Mind Tour run that hit 25+ cities last year, including a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The tour was also recently nominated for Pollstar’s 2022 Hip Hop Tour of The Year.

Tickets for the Glasgow show will be available Friday 3rd March at 9 am via gigsinscotland.com

Wu-Tang Clan

Founded in New York City's Staten Island in the early 1990s, the Wu-Tang Clan is comprised of members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and the deceased Ol' Dirty Bastard (ODB). Their name is a reference to a 1983 martial arts film.

Led by the production of RZA, samples from martial arts films have thematically appeared throughout the group's music, as have samples of classic funk and soul tracks from artists like Rick James, James Brown, and Syl Johnson.

As a group, Wu-Tang Clan have three platinum albums among their eight LPs, and the group's complete anthology (including solo albums) has more than 85 full-length releases. More than just rappers, Wu-Tang Clan are entrepreneurs and successful cultural influencers, with an empire that features everything from clothing lines and video games to books and acting credits.

Wu-Tang Clan on Tour

Considered by many to be one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan have been touring as a unit since their debut record — Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — came out in 1993. The now triple-platinum release vaulted the New York City group with songs like "C.R.E.A.M." (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) and "Protect Ya Neck" that are about as recognizable as anything in the rap canon.

Their live sets are a family affair, with every member of the crew representing their lyrical contributions to the Wu's eight studio albums, as well as notable cuts from the Wu-Tang solo discography. With the omnipresent Wu-Tang "W" flanking all angles of the stage, there's a familiarity to Wu-Tang Clan's music that gives their shows mass appeal.

Whether they're delivering the 36 Chambers record front to back on the album's 25th Anniversary Tour, or tracks from GZA's seminal Liquid Swords and Raekwon's mafioso-minded Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., or honoring the legacy of their departed brother, Ol' Dirty Bastard, every Wu-Tang Clan show is a celebration of prolific careers as individuals and especially as the most storied group in hip-hop history.

Nas

Nas (Nasir Jones) first reached an international audience when his track “Halftime” was tapped by producer MC Serch as the opening cut on 1992’s Zebrahead movie soundtrack. Signed to Columbia Records, the first full-length album by poet and rhyme-master Nas arrived in 1994, Illmatic. The RIAA platinum hip-hop landmark featured “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” “The World Is Yours,” and “One.” 1996 brought the breakthrough double-platinum It Was Written (#1 R&B for 7 weeks, #1 pop for 4 weeks), with his first major crossover singles “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).” Success continued with the double-platinum I Am in 1999 (again #1 pop and #1 R&B), with the chart singles “Nas Is Like,” “Hate Me Now” (featuring Puff Daddy), and “You Won’t See Me Tonight” (featuring Aaliyah).

Subsequent albums by Nas included: the RIAA platinum Nastradamus (1999, #2 R&B, #7 pop, with “Nastradamus” and “You Owe Me,” featuring Ginuwine); the platinum Stillmatic (2001, #1 R&B, #5 pop, with “Got Ur Self A…,” “One Mic,” and “Rule”); the platinum God’s Son (2002, #1 R&B, with huge R&B/pop crossover hits “Made You Look” and “I Can”); and the platinum double-CD Street’s Disciple (2004, #2 R&B, #5 pop, with “Bridging the Gap” and “Just a Moment”). And his 2012 album, Life Is Good earned him 4 Grammy nominations including Rap Album of the Year and is certified RIAA gold.

Over the years, Nas has also been the featured guest on a number of crossover hits by other artists, among them: Allure (“Head Over Heels,” 1997); Missy Elliott (the #1 “Hot Boyz,” 1999); fellow Queensbridge rapper Mobb Deep (“It’s Mine,” 1999); Jagged Edge (“I Got It 2,” 2002); J-Lo (“I’m Gonna Be Alright,” 2002); Kanye West (“Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been),” 2006); DJ Khaled (“Nas Album Done,” 2016); Swizz Beats (“Echo,” 2018); Jhene Aiko (“10K Hours,” 2020) and others.

In August 2020, Nas released King’s Disease. King’s Disease marked Nas’ first new album in 2 years. The album was entirely produced by Hit-Boy, and Gabriel “G Code” Zardes serves as the albums co-executive producer. The album won “Best Rap Album” at the 2021 Grammys, marking Nas’ first ever Grammy win.

In August of 2021, Nas released King’s Disease II, a sequel to the GRAMMY Award winning album. King’s Disease II was executive produced by Nas and Hit-Boy and features collaborations with Eminem, EPMD, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, YG, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Hit-Boy & more. The album earned a nomination for “Best Rap Album” at the upcoming 64th GRAMMY Awards. Most recently, Nas released a surprise album titled Magic featuring A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier.

In addition to his successful career in music, Nas has pursued a career in motion pictures that began with his co-starring role (alongside DMX) in 1998’s cult classic crime drama Belly, a film by director Hype Williams (with whom Nas has worked on several music videos). Most recently, he was the executive producer of the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down.

Nas is also the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records.