Wu-Tang Clan & Nas: NY State Of Mind Tour Petco Park San Diego, CA

A Hip Hop State of Mind

By Diar Lansky

What’s the definition of “State Of Mind?” … The dictionary says, : a person’s emotional state : mood // He’s in a good/bad state of mind.

But in real life it’s not that simple, right.? An emotional state and /or a mood doesn’t necessarily project a concentrated effort to achieve greatness…Or make a concentrated effort to succeed…A State of mind could be any variant, regardless of the situation; whether negative or positive. But when you hear the statement “State Of Mind,” it always has a do or die sentiment. There’s nothing in between. There’s no middle ground. You never hear anyone say, “Man, my state of mind right now is just to be average.” … So in point, the complexity of both mindsets, whether negative or positive, are for absolute action.

On October 6th, my state of mind was to get thru L.A. traffic, and to get to San Diego to witness The NY State Of Mind Tour. When the tour was announced, every Hip Hop head out there immediately perked up. A tour with Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and Busta Rhymes…What could be better? In a Hip Hop climate that we are presently in, it’s important for the younger generation to witness some of the artists that built and laid the foundation that allows these newer artists to move so freely through the hectic environment we call the music industry. The sacrifices and genius ingenuity that these groups / artists made in what’s called “The Golden Era” of Hip Hop without a doubt shaped and molded the atmosphere that we take for granted in music nowadays. Not only is Hip Hop EVERYWHERE now, technology has also aided us to be able to do music in just about any situation in life. With that brings an over saturation of music and a list of new artists that never ends and is constantly revolving. As uniqueness slowly fades away, we still have to remember to “Do The Knowledge” and remember why we are here, and what brought us here.

What I witnessed at Petco Park in San Diego, CA, on October 6th was nothing short of perfection. I had brought my daughter along to this show for her 13th birthday, and her very first concert. She just happens to be a huge Wu-Tang and Nas fan, so it seemed fitting that this would be her first concert. The whole trip from L.A. we were discussing what song Wu-Tang would open with…What song Nas would open with. I started to somewhat tell her the format of most concerts. We figured Busta Rhymes would be opening, just because of his and Spliff Star’s absolute knack of pure and unfiltered Energy. Then we guessed Wu-Tang would be the second act. Obviously to keep the energy flowing gracefully, but also to make a dynamic switch of raw, gritty Hip Hop. And then of course Nas would wrap (Rap) it up with his smooth technique, and genius storytelling that glues your attention to every word that is projected out of the massive speakers. “Sky’s the limit” is what I told her as we parked and were ready to enter the stadium for a night that was going to be one for the history books.

As we entered the venue, we heard a very familiar voice talking to the audience. It of course was RZA! My daughter – Who Is One Of If Not RZA’s Biggest Fan(s) – immediately grabbed my hand and said, “We need to get closer!” As I couldn’t deny my daughter’s wishes at her first concert, we headed to the front of the crowd squeezing past the masses one by one as RZA is rhyming, “No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now.” Our predictions on what and who would be opening had already been torn to pieces. I knew at that point this what not going to be your average show…And I knew we were both in for a night of Hip Hop that we would never forget.

As RZA finished two songs, he then hyped the audience by yelling “San Diego are you readddy?!” The enormous crowd yelled at the top of their lungs with excitement, “Yeaaaaah!!” RZA then introduced one of the most prolific artists in the Wu-Tang roster, The GZA. He entered the stage with one of the most recognizable songs of the Wu-Tang catalog, “Liquid Swords.” I mean, what a way to set it off. It seemed everyone in the crowd knew every word like they were born listening to it. In my daughter’s case, she was smooth and on point. The GZA a.k.a. The Genius truly proved right in front of us why he was given that name. Absolutely flawless. Nothing short of perfection. As the GZA was finishing, you couldn’t help but wonder, “Okay, what’s next?” This is already different than any show I’ve been to. My curiosity was peaked beyond measure. The RZA then introduces the next member to come out…Which he stated was the first platinum Wu-Tang record. I then of course knew what was coming. None other than Raekwon the Chef and of course the album he was talking about was Only Built For Cuban Linx. We are officially off to the races. Rae opened with “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” which by far is one of the most hard hitting songs ever produced by The RZA, and definitely affirmed that once hearing the beat drop through the incredible sound system that shook the ground that we were jumping up and down on as the music continued to play. One by one, every Wu-Tang member was introduced, performed a song, and stayed on stage to hype up the next member….Every member that is except Method Man. After performing a few songs as a group, they slowly made their way off stage. As the stage goes black, of course everyone is thinking….Yeah, what’s next?

With absolute perfect timing, all the screens on the stage showed giant flames and there was a huge rumble. Before anyone had time to react, God’s Son himself Nas, rushes the stage with the song “Hate Me Now” absolutely crushing the sound system and exploding the crowd to pure excitement as he delivered on of the smoothest and on point performances I’ve ever seen. Nas has a smooth and softer tone than most Wu-Tang members, so the dynamic between the two was very apparent, but also very welcoming as you hung onto every lyric that Nas was unleashing.

After performing a few classics including “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” “The Message” and “Represent,” Nas then started to introduce someone that obviously was on a track with him. It just so happened to be none other than Raekwon The Chef and Ghostface Killah. They then performed “Verbal Intercourse” off Cuban Linx album, and I’m thinking to myself, “It really can’t get any better than this!” As Nas exits stage left, the duo Raekwon & Ghostface stayed on stage and performed the classic “Criminology.” The two rappers’ chemistry is just as good as when the album came out in 1995. Once again, flawless execution. Before you knew it, once again, every member of Wu-Tang is on stage, still minus Method Man. We are literally watching unmatched greatness right in front of our eyes. With the crowd absolutely hanging onto every lyric and beat…the stage stood silent for a moment. Out of nowhere, projecting as loud as you could imagine we hear “Tiger Style!” If you’re a true Wu-Tang fan, you already know what’s preceding that sound… “”Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit, Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit…” The energy when this song dropped was unbelievable. It’s hard to compare to anything I had ever seen. In the middle of the song, there is a break that has no drums, no vocals, just all music. This of course is when Method Man raps his part of the track, but he wasn’t there so we figured they would end the song there and move on to another track. It was then when RZA said, “San Diego…Brace yourself…” It was that moment when everyone heard…. “THE METH WILL COME OUT, TOMORROW…” and before our eyes there he was….Johnny Blaze himself! Method Man. The vibe and energy at this point is indescribable. The whole show shifted into something that is a once in a lifetime experience that can and will never be duplicated. Where do you go from here? Is this the peak of the show? They could end it now, and it still would have been one of if not the best produced live concert ever in history. But, we were just getting started. After another flawless Wu-Tang set, Nas enters as only he can. The level of perfection and smoothness that he portrays on stage is one of a kind without a doubt. His engagement with the audience is special. You sometimes at times think he’s just talking to you.

As Nas exits, you have to take a breath and try to soak in what’s happening. This can’t be real, right? You almost want to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming. But before you could catch your breath…You hear a beat start to play and slowly make its way to the crowd. No time for breaks…Here comes Busta Rhymes! Energy on a level that can’t be described. Nothing but pure hypeness and unimaginable lyrical capabilities that only Busta can deliver. From one track to the other, Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star absolutely slaughtered what you thought a live Hip Hop show was supposed to be. From his hits with Mariah Carey to a throwback with A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” it’s hard to imagine how anyone regardless of age is still able to achieve that amount of spirit and energy for that amount of time. Busta Rhymes is the epitome of hype…And if you’ve never seen it live, you have no idea what you’re missing. Once Busta finished his set, my daughter and I are trying to imagine what could be next. We’ve just witnessed one of the most incredible Hip Hop performances ever seen. We both look at each other with no words….Just smiles…And then we hear it…. “Whatcha y’all thought you weren’t gonna to see me, IM THE OSIRIS OF THIS SHIT, WU-TANG IS HERE FOREVER, MOTHAFUCKAS!” None other than the late, great O.D.B. [Ol’ Dirty Bastard]. Once again the crowd explodes as Inspectah Deck enters the stage with the rest of the squad and delivers one of the most memorable first verses in Hip Hop history, for the track “Triumph.” Breathtaking…Unmatched pure emotion and energy. Again, almost impossible to describe. After a couple more songs off the classic track-lists that Wu-Tang holds with pride, I notice Nas re-enters the stage while everyone from Wu is still there. I then notice Busta and Spliff are on stage as well. As Nas enters the front center of the stage, he asked for everyone to put their hand out holding one finger up. It’s at that moment when we heard the song “One Mic” start to play. As I stand there with my daughter at her very first concert, watching my favorite artists perform my favorite songs, it’s hit me. This is where I’m supposed to be. This is exactly what made me fall in love with Hip Hop in the first place. This is…My Hip Hop State Of Mind. As Nas finishes “One Mic,” the emotion that I was feeling at that moment was like no other. I wasn’t worried about anything. The cruel realities of the world were nowhere to be found. There was no prejudices, there was no color boundaries. We were all together as one, in a way that only Hip Hop can do.

Diar Lansky, Inspectah Deck & Diar Lansky’s daughter

Driving back to L.A., my daughter and I were more excited than when we initially drove there. An absolute high that no drug or alcohol could ever touch. We knew we witnessed something that couldn’t compare to anything of this world. And it all started with Two Turntables and a Mic….And is why to this day Hip Hop saved my life and will continue to motivate myself and generations to come. The NY State Of Mind Tour was nothing short of perfection. And the memories I hold onto from that night will forever be embedded in my soul until the day I leave this earth. On a side note, the incredible Jimmy Kang [Wu Management Vice President] invited my daughter and I to the wrap party as we found out this was the last night of the tour. So not only did my daughter get to witness one of the best concerts ever produced, she also got to meet and talk to every one of the artists on this incredible tour…And as we left I truly saw that “Wu-Tang Is For The Children!”…And will continue to be for many generations to come.