Nas and Nashville Symphony team up for orchestra's first-ever rap concert

Is the Nashville Symphony about to play its first-ever hip-hop concert? As Nas once said, "It ain't hard to tell."

The acclaimed rapper — who burst onto the scene with his 1994 debut, "Illmatic" — will perform with the orchestra at Ascend Amphitheater on Sept. 12. The concert was originally planned to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

47-year-old Nasir Jones has long been considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, finding commercial success with "If I Ruled the World" and "Hate Me Now," and enjoying an infamous (and long-settled) rivalry with Jay-Z.

He's not to be confused with 22-year-old pop phenom Lil Nas X, although the two did collaborate on a remix of "Rodeo" last year.

The concert comes two years after another show that made hip-hop history in Music City: In 2019, Wu Tang Clan became the first rap group to headline Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

The Nashville Symphony announced several more rescheduled shows for 2021 and 2022 this week, including performances with Jennifer Nettles (Nov. 30 and Dec. 1), Yolanda Adams (May 8) and Bernadette Peters (June 22). For tickets and more information, visit www.nashvillesymphony.org.